EDF, Mitsui starts construction of 87 MW wind farm project in Taza

EDF Renewables, in partnership with Mitsui & Co. Ltd, has started the construction work of the first phase of the Taza wind farm, which lies around 15 km north-west of Taza in northern Morocco. The first phase of the wind farm will have a total capacity of 87 MW.

The developers have also selected GE Renewable Energy to supply equipment for the project. Twenty-seven of GE’s 3.2-85 onshore wind turbines will be installed.

The wind farm benefits from a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN).

The Taza wind farm financing was provided by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), MUFG Bank, Ltd., as well as the Moroccan bank Bank of Africa.

Partners EDF Renewables and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. will respectively represent 60% and 40% of the private interests in the project. The Moroccan public part – from the ONEE, MASEN, and the Hassan II Fund, established in 2000 to support investment in Morocco’s infrastructure and structuring projects – could hold up to 35% of the project company’s capital.

The Taza project is expected to start operations at the beginning of 2022, powering the equivalent of 350,000 homes and saving up to 200,000 tons of CO2.