Morocco has a strong potential for renewable energy. According to a study by Fraunhofer, a research institution on systems and innovation, the country’s renewable energy production capacity is sufficient to completely defossilise its electricity production, and to produce enough PtX fuels to meet both local and export demands. Hybrid locations with both wind and solar potential are best suited for the intensive electricity production for Power-to-X. 

Initial Power-to-X activities are underway in Morocco, with eight industry-scale, private sector driven projects backed by the Moroccan government. Given that Morocco houses nearly 70 per cent of global phosphate reserves, a key element for the fertiliser industry, most projects concentrate on ammonia, but some are also choosing to focus on e-fuels. Whatever the final planned output, no project is driven solely by local demand or counting on a single offtaker. The Moroccan projects are conceived as firmly embedded in global and Euro-Mediterranean commodity flows.

Power-to-Methanol technologies complementing the Moroccan energy transition

Given the strong potential for both wind and solar energy, Morocco is the ideal country to build a Power-to-Methanol (PtM) pilot plant. In 2022, the Wuppertal Institute published a study on the potential of a “Power-to-X“ economy in Morocco. A demonstration unit is planned to illustrate the entire Power-to-Methanol value chain and allow Moroccan and international scientists and engineers to become familiar with these technologies. The objective of the pilot plant is to facilitate the development of a Power-to-Methanol market, to disseminate practical knowledge about Power-to-X, and to create momentum for future projects on an industrial scale. As in the case of ammonia, these projects can reduce import dependence and supply a potential export market. Methanol, being the favored fuel of the transition to green shipping, its local production would mean an additional competitive advantage for Moroccan harbors in the Atlantic and Mediterranean bunkering market.

The PtX Hub in Morocco

Beyond our role in finding financing mechanisms and supporting the construction of the Power-to-Liquid pilot plant, the PtX Hub’s work in Morocco also includes: 

• Advising on the development of a regulatory framework to stimulate the growth of Power-to-X markets, with particular attention to sustainability dimensions. 

• Seeking value chain localisation opportunities for Moroccan business and industry stakeholders.

• Integrating Power-to-X into energy scenario modeling and national contributions to the Paris climate targets (NDCs). 

• Identifying potential business cases for investors and the necessary measures to implement them. 

We aim for sustainability throughout the value chain to ensure sustainable economic development. 

Ressources

• Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers – A Hydrogen Corridor from North Africa to Europe
• Country reports from Chile, Egypt, Kenya and Morocco at Hamburg University of Technology’s hydrogen webinar series
• H2 Business Guide: Algeria, Brazil, Chile, Morocco, Mexico, South Africa, and Tunisia
• African Green Hydrogen Report 2025
• Interactive tool: PtX Business Opportunity Analyser, version 2.0
  
• Partner Event at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue 2024
  
• Potentials for green hydrogen production via CSP-PV-hybrid-power-plants in the MENA region

Get In Touch

If you are interested in the work of the PtX Hub in Morocco, contact: Matthias Rilling.