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1. A ENERGY PROJECT IN MOROCCO
A new project!
In February He Mohammed VI,opened
the first phase of what will eventually
become a major solar energy facility in
the center of the country.The project is a
remarkable piece of engineering with
tracking parabolic mirrors, reflecting
and concentrating sunlight into a
heating loop, which then transfers the
energy into steam and ultimately
electricity from turbines. The system
provides 3 hours of turbines operation
once the sun has set. Phase one of the
project involves the construction of a
160 MV concentrated solar power
(CSP) plant named Noor I , Phase Two
involves the construction of the 200
MV Noor II CSP plant . Phase three will
involve the construction of the Noor IV
The original cost of Noor was $1.1
billions, but reports show that upwards
of $2 billions has been spent. The
justification for the project is interesting
and can be found in one of documents
on the World Bank Project site. The
project is situate near a reservoir and is
quite water intensive. Finally there is the
important aspect of emissions reduction.
The Noor I CSP plant is expected to
displace 240,000 tonnes a year of CO2
emissions. For natural gas alone with its
lower carbon footprint, this is
displacement could fall well below
200,000 tonnes.But like all such
projects, this is displacement of CO2
which may result in a lower eventually
accumulation. The Moroccan CSP is a
fascinating project , but even more so as
the numbers are put down on paper.