InnoVent Maroc, a subsidiary of the France-based firm InnoVent is setting up a 36 MW wind farm in Morocco, expected to begin full operation in the first half of 2021. The project is located in the Sidi Bennour province of Morocco, covering 10 hectares. The total investment of the project is estimated to be 300 million Moroccan dirhams, which is equivalent to about 27.8 million Euros.
Currently, only part of it has been connected to Morocco’s national electricity grid. The company recently commissioned its first turbine and signed a power purchase agreement. This turbine contributes 3 MW and is connected to the grid of the Office national de l’eau et de l’électricité (ONEE). An additional 33 MW of capacity will become operational in the coming few weeks. Once it is fully operational, the Oualidia wind farm will be able to produce 80 GWh of electricity annually and avoid 60 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
The type of turbines used in this project includes a variety which is the highest in Africa and measures 202 metres at the tip of the blade. It also has an innovative tripod structure, Nabralift, developed by the Spanish company Nabrawind. This technology raises the mast in to harness higher wind speeds and gain up to 40 per cent in energy generation. The foundation of a Nabralift wind turbine requires only 80 cubic metre of concrete and 10 tonnes of steel, compared with the 500 cubic metre of concrete and 60 tonnes of steel needed for a conventional wind turbine.