The Windy Land's Vision of the Future--Morocco's Wind Strategy (May 2000)

The Windy Land's Vision of the Future--Morocco's Wind Strategy (May 2000)

In 2000, Morocco was focusing on wind power generation as a national strategy to achieve both energy self-sufficiency and environmental conservation. For a country that had previously relied on imports for the majority of its energy, utilizing domestic natural resources was the key to security and economic growth, and wind, especially along the Atlantic coast and in mountainous regions, was attracting attention as an inexhaustible source of energy.

The national power company ONE led the commercialization of wind power generation, and construction was underway in several regions, including Essaouira. In addition, technical and capital collaboration with European countries such as Spain and Germany was underway, and a plan was drawn up to export electricity across the Mediterranean to Europe in the future.

These efforts were in line with the growing international environmental awareness that followed the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, and Morocco was one of the first African countries to emerge in the field of renewable energy, thanks to its political stability and geographical advantage. Morocco was beginning to strategically utilize its wind resource and explore ways to become an energy exporting country.