However, not all the proposals that appear to try to meet human needs are successful. Sometimes they fall by the wayside due to lack of budget, impossibility of exploitation or disparity of opinions among the agents involved. The latter is the problem that has led a renewable project with great potential to be put on standby.
This renewable energy project has lost billions dollars: now there is only desert.
The dispute has been about the type of energy to be used. Morocco’s largest planned solar project has been delayed for this reason. The $2 billion, 800 MW Noor Midelt I power plant was scheduled to start operating this year, but construction has not even begun.
The delay began when the Energy Ministry and grid operator ONEE rejected CSP technology, different sources told Reuters. The state energy agency MASEN cleared the contract to make Noor Midelt I a reality in 2019. It was awarded to the consortium led by EDF Renouvelables.
It requested that the plant have photovoltaic (PV) technology, which is more affordable but has little capacity to store energy, and CSP, which is more expensive but continues to supply the grid for hours after dark.
However, since the contract was awarded, ONEE and the Ministry of Energy have communicated that they would only agree to purchase the power if MASEN switched from CSP to PV or modified the saline energy storage to batteries.
The renewable project continues to face delays for this reason.
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