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AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec
Belgium funds solar energy facility
in Morocco’s Noor Ouarzazate
MOROCCO MOROCCO has launched a project to produce produced from the project could also be con-
and store thermal energy from renewable energy verted into electricity to reduce CO2 emissions
sources in the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex, in industry and transportation and keep the
the country’s renewable energy agency Masen environment clean. Research centres will be built
said on Saturday (November 12). in Wallonia and Morocco to enhance coopera-
The integrated SOLHEATAIR project is tion in the renewable energy field.
funded by Belgium’s Wallonia authority and its Morocco has been working to encourage
MecaTech competitiveness organization that more clean energy production with the aim of
supports innovative projects for development. more than doubling its renewable energy pro-
The facility will help in the valorization of duction to 12 GW – representing 52% of total
heat produced by renewable energy sources, power capacity – by 2030, from a current level
Manson said, explaining that the thermal energy of 5 GW, or 40% of capacity. The North African
produced from the facility could be used for country imports 90% of its energy needs. Inter-
industrial purposes, including in the cement and ested firms in the sector included Saudi Arabia’s
steel industries. power group, ACWA Power, and India’s Adani
The Moroccan agency noted that the energy Group.
Zimbabwe’s Blanket gold mine
switches on 12 MW of solar
ZIMBABWE CALEDONIA Mining Corporation (Caledo- provide approximately 27% of Blanket’s average
nia) has switched on a 12.2MW solar power daily electricity demand.
plant at its 64% owned gold mine Blanket in “With 21% of Blanket’s on-mine costs relating
southwestern Zimbabwe, it has announced. to energy usage, this solar plant is a very impor-
The New York-, London- and Victoria Falls- tant project for the Company as it will improve
listed company had been relying on the national the quality and security of Blanket’s electricity
power utility, ZESA, which struggles to meet supply and provide environmental benefits
national demand. In times of outages, Blanket through cleaner energy,” chief executive Mark
ran on diesel generators, which are expensive to Learmonth said in a release.
run. “The solar power will displace more expen-
To ensure a more reliable supply and uninter- sive power from the grid and from the diesel
rupted production, Caledonia started building generators and is expected to reduce Caledonia’s
the solar farm in late 2021. It came on stream on consolidated cost per ounce of gold produced by
Monday (November 14) and will, in due course, approximately $37.”
P18 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 46 16•November•2022
