While, he did not specify a new target, the present one sees wind supplying around 2GW in 2020 and 3GW in 2030.
Installed capacity currently stands at 1GW. Solar power will play a large role, but in wind, construction should start this month in the central Midelt province on the first of five projects awarded following an international tender in 2016.
Enel Green Power, Nareva and the Moroccan utility ONEE announced last week that they have reached financial close on the 180MW project.
Costing around €230 million, the project will be funded by a mix of shareholder equity and debt financing secured by ONEE.
To optimise costs, the utility raised finance from Germany's KfW, the European Investment Bank and the European Commission, Enel said.
SGRE will supply the 50 SWT-DD-130 3.6MW turbines, with blades coming from the new factory in Tangier and the towers are also being produced locally. Commissioning is planned for late 2020.
Building of the first 100MW phase of the 150MW Taza project is also expected to start next spring, when the repowering of Koudia Al Baida — increasing it to 120MW, up from 50.4MW — will also be "launched", the King said.
King Mohammed VI also ordered that all new desalination plant should be powered by wind or solar, depending on local conditions.
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