ONEE prequalifies 11 teams for 120 MW Noor Tafilalet

The Moroccan electricity and water utility company, ONEE, has announced it has selected 11 pre-qualified bidders for the 120 MW Noor Tafilet solar project, in the southeastern region of Morocco.

The company has invited the bidders to submit their final proposals. ONEE has pre-qualified the following bidders:

• Aktor SA, part of ELLAKTONR Group
• Chint/ KT Corporation
• CNTIC/Yingly
• Efacec
• Energy Transfo
• First Solar, Belectric and Cegelec
• Inabensa, Abengoa's subsidiary, and Endesa Ingeneria,
• Sepco III
• Sunpower Systems Sarl and Temasol, a joint-venture between TOTAL and EDF
• Ternienergia Spa
• TSK and Gensun

The tender process for the development of the solar farm was launched in July 2015, initially with a capacity of 75 MW. The first phase consisted in three solar power plants of 25 MW each and ONEE has recently decided to increase it capacity to 40 MW, totaling 120 MW. The plants will be built in Arfoud, Missour and Zagora.

The overall cost of Noor-Tafilalet is estimated at US$168 million.

The World Bank will finance part of the project. The bank will expand a US$125 million loan to ONEE, through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and another US$23.95 million loan through the Clean Technology Fund.

In 2009, the country launched the Moroccan Solar Plan, which aims to build 2,000 MW of solar capacity by 2020. This plan is implemented through the "Noor project" which aims to build and operate several plants based on solar photovoltaic as well as solar thermal power.