Morocco to Double West Sahara Green Power Output for World Cup

(Bloomberg) -- Morocco, buoyed by recent foreign recognition of its rule over Western Sahara, plans to double green electricity production in the disputed territory to meet growing demand before it co-hosts the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The government has set a 2027 deadline to build 1.4 gigawatts of new wind and solar capacity in the region, said an energy ministry official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic. The projects are likely to cost about 21 billion dirhams ($2.1 billion) and will be led by local and foreign private investors, according to the official. 

Morocco’s hold on the territory, almost the size of the UK, is disputed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, an armed movement supported by neighboring Algeria in a conflict going back almost five decades. But recent statements of support from France, Spain and the US have encouraged Morocco to step up investments in energy infrastructure and agriculture, among other areas. 

Western Sahara’s current green power capacity is about 1.3 gigawatts, or about a quarter of the nation’s total renewables capacity. A project to develop a 3-gigawatt cable linking renewable plants in the territory to central Morocco has attracted interest from private investors, said the official.

That initiative is also key to meet an increase in demand for electricity across the North African nation ahead of the 2030 football tournament, which Morocco will host along with Spain and Portugal. 

France announced in April it would help fund the cable project, just three months before Paris recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.

The latest power plans will likely be condemned by Polisario. The group has repeatedly contested what it calls Morocco’s illegal exploitation of the territory’s natural resources, including phosphates.

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