Construction Begins On First Moroccan-made Solar Water Heater Plant
The 1st phase of the project is expected to be operational before the 2nd half of 2023.
Green Innov Industry Investment (Gi3) launched the construction of a plant for the first Moroccan-designed and developed solar water heaters at the Ain Johra Industrial Park in Tiflet on 16 January.
Ryad Mezzour, the Minister for Industry and Trade, presided over the ceremony to commence construction works for the Mysol Ces factory in the presence of sector operators.
“This project, which is perfectly aligned with the Kingdom’s energy efficiency guidelines, will allow the emergence of new competitive green industrial sectors with high added value and contribute to the Kingdom’s industrial and energy sovereignty,” said Mezzour.
The first phase of the project is estimated to cost US$5.9 million, with expected completion in four months, to be operational before the second half of 2023.
Mezzour said the plant would produce 40,000 units of solar water heaters per year and create 880 jobs. He said the project would pave the way for emerging competitive green industries and urged companies to explore opportunities in the green industry.
The Executive Chairman of Gi3, Badr Ikken, said the Mysol plant would eventually increase production from 40,000 units to 90,000 to cover demand in the local market and export to the Middle East, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Ikken, who is a former Director General of the Moroccan Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN), said a scientific and technological partnership agreement had been signed with the Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdallah University of Fez. He said the agreement's aim is to “support the development of processes, ensure continuous innovation of solar water heaters and guarantee better quality and competitiveness in the long term. The idea is to be able to integrate equipment that will be very affordable, particularly for low-cost housing, but also for collective residences”.
Ikken added that solar-powered water heaters would decarbonize the sanitation water sector and reduce Morocco’s dependence on fossil fuel imports.
The Director General of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency, Said Mouline, also noted the plant’s positive impact in creating jobs and reducing the region’s ecological footprint.
Top Photo: Industrial unit of production of solar water heaters (gi3.ma)
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