A consortium led by Swiss-Japanese firm Kanadevia Inova has signed a concession agreement to build a $1.5bn waste-to-energy plant in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, with construction set to begin before the end of the year and full operations expected by mid-2030.
The facility is expected to become Africa’s second-largest waste-to-energy plant and aims to generate electricity while reducing methane emissions and other environmental impacts associated with the Mediouna landfill, Morocco’s largest.
Casablanca’s city government awarded the concession agreement on Monday.
The consortium includes Moroccan energy company Nareva and Japan’s Itochu alongside Kanadevia Inova.
Once operational, the plant will process about 1.5m metric tonnes of waste annually and generate around 115 megawatts of electricity from a mix of waste, solar power and landfill gas, enough to supply nearly one million people.
Construction will begin once debt and equity financing are fully secured by the fourth quarter of this year, Kanadevia Inova Chief Executive Bruno-Frederic Baudouin said.
The plant, which will be built by Moroccan construction company Somagec, is expected to take about 3.5 years to complete. However, waste treatment and electricity generation could begin six to 10 months before final completion.
The consortium has secured a power purchase agreement with state-owned electricity utility ONEE and will seek financing from Moroccan lenders.
The Mediouna landfill on the outskirts of Casablanca has generated foul odours and pollution that have affected nearby farmland for decades.
The landfill has accumulated waste to a height of nearly 70 metres and is approaching full capacity, raising environmental and operational concerns for the city.
Morocco developed a similar but smaller waste-to-energy project in Fez in 2015, valued at approximately €10m, which processes around 900 tonnes of waste per day.
The Casablanca facility will be significantly larger in scale and ambition.
(The Whistler)