Morocco: Ensuring A Large-scale Renewable Installation Benefits Local Communities

This case study by the World Resources Institute examines the Noor Solar Power Station in Morocco, focusing on the measures taken by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN) to ensure that the large-scale renewable energy project provided economic and social benefits to local communities while managing adverse impacts.

• Morocco has set a target for 52% of its installed power generation capacity to be derived from renewables by 2030. To support this and other climate goals, the country phased out fossil fuel subsidies between 2014 and 2015 to create fiscal space for renewable energy investments. Consequently, combined solar, wind, and hydro power generation grew from 4,346 GWh in 2013 to 7,932 GWh in 2019, representing 19% of total electricity generation that year.
• The Noor Solar Power Station, commissioned in phases between 2016 and 2018, is a concentrated solar power complex covering 3,000 hectares with a planned capacity of 582 MW. The project was sited on unpopulated land to avoid resettlement and the disturbance of culturally important sites, and the Moroccan government utilized traditional communal land ownership structures for land acquisition.
• To benefit local communities in the City of Ouarzazate and the rural Commune of Ghassate, MASEN implemented a Social Development Plan (SDP) funded by land purchase proceeds. With an estimated budget of 30.5 million MAD (approximately $3.2 million as of late December 2018), the SDP focused on improving drinking water facilities and expanding mobile healthcare access for rural villages.
• MASEN established a voluntary 30% local content target for labor, materials, and services to stimulate regional economic development. In 2014, 700 of the 1,800 employees during the first construction phase were from Ouarzazate and Ghassate. By 2019, 30% of the workforce were local residents. While lower-skilled jobs were most accessible to locals (46% of construction and 21% of operational jobs), the project also supported long-term capacity through a vocational training center (IFMEREE) and new renewable energy courses at the University of Ouarzazate.
• The project faced challenges regarding community engagement and resource management. Information was often too technical, available only online, or not translated into local dialects, leading to perceptions of exclusion in Ghassate. Additionally, residents expressed concern over water availability, as the plant draws an estimated 2.5 million to 3 million m3 of water annually from the same reservoir used by local communities.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Morocco: Ensuring A Large-scale Renewable Installation Benefits Local Communities. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/morocco-ensuring-large-scale-renewable-installation-benefits-local-communities

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Morocco: Ensuring A Large-scale Renewable Installation Benefits Local Communities. 2021. https://www.wri.org/snapshots/morocco-ensuring-large-scale-renewable-installation-benefits-local-communities.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Morocco: Ensuring A Large-scale Renewable Installation Benefits Local Communities |date=1 April 2021 |url=https://www.wri.org/snapshots/morocco-ensuring-large-scale-renewable-installation-benefits-local-communities |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021morocco, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Morocco: Ensuring A Large-scale Renewable Installation Benefits Local Communities}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.wri.org/snapshots/morocco-ensuring-large-scale-renewable-installation-benefits-local-communities}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }