The Noor Midelt Solar Complex, located at the foot of the Middle Atlas Mountains, 20 km from the city of Midelt, is one of the most ambitious solar projects in the world. It is part of Morocco’s energy strategy, which aims to achieve more than 52% renewable energy in its electricity mix by 2030.
Noor Midelt stands out for its innovative hybrid technology: it combines concentrated solar power (CSP) plants with photovoltaic (PV) plants. The first phase provides a total capacity of approximately 800 MW, split between CSP with thermal storage (capable of generating electricity after sunset) and photovoltaic units for direct grid input.
The complex has two major assets:
- It ensures stable electricity production, including at night thanks to thermal storage using molten salts.
- It enables a significant reduction in costs thanks to the integration of PV technologies, which are cheaper and quick to deploy.
The Noor Midelt project involves an investment of more than €2 billion, financed through a public-private partnership and supported by institutions such as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the European Investment Bank.
The consortium led by EDF Renewables, in partnership with Masdar (UAE) and Green of Africa (Morocco), was selected to build and operate the first phase. Work began in 2019, with commissioning targets set for around 2025, following adjustments related to the pandemic and technological developments.
Noor Midelt not only contributes to Morocco’s energy independence, but also to the creation of local jobs, the transfer of skills and the fight against climate change by reducing CO₂ emissions.
The project challenges relate to the management of water resources (used for cooling CSP plants) in a semi-arid region, and the need to ensure a sustainable economic model in the face of rapidly falling photovoltaic costs.
With Noor Midelt, Morocco confirms its role as a leader in renewable energy in Africa and a model for countries in energy transition.
