European Investment Bank commissions study for Morocco's first offshore wind farm

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Offshore wind consultancy OWC has announced that a consortium led by it has been commissioned by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to conduct a two-year comprehensive feasibility study for Morocco's first offshore wind project. The project is supported by the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), with a focus on assessing the sea area near Essaouira on Morocco's Atlantic coast. According to the project plan previously published by the Union for the Mediterranean, the potential installed capacity of this offshore wind project could reach up to 1,000 megawatts, with construction targeted to commence around 2029.

The study is being carried out under European Investment Bank contract AA-010864-002, with funding from the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) Trust Fund. The consortium led by OWC includes PHENIXA (Ginger Group), Gaïa Terre Bleue, Moroccan engineering consultancy NOVEC, and SOFECO (Ginger Group), among other marine, environmental, wind engineering, and project management organizations. OWC will mobilize teams from France, the United Kingdom, and Germany for the project, with its affiliate company ABL providing technical support in marine engineering and port and harbor disciplines.

The two-year scope of work covers offshore wind market and supply chain studies, site screening, meteorological wind measurement and wind resource assessment, conceptual design of the offshore wind farm, port and logistics solutions, project risk analysis, and regulatory framework review. The consortium will also conduct grid impact and connection studies with Moroccan grid technical authorities, and undertake marine engineering consultancy as well as environmental and social impact assessments. The study content already covers the main pre-development technical work required for subsequent project development, from resource conditions, site, and offshore engineering to port, grid, and environmental permitting.

Preliminary work on the project by the European Investment Bank and MASEN began in 2022. The two parties signed a cooperation agreement that year, under which the EIB provided a grant of €2 million to assess the technical, economic, environmental, and social feasibility of offshore wind development in Morocco, as well as to conduct a detailed assessment of project risks. At the time, the EIB positioned the subject of the study as pre-development technical assistance that could potentially lead to Morocco's first small-scale offshore wind demonstration project.

The project scope was subsequently further defined to the sea area near Essaouira. EIB procurement documents show that the implementation locations for this technical assistance project include the Rabat and Essaouira regions, with the estimated value of the service procurement set at €2 million, excluding VAT; the relevant procurement procedure was cancelled and relaunched. The technical documents in the re-tendering phase directed the project study area to the offshore waters of Essaouira and required the winning consultancy to complete an assessment of project feasibility and risk mitigation options before more in-depth studies and a decision on proceeding with construction.

In 2025, the Union for the Mediterranean included the Essaouira offshore wind project in the first batch of supported projects under the "Blue Mediterranean Partnership," announcing a planned installed capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts and proposing the commencement of construction around 2029.