Brussels, 17/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 16 July, the European Union announced its support for a solar energy project in Ouarzazate, Morocco. In a statement taken up by the Moroccan agency, MAP, Marlene Holzner, the spokesperson for the EU energy commissioner, said that the EU is determined to step up its cooperation with Morocco in the field of clean energies. Such cooperation comes within the overall Euro-Mediterranean solar plan initiated within the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean).
The EU fully supports Morocco's commitment in favour of a green economy and hopes to step up its cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco in this sector, especially in relation to the second phase of the Ouarzazate solar plant project, said Holzner.
The support announced concerns the second phase in the plant's establishment (a further 340 MW). The first phase, conceived by the Moroccan solar energy agency (MASEN), has already received European support of €30 million (funding convention signed in January 2012), with EIB contribution of €10 million. According to the Moroccan agency, the World Bank has granted two loans of an overall amount of $297 million, repayable over 30 to 40 years, with 5-10 year exemption periods. Also, the EBRD is to grant a loan of $200 million. EU member state funding bodies will also be providing support (France, Germany). (FB/transl.jl)