Ouarzazate – HM King Mohammed VI sent a message to the participants in a conference on “Energy Challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean Region”, which opened on Friday in Ouarzazate.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Given the economic growth in Morocco and the evolution of consumption patterns, a qualitative upgrading of the country’s capabilities as well as sound planning to address issues that involve energy supply considerations and environmental concerns are needed.
Although our country does not have conventional fossil energy resources, it is endowed with high quality renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, and it meets the conditions required for their use, both in terms of land and electricity and water infrastructure.
Convinced of the vital importance of protecting and preserving the environment, and having realized at an early stage – thanks to its geographical location – the potential impact of climate change, my country resolutely opted for sustainable development which, needless to say, goes hand in hand with human development.
For this reason, we have given priority to the development of renewable energies. We consider this to be an inevitable course of action that should help us meet a significant part of our country’s energy needs. Building on fruitful partnerships between the public and private sectors, our goal is to ensure that 40 percent of our electricity demand is met from renewable energy sources by 2020.
Although the cost of solar energy is still high, this source of renewable energy opens up promising, strategic prospects since state-of-the-art technologies in this field are readily available. These technologies make it possible to store energy and to meet our needs, especially during peak demand periods.
In addition to generating electricity, this energy sector provides a basis for green growth in addition to contributing to economic and social development. It should also enable our country to sharpen its industrial competitive edge and help us encourage development-oriented scientific research and technological innovations, sensitize our young people about civic environmental values and promote optimal use of alternative energy sources. Similarly, our young people should be given proper training, with good in-service training and employability prospects. Special attention must also be given to the promotion of local development in project sites, which are often located in remote areas.
By opting for renewable energies, our main goal is to achieve not only the integrated development of the energy sector, but also the efficient use of our resources in order to ensure energy security in our region as well as balanced, sustainable development on both shores of the Mediterranean.
I should like to take the opportunity of this important symposium to express our appreciation and thanks to all our partners for their support and for their interest in the development of an innovative approach to this first project to be carried out under Morocco’s solar energy plan. The implementation of this world scale project will begin before the end of the current year, and we will make sure the human, material and financial resources required for its success are provided.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Renewable energy projects, especially solar and wind, still need to comply with the full range of financial and economic efficiency requirements that help us address the challenges of climate change. One of the key issues is how to balance energy needs with the protection of the environment against pollution, since energy generation is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.
As my country is aware of the dangers threatening ecological balance, it is currently developing a national charter for the environment and sustainable development. The aim is to foster a sense of collective ownership regarding the culture of environmental preservation, and to ensure that this culture is reflected in the behavior of individuals and groups, while seeing to it that environmental governance is improved.
However, these noble objectives cannot be attained in an optimal manner without efficient regional integration. This can be achieved through the setting up of a Euro-Mediterranean energy community.
Viewed from this perspective, north Mediterranean countries, which have pledged to develop a diversified energy system, can achieve their objectives in optimal conditions by relying on the renewable energy assets in south Mediterranean countries. Indeed, these countries’ vast potential in terms of high quality resources, the availability of land and electricity and water infrastructure, should translate into better electric power productivity, joint revenue and equal benefits.
I therefore call for these common objectives to form the basis of a mutually beneficial strategic agenda. To this end, an institutional framework should be developed to ensure compatibility between the legislation adopted by the Parliaments of the Euro-Mediterranean region so as to attract public and private investment and encourage financial institutions to fund renewable energy projects.
Such an approach should make it possible to export electricity from south Mediterranean to north Mediterranean countries within a short period of time, thus helping to address a pressing concern not only for your parliaments, but also for governments, institutional stakeholders and civil society organizations.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The partnership between parliaments, of which today’s meeting is a promising example, provides an opportunity for legislative institutions and their public and private partners in the Euro-Mediterranean region to exchange views and best practices concerning energy strategies in Euro-Mediterranean countries, and to discuss Morocco’s experience in this regard. Indeed, my country has made renewable energies a national priority in the next generation reforms and major development projects it is implementing.
I am sure this symposium and other similar scientific gatherings and outreach events will make our legislators even more knowledgeable about a subject in which technical aspects with strategic orientation are intertwined. Legislators will therefore be able to make proposals to promote practical partnerships between our countries with a view to accelerating economic and energy integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region, and contribute not only to consolidating the knowledge-based society, but also to promoting democracy and human and sustainable development which Morocco is confidently seeking to strengthen and expand.
Ladies and Gentlemen, honourable Members of Parliament and distinguished participants, we welcome you to Morocco, your second home. We wish you an enjoyable stay and a successful conference.
Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.
