Morocco reveals its ‘outstanding’ position on green hydrogen

Morocco reveals its ‘outstanding’ position on green hydrogen

As global decarbonisation builds momentum, Morocco has unveiled its strategic plan to scale production of green hydrogen and its derivatives – a significant step in this arena. These green fuels will be produced from renewables forming part of the “power-to-x”(PtX) industry.

During bilateral energy dialogues between Morocco and Germany, green hydrogen rose to the top of the agenda to help with sustainable development and energy transition. Strategic advice was provided by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to the Moroccan Government within the German-Moroccan Energy Partnership (PAREMA) – an active partnership to advance green hydrogen.

The secretariat of PAREMA acknowledged the need for a roadmap to develop the industry in Morocco. The GIZ provided support by bringing in technical expertise from the Fraunhofer Institute and Frontier Economics. In close cooperation with PAREMA, the GIZ and the Moroccan Institute of Research in Solar and New Energies (IRESEN), Frontier Economics developed a roadmap to 2050 to establish a global PtX industry in Morocco.

This study served as a building block of Morocco's Green Hydrogen Roadmap and Hydrogen Strategy that the Moroccan Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development recently published.

The PtX industry can significantly enhance the deployment of Morocco’s renewable energy potential to clean its carbon-intensive energy matrix, therefore reducing its reliance on imports. With a potential that exceeds its needs, Morocco would be able to export green energy to other regions in the world, such as Europe, to help meet decarbonisation targets internationally. Central to this strategy is the use of synthetic fuels which offers near immediate substitution of carbon intensive fuels, therefore allowing the continued use of existing energy infrastructure. This provides a real clean alternative for hard-to-decarbonise sectors.

Morocco's green hydrogen strategy rests on three pillars:

  • Technology, outlining actions to facilitate costs reductions along the value chain and setting up an international research cluster while ensuring local content.
  • Investment and supply, identifying possible clusters, their corresponding infrastructure implications, and proposing measures to secure financing.
  • Markets and demand, with recommendations to create export conditions, integrate green hydrogen in the power sector and develop other end-use domestic markets.

Frontier regularly advises clients on a wide range of energy and climate issues.

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