- Morocco plans to eliminate coal-fired power generation by 2040, provided it secures sufficient international climate finance.
- Morocco’s revised national climate plan targets a 53 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared with a business-as-usual scenario, an increase from the 45.5 per cent cut previously set for 2030.
Morocco plans to eliminate coal-fired power generation by 2040, provided it secures sufficient international climate finance, the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) said on Thursday.
The North African nation joined the coalition of around 60 governments committed to ending coal power in 2023 as it accelerates investments in natural gas and renewable energy. The PPCA noted that Morocco would still aim to phase out coal sometime in the 2040s even without external funding.
Coal is still the biggest source of electricity in the North African country, generating more than 60 per cent of its power in 2023. The country is targeting renewables to make up 52 per cent of installed power capacity by 2030, up from about 45 per cent today.
“Morocco has stopped planning for new coal power plants,” Morocco‘s energy minister was quoted as saying in the PPCA statement.
The pledge, said Rachid Ennassiri, head of climate think tank Imal, demonstrates Morocco’s intention to pursue early coal plant retirements, contract reforms, and a just transition, with support from accessible global climate finance.
Morocco’s revised national climate plan targets a 53 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 compared with a business-as-usual scenario, an increase from the 45.5 per cent cut previously set for 2030.
The country has become increasingly assertive in its clean energy ambitions. Just last month, plans were announced for Africa’s first battery gigafactory, a $5.6 billion investment led by China’s Gotion High-Tech, positioning Morocco at the centre of the global shift toward low-carbon technology.
The facility, which will produce batteries as well as cathodes and anodes for electric vehicles and energy storage, will primarily serve European markets. The first phase is expected to create around 2,300 jobs, with the full five-stage buildout projected to support as many as 10,000 positions.