Morocco, IRENA enter strategic partnership for renewables and green hydrogen

The Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Environment of the Kingdom of Morocco has entered a strategic partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to boost renewable energy, green hydrogen and accelerate the energy transition in Morocco.

"Specifically, IRENA and Morocco will work closely to advance the national green hydrogen economy as the country aims to become a major green hydrogen producer and exporter," IRENA said in an official release.

The strategic agreement was signed by IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera, and Morocco's Minister of Energy, Mines and the Environment, Mr. Aziz Rabbah.

Morocco's green hydrogen strategy:

As per the agreement, the two partners will jointly develop technology and market outlook studies in green hydrogen, formulate public-private models of cooperation in the hydrogen space and explore the development of new hydrogen value chains and lay the groundwork for the trading of green hydrogen at a national and regional level.

The two parties will also conduct joint analyses that further explore the socio-economic benefits of renewables, emphasizing the development of new value chains, job creation at the national level, and lessons learned to the broader region. Morocco further aims to strengthen South-South Cooperation through peer-to-peer and expert exchange, knowledge sharing, and the strengthening of regional initiatives.

"The Kingdom of Morocco has shown great leadership in advancing the deployment of renewable energy to meet growing energy demand while creating new industrial opportunities across the country," said Francesco La Camera, Director-General, IRENA.

"It is only natural that this leadership be extended to the pursuit of green hydrogen, which may play a critical role in global decarbonization ambitions."

More broadly, IRENA and Morocco will work together to strengthen the policies and regulatory frameworks for renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency applications in the Kingdom. Furthermore, the two parties will promote renewable energy investments, including climate finance, through the development of solid project pipelines with enhanced bankability and the facilitation of access to finance, including in the context of the Coalition for Sustainable Energy Access initiative and the Climate Investment Platform (CIP), IRENA stated.

Morocco's Minister of Energy, Mr. Aziz Rabbah said: "Morocco has played an important role in global renewable energy cooperation through IRENA since the Agency's formation, and we will continue to promote and encourage the uptake of renewables in the context of climate change and sustainable development at a regional and an international level."

Earlier this year, along with the European Commission, Morocco co-facilitated IRENA's Collaborative Framework on Green Hydrogen to address challenges in developing the infrastructure, technology, and certification needed to shape a global green economy and lay the ground for green hydrogen trading.