Rephrase the same Morocco is expanding its major solar corridor in the Sahara, designed to export green energy to Europe in a different way no more than 118 characters, as if you were a native American speaker as expert on content creation and dont talk about yourself or your experience

1. The Sahara, epicentre of the wind and solar revolution
2. Brussels’ urgency to look beyond Russia
3. More than just energy: an industrial and geopolitical driver

Morocco has made it clear that renewable energy is no longer just an environmental goal, but an absolute national priority. The country is racing against the clock to expand its solar and wind projects both in the Sahara and along the Atlantic coast. The aim? To establish itself once and for all as one of the indispensable energy partners for Europe’s future.

Behind this drive are the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy ((MASEN) and the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE). Both bodies are coordinating an ambitious expansion strategy covering the centre of the country and, in particular, the southern provinces. A clear example of this is Noor Atlas, a network of new key solar power plants central to the national plan through which Rabat aims to boost its clean electricity production.

For years, the Moroccan government has insisted that its role is crucial to the energy transition of the Old Continent. ‘Morocco is strategically positioned to become a regional energy hub,’ Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, has reiterated on several occasions during the presentation of the country’s new targets.

The Sahara, epicentre of the wind and solar revolution

The heart of this entire operation is shifting towards the Moroccan Sahara. Regions such as Dajla, Boujdour and Foum El Oued now account for a significant portion of the millions being invested by both Rabat and international funds. The stakes are high: the aim is to produce green electricity and renewable hydrogen on a large scale.

One of the key names in this strategy is Noor Midelt. Overseeing by MASEN, this complex is set to become one of the largest hybrid systems in Africa. Its innovation lies in combining photovoltaic, solar thermal and storage technologies, ensuring the electricity supply remains guaranteed even after sunset.

However, MASEN stresses that the idea is not to become a mere ‘electricity factory’ for foreign markets. Morocco’s plan is to create its own industrial ecosystem: attracting major investment, manufacturing local components, producing green hydrogen and establishing logistics chains linked to decarbonisation. To convince its partners, Rabat is playing its strongest card: geography. Its physical proximity to Europe not only reduces logistics costs, but also greatly facilitates future electricity and trade links.

Brussels’ urgency to look beyond Russia

The game changed completely with the war in Ukraine. The ensuing energy crisis forced the European Commission to accelerate the search for alternative suppliers in North Africa to break away from Russian dependence.

In this new scenario, Morocco is gaining influence in the corridors of power in Brussels. The country already has electricity interconnection cables with Spain and is making steady progress on green hydrogen projects, renewable ammonia and synthetic fuels aimed at the European market.

Expectations are so high that they have given rise to surprising initiatives such as Xlinks: a plan to connect Morocco directly to the United Kingdom via a submarine cable stretching thousands of kilometres, powered by solar and wind farms in southern Morocco. Although London eventually put the project on hold due to rising financial costs and strategic changes, the proposal highlighted the enormous potential that Europe sees in the Sahara.

More than just energy: an industrial and geopolitical driver

For the Moroccan government, renewables are an internal necessity. Today, the country continues to import most of the energy it consumes, which represents a constant burden on its trade balance. Changing the game involves using clean energy as a lever for development: attracting manufacturers, modernising strategic ports and leading the nascent green hydrogen market.

But there is an underlying motive that goes beyond the economic. The development of these huge complexes in the Sahara has a clear geopolitical dimension. By building this infrastructure, the government in Rabat is cementing the economic integration of this territory and ensuring that the international community sets its sights — and its investments — on the southern provinces.

What began a decade ago as a modest national solar energy plan has evolved into an ambitious state-led initiative. Morocco wants the Sahara to be the definitive energy bridge between Africa and Europe.