Essaouira Hosts Africa’s First Offshore Wind Farm: Morocco Moves Towards 52% Green Energy
Morocco has announced an ambitious project to construct Africa’s first offshore wind farm, with a production capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts, marking a strategic step to elevate renewable energy’s share in the national electricity mix to 52% by 2030.
The project, located near Essaouira, was unveiled on June 10 during the "Mediterranean Sea Day" in Nice, France, in conjunction with the third United Nations Ocean Conference.
This initiative represents one of the initial investments supported by the "Mediterranean Blue Partnership" (MBP), a multi-donor funding mechanism aimed at bolstering the blue economy in the southern Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
According to Léila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, this project aligns with a national vision focused on energy sovereignty, industrial attractiveness, and competitiveness, confirming that construction of the wind farm will commence by 2029.
The Essaouira coast was chosen due to its strong and consistent maritime winds, with an average speed of 11 meters per second, providing ideal conditions for efficient electricity production and grid stability.
This project comes at a time when Morocco is witnessing a significant leap in wind energy capacities, with its share rising from 15.4% in 2023 to 21.23% in 2025, according to official data. The installed wind capacity has reached 2.368 gigawatts after adding 520 megawatts in 2024, marking a 372% increase compared to the previous year.
Morocco aims to install 6 gigawatts of wind energy by 2030 as part of a comprehensive national plan to diversify energy sources and reduce import dependency. Estimates from the Global Wind Energy Council suggest that Morocco’s offshore wind technical potential may reach as much as 200 gigawatts.
Moreover, data from Rystad Energy indicates that the global offshore wind market is projected to grow by an additional 19 gigawatts by 2025, making Morocco’s engagement in this trend a valuable opportunity to reinforce its regional role in clean energy.
The project not only signifies a qualitative leap in the national energy transition but also implicitly invites other Mediterranean countries to enter the offshore wind sector amid a rapidly evolving international competition toward sustainable energy independence.
