Enel Green Power and local partner Nareva have reached financial close on the 180MW Midelt wind farm in Morocco, which will be the first stage of the 850MW Projet Eolien Integre complex.
Construction of the €230m Midelt project will now start and take about two years to complete, Enel said.
Blades and towers for the Siemens Gamesa turbines will be manufactured in Morocco, it added.
Electricity generated by Midelt will be sold to local utility Office National de l’Electricite et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE) under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
The project has been financed through equity investments from shareholders as well as debt financing from ONEE, whic raised money from the German development bank KfW, the European Investment Bank and the European Commission.
Projet Eolien Integre was awarded to Enel and Nareva following an international tender. The Tiskrad, Tanger, Jbel Lahdid and Boujdour wind farms are the remaining projects to be built for the complex, representing a total investment of over €1bn.
Enel Green Power head Antonio Cammisecra said: “With this first, important step that we are taking today, Enel Green Power will support Morocco’s energy demand and help the country meet its objective to increase power generation from renewables, as announced in its domestic energy strategy.
“We are contributing our leading expertise and skills and we expect to consolidate our presence in the country through the construction and implementation of these projects.”
Nareva chief executive Said El Hadi said: “The 850MW Projet Eolien Integre is a project that will enable Morocco to make significant progress in meeting its energy strategy.
“We are pleased to support the government in achieving its goal of increasing the share of renewable energy to 52% of the country’s installed capacity by 2030.”