Ashurst advises on first solar energy project in Morocco

As Morocco begins to turn its focus to solar energy, Ashurst has advised ACWA Power on the successful development and financing of the first phase of the Noor solar programme, which reached first disbursement in September. 

The first in a series of vast solar projects planned for the country, the project involves the development and construction of the Noor 1 160 MW thermal solar power plant in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The project company, ACWA Power Ouarzazate, will sell the plant's output to the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) under a 25 year power purchase agreement. 

Upon completion, the plant is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world, according to Mustapha Bakkoury, the head of MASEN. Media reports indicate that Morocco expects to build five new solar plants by the end of the decade, with a combined production capacity of 2,000 megawatts and at an estimated cost of EUR6.9bn. The country plans to raise renewable energy production to 42 per cent of its total power supply mix by 2020. 

The Ashurst team was based out of Ashurst's London and Middle East offices.