Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/141651
SOLAR POWER Morocco Begins Construction of World's Largest Concentrating Solar Plant Morocco is embarking on the first of a series of mammoth solar plants that in total will raise renewable energy to 42 percent of its mix by 2020. The country plans to build five huge solar plants that all come online in 2020, as well as a string of wind farms along the coast. The first solar project is now under construction - the world's biggest concentrating solar project, Ain Beni Mathar plant. The first 160 megawatt (MW) phase is being built by a consortium led by Saudi developer ACWA Power. It should come online in 2015. That will grow to 500 MW by 2020, covering 3,000 hectares at a cost of $1.4 billion. It will supply electricity to Ouarzazate's 1.5 million residents. 56 Financing for phase one is coming from the World Bank, Global Environment Facility, African Development Bank, European Investment Bank and others. When all five solar plants are finished, the cost will be $9 billion for projects that will produce two gigawatts of energy. The other plants are a 400 MW solar plant adjacent to this one, two other 500 MW projects and a 100 MW project. They will all be built close to simultaneously, coming online in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Morocco imports almost all its energy, mostly oil and coal. The Ain Beni Mathar plant will replace coalgeneration and allow the country to generate revenue from home grown energy for the first time, since it will export some to Europe. IDA UNIVERSAL July-August 2013