The production of green hydrogen in Morocco is attracting more and more cooperation agreements between various local and international companies, in the framework of the supply of reliable and emission-free energy.
Chariot Green Hydrogen (a subsidiary of the British company Chariot) announced, on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, the signing of partnership agreements with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Rabat and the company “Ort Energy” to broaden the scope of the cooperation started in November 2022, to test the production of green hydrogen in Morocco.
Through these agreements, the three entities aim to build and operate a pilot project of electrolysis devices, as well as to develop skills and training within the sector, according to a press release.
The partnership will simultaneously develop education and capacity building at Mohammed VI University to support the growth of the green hydrogen economy in Morocco, while assessing the feasibility of implementing hydrogen production green and green ammonia on a large scale, in accordance with the previously announced schedule.
The “proof of concept” pilot project will use a 1 MW polymer membrane electrolysis system, patented by ORT Energy.
The project is to be set up in the research and development center of the Polytechnic University Mohammed VI in Jorf Lasfar of the OCB group in Morocco, the largest fertilizer complex in the world.
“The signing of these two agreements is fundamental for Mohammed VI Polytechnic University,” said Mohamed Boucetta, director of innovation for industry at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.
He explained, “Actually, the first is related to testing new electrolysis technology with better performance to be more competitive in producing green hydrogen, and the second is education cooperation to prepare people qualified for the needs of this new activity”.
Benefits of green hydrogen production in Morocco
“The efficiency and robustness of electrolyzers will be key to ensuring that green hydrogen can be produced in an economical and scalable way,” said Nick van Dijk, CEO of Oort Energy.
“This venture is another step for Chariot to become a producer of green hydrogen, and will represent real value for our project developments in Morocco and Mauritania, given our focus on electrolysis performance. ”, said Laurent Koch, CEO of Chariot Green Hydrogen.
In a related context, the Moroccan group OCP announced last June a $7 billion investment in an ammonia plant that uses green hydrogen produced from renewable fuels, as part of its efforts to increase production and meet low carbon targets.
By 2026, the plant – located in Tarfaya in southern Morocco – will produce 200,000 tonnes of ammonia per year, rising to one million tonnes by 2027, and 3 million tonnes by 2032, according to Reuters.
The plan of OCP – which is one of the largest phosphate and fertilizer companies in the world – to use hydrogen produced by electrolysis as a raw material for the manufacture of ammonia is part of a strategy of 13 billion announced by the company in December 2022 to switch to renewable energy.
The company said it plans to rely entirely on desalinated water for its industrial operations by 2027, explaining that it will launch tenders early next year (2024) to expand the desalination capacity at Safi and Jorf Lasfar on the Atlantic Ocean.
The Moroccan government plans to increase the share of renewable energy in installed electricity capacity from 38 to 52% by 2030, and is pushing for increased desalination to help cities and agriculture cope with the effects of years of drought.
