The Akhfennir wind farm is located in southern Morocco on the edge of the Akhfennir National Park, 120 km north of the city of Tarfaya.
With 100 MW of capacity in operation since 2013, the Akhfennir wind farm was the first to be put in service in the region. With over 380 GWh generated per year, the very favorable Atlantic trade winds enable this wind farm to achieve a significant productivity. The facility consists of 61 Alstom Eco74 wind turbines of 1,670 kW each, with a 74m rotor diameter.
As a Clean Development Mechanism CDM certified project since 2011, the CO2 emissions reductions amount to 270,000 tons per year. Hence, an additional 100 MW of wind capacity has come online in 2017. The extension, composed of 56 General Electric GE 1.7-100 wind turbines, has doubled the wind farm's installed capacity to 200 MW.
Originally sited north of the Akhfennir National Park, the environmental impact study recommended moving the wind farm to its eastern present location. This was made to protect resting areas of the National Park’s bird species. By preserving access to traditional herding activities, the available statistics suggest that the impact of the wind project on the local ecosystem remains negligible.
In service since June 2013, the Foum El Oued wind farm is located 4 kilometers south of the harbor of Laâyoune, on the Atlantic coast of the Sahara. With a capacity of 50.6 MW the wind farm is made of 22 Siemens 2.3 MW (SWT 2.3-101) wind turbines.
Yielding 200 GWh/year of wind electricity due to the Atlantic trade winds, the Foum El Oued wind facility offsets close to 140,000 tons of CO2. With open access to the region’s traditional herding activities, the impact of the wind project on wildlife and the ecosystem is limited.
Located near the Phosboucraâ Phosphates export terminal, the wind farm supplies phosphate conglomerate OCP group with electricity. This is made possible through the Renewable Energy Law 13-09 which enables wind-electricity to be wheeled directly to industrial end-users. The electricity is currently used for the extraction, transport -through a 98 km long conveyor belt- and seawater desalination required for washing the Phosphate rock from the Boucraâ mine.
With a capacity of 301 MW operational since December 2014, the Tarfaya wind farm is one of Africa's largest. Located in southern Morocco 15 km from the city of Tarfaya, the wind farm is composed of 131 Siemens SWT 2.3-101 wind turbines of 2.3 MW capacity.
As a concession to a private consortium from Morocco’s National electricity and drinking water utility (ONEE) under a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement, the Tarfaya wind farm generates over 1,084 GWh/year. This power offsets 790,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The wind farm electrifies the equivalent of 1.5 million households.
In preserving access to traditional camel herding activities, wind turbine layouts have also included provisions to ensure the safety of local bird species. Although sparse in this area due to an arid climate, the impact of this large wind farm on the environment is limited.
Operational since October 2018, the 201,6 MW Aftissat wind farm is composed of 56 Siemens 3.6-130x100mhh wind turbines. Located 45 km South of the city of Boujdour on the Sahara coastline, the facility supplies industrial customers with green electricity under Morocco’s Renewable Energy Law 13-09. The exceptional quality of the Atlantic trade winds enables the Aftissat wind farm to generate 1,000 GWh/year offsetting 700,000 tons of CO2/year.
A further 200 MW extension made of 40 General Electric GE Cypress 5.3-158 (5.0 MW) turbines with a rotor diameter of 158m has come on-line in August 2023.
To connect the output of the Aftissat wind farm, a 250 km long dedicated 400kV AC power line has been built from Laayoune’s ONEE grid dispatching center. Initially operated at 225 kV, its upgrade to nominal voltage allows wind farm extensions. It has thereby reinforced local grid capacities, enabling it to reach the city of Dakhla some 300 km further South.
As part of ONEE’s 850 MW integrated wind energy program, the Boujdour wind farm started operation on July 25th 2023. The 87 Siemens Gamesa SG 3.4-132 wind turbines of the 301 MW Boujdour wind farm generate 1.590 GWh per year. Operating at 60% load factor of due to the exceptional trade winds, this offsets 1,145,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
The facility benefits from the Boujdour II "400/225 kV" substation commissioning, enabling the switchover to 400 kV AC (225 kV and 400 kV lines, Autotransformers, etc.) of the region’s power transmission infrastructure.
As the first of ONEE’s 850 MW integrated wind project deployed in the Sahara Desert, the Boudjour wind farm is privately owned at 65% by Nareva Holding and Enel Green Power with the remaining 35% owned by ONEE, Morocco’s public power and water utilities.
