Morocco preselects four consortia to build phase one of 500-MW solar project

(ADPnews) - Dec 30, 2010 - The Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) announced last week that it has chosen four pre-qualified applicants out of the 19 consortia that submitted bids to build the first phase of the 500-MW solar power project in the city of Ouarzazate.

One of the preselected bidders is a consortium of Abeinsa ICI, Japanese Mitsui & Co Ltd (TYO:8031), Abu Dhabi NEC and Abengoa Solar SA, the latter being part of Spanish engineering company Abengoa (MCE:ABG). Another comprises Italian Enel SpA (BIT:ENEL) and Spain's ACS (MCE:ACS). The other two consortia are comprised of International Company for Water and Power (ACWA), Aries IS and TSK EE; and Egyptian Orascom Construction Industries (CAI:OCIC), German Solar Millennium AG (ETR:S2M) and Evonik Steag.

Masen said it will send the four consortia requests for proposal by the end of January 2011.

The whole 500-MW project should be up and running by 2015. Its first phase will be based on concentrated solar power (CSP) parabolic trough technologies, while further stages are planned to also feature photovoltaic technologies and CSP tower technologies.

Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported in November that the European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide a EUR-500-million (USD 661.5m) loan for the project.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.330)

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