Morocco To Build $1.5 Billion Waste-To-Energy Plant In Casablanca

A consortium led by Swiss-Japanese firm Kanadevia Inova plans to begin construction of a $1.5 billion waste-to-energy plant in Casablanca by the end of the year, with full operations expected by mid-2030.

The facility in Morocco’s largest city will be the second of its kind in Africa and aims to generate electricity while reducing methane emissions and other environmental impacts from the Mediouna landfill, the country’s largest.

Kanadevia Inova and its partners signed a concession agreement awarded by Casablanca’s city government on Monday.

The consortium includes Moroccan energy company Nareva and Japan’s Itochu.

Once operational, the plant will process about 1.5 million metric tons of waste a year and generate about 115 megawatts of electricity from a combination of waste, solar power and landfill gas, enough to supply nearly 1 million people, Kanadevia Inova said.

Critics of waste-to-energy plants, including environmental scientists, climate activists and local community groups, say they undermine recycling efforts and emit particulate matter and greenhouse gases because most rely on incineration.

Construction is expected to begin once debt and equity financing is fully secured by the fourth quarter of this year, Kanadevia Inova Chief Executive Bruno-Frédéric Baudouin said in an interview with Reuters.

The plant, which will be built by Moroccan construction company Somagec, is expected to take about three and a half years to complete, although waste treatment and electricity generation could begin six to 10 months before the project is fully completed, Baudouin said.

The consortium has also secured a power purchase agreement with state-owned electricity utility ONEE and plans to seek financing from Moroccan lenders, he said.

“The debt will be all local,” Baudouin said.

The Mediouna landfill on the outskirts of Casablanca has for decades generated foul odours and pollution that has seeped into nearby farmland, while decomposing waste releases methane and other greenhouse gases.

Baudouin said the new plant could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to about 20% of Switzerland’s annual emissions.

“It’s like removing 300,000 cars from the road,” he said..