OCP Green Energy Launches First Phase of Its Energy Program with Investments Exceeding 1.8 Billion Dirhams
OCP Green Energy, the energy arm of the OCP Group, has commenced the first phase of its investment program in renewable energies by launching three photovoltaic solar plants with a combined capacity of 202 megawatts, alongside an advanced battery energy storage project.
The production capacities in this phase, which cost 1.8 billion dirhams, are distributed across three industrial sites owned by the group. The Oulad Fariss plant in Khouribga leads with a capacity of 105 megawatts, marking it as the largest photovoltaic solar plant operational in Morocco. This phase also includes the operation of the Ben Guerrir plant with a capacity of 67 megawatts and the Femme Tizi plant with a capacity of 30 megawatts, all designed and executed according to international standards with significant reliance on Moroccan expertise and contractors.
In a related context, the company has initiated the first phase of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Ben Guerrir, which is the first of its kind in the country with a confirmed battery purchase order featuring LFP technology. The system provides a capacity of 25 megawatts / 125 megawatt-hours, allowing for five hours of autonomy, enabling the storage of excess solar production during the day for use during peak periods, scheduled to become operational in 2026.
Omar Qadir, the General Director of OCP Green Energy, emphasized that the adoption of large-scale storage technologies represents a “pivotal transformation” that will help reduce production fluctuations and enhance the electrical grid’s flexibility.
These projects are part of the OCP Group’s commitment to cover 100% of its industrial electricity needs with renewable sources by 2027, ensuring the supply of its mining, industrial sites, and water desalination plants with clean energy at a competitive cost of approximately 368 dirhams per megawatt-hour. Facilities are being operated under the self-production law, in accordance with connection agreements signed with ONEE and ANRE.
The program has received backing from international financial institutions, notably the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which provided funding of 100 million euros in 2023, along with the German development bank KfW and the Clean Technology Fund of the African Development Bank.
This move marks the beginning of a broader expansion path, as OCP Green Energy aims to increase its production capacity to 1.2 gigawatts by 2027, with plans to exceed 2 gigawatts thereafter, and to develop a storage capacity of no less than 2 gigawatt-hours. This is part of the group’s giant investment program (2023-2027) valued at 13 billion dollars, aimed at producing green fertilizers and achieving carbon neutrality.
