Australia bets on green energy in Morocco
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The Australian green energy giant Fortescue has just signed a strategic partnership to export green energy produced in Morocco to the old continent and international markets. It has sealed an agreement with the Belgian maritime construction group Jan De Nul to develop submarine cables, indicates the newspaper L’Economiste. “Its objective is to connect the two continents and transport green electricity from Morocco to Europe. The announcement was made through a joint press release,”
This agreement is part of the joint venture created by the OCP phosphate group and Fortescue Energy, a subsidiary of Fortescue, to supply green energy, green hydrogen and green ammonia to Morocco, Europe and international markets. “This partnership includes the development of manufacturing facilities and an R&D center to advance Morocco’s rapidly growing renewable energy industry,” the publication adds.
Fortescue CEO Andrew Forrest stressed that there is a huge opportunity to send renewable electrons from Morocco and North Africa to Europe, to industries and consumers who deserve a better option than they currently have, fossil fuels that emit carbon and contribute to global warming.
Fortescue believes that the lack of cable laying capacity creates a bottleneck in Morocco’s connection with Europe and therefore this partnership with Jan De Nul will bring considerable benefits, both in North Africa and Europe, in terms of employment and economic growth.
For his part, the general director of Jan De Nul expressed his satisfaction with this association. The company, known for its experience, has a fleet of high-performance cable vessels . In September 2023, it reinforced its fleet with an order for a Fleeming Jenkin, an extra-large cable carrier, with a cable transport capacity of 28,000 tons.
The vessel allows cables to be installed over greater distances and in deeper waters. She will be delivered in 2026. In 2024 a new order for an XL boat will be added. She will be the fifth vessel in the Belgian company’s cable-laying fleet. In the last ten years, Jan De Nul has installed 2,500 kilometers of submarine cables in 25 countries.
