The French Minister of the Economy pleaded Friday in Rabat for the consolidation of energy cooperation with Morocco, indicating that France was ready to participate in the financing of a Moroccan project in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
France takes another step towards Morocco. The government is ready to participate in the financing of a 3 gigawatt electric cable connecting the Moroccan city of Casablanca to the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara, declared, Friday, April 26, the French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Mayor.
“You are going to produce energy in the region of Dakhla (Western Sahara), and you are going to need it in the great metropolis of Casablanca, we must build electrical networks to transport this energy. I confirm to you that we are ready to participate in financing this infrastructure”, indicated Bruno Le Maire during a Morocco-France business forum in Rabat.
At the beginning of April, the French Minister for Foreign Trade Franck Riester, visiting Casablanca, declared that Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency (AFD) dedicated to the private sector, could contribute to the financing of a high voltage line between Dakhla and Casablanca.
Western Sahara is the subject of a dispute between Morocco , which designates it as “southern province”, and the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria, which claims an independent state there.
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in February that France supported Morocco’s investments in Western Sahara and reaffirmed its support for Rabat’s autonomy plan for the territory, a sign of warming ties between the two countries after a period of diplomatic freeze.
Morocco wants France to recognize its full sovereignty over Western Sahara, like the United States and many Arab and African countries.
Development of carbon-free energies
Following a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Nadia Fettah, the French minister also proposed “cooperation in the nuclear field, with small or medium-sized reactors” in Morocco which does not have such power plants for energy production.
For her part, Ms. Fettah indicated that the energy project “perfectly represents the vision we have of this renewed partnership.”
The French Development Agency (AFD) would grant a loan of 350 million euros to support the Moroccan phosphate and fertilizer giant OCP in its decarbonization effort, added the Minister of Finance.
Over the past 15 years, the kingdom has focused heavily on renewable energies, which provide 38% of the electricity currently produced, and aims to reach 52% in 2030. The country also hopes to position itself on the green hydrogen market.
Rail mobility was also at the heart of discussions between the two ministers as the kingdom wishes to extend its high-speed line (LGV) to serve Agadir (south). The first section of this line, linking Tangier (north) to Casablanca (west) since 2018, was carried out by the French company Alstom.
Bruno Le Maire is the third French minister to visit Morocco this week as part of the warming of relations between the two historic allies shaken since 2021 by an unprecedented crisis.
