The tender, issued by state utility ONEE, is for the development, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of the facilities under a build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) contract. ONEE will buy the output for 20 years.
The five sites are located at Tangier (100MW), Essaouira (200MW), Midelt (150MW), Tiskrad (300MW) and Boujdour (100MW).
The tender also includes an option to supply and maintain turbines for the planned 200MW extension of the Koudia Al Baida plant near Tangier.
For the first time in Morocco, bidders must include some element of local manufacture. Also for the first time, the plant will be built under a public-private partnership with ONEE, the Energy Investment Company (SIE) and the Hassan II Fund for Economic & Social Development, all state owned. They will jointly hold a 35% in each of the five project companies.
ONEE, which estimates the total investment at EUR1.24 billion, said it has already raised EUR385 million in concessional finance.
Six entities are eligible to bid following a pre-qualification round: Gamesa with ACWA Power of Saudi Arabia; Acciona with Morocco's Al Ajial Funds; Vestas with GDF Suez Energy International; Siemens with Enel Green Power, Morocco's Nareva and Taqa of the United Arab Emirates; Alstom with EDF Energies Nouvelles and Mitsui; and GE. Sources report that GE subsequently dropped out, though the company has declined to confirm.
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