A consortium led by the Swiss-Japanese company Kanazawa Innova is preparing to commence construction on a waste-to-energy conversion plant in Casablanca, Morocco, with an investment of approximately $1.5 billion. The plant is expected to be fully operational by mid-2030, marking a significant step in the region's efforts to address waste management and clean energy production.
This facility will be the second of its kind in Africa and aims to generate electricity while significantly reducing harmful emissions, particularly methane, which has been a major pollutant from the Mediana landfill—the largest waste dump in Morocco. For decades, this site has caused environmental issues, unpleasant odors, and toxic leaks into adjacent agricultural areas.
The initiative follows the signing of a concession agreement between Kanazawa Innova and its partners with the Casablanca city government, as part of a broader strategy to tackle waste challenges and enhance clean energy production.
The consortium includes Moroccan energy company Nareva and the Japanese firm Itochu. Once operational, the plant is set to process approximately 1.5 million tons of waste annually, generating around 115 megawatts of electricity from a blend of waste, solar energy, and gas produced from waste decomposition, thus providing energy for nearly one million people.
Bruno-Frederic Baudouin, CEO of Kanazawa Innova, stated that construction will begin once financing arrangements—including loans and equity sales—are finalized, which are expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year. The Moroccan construction company Somagic has been selected to execute the project, with construction anticipated to take about three and a half years. Remarkably, waste processing and electricity generation may commence six to ten months before the final construction is completed.
Baudouin also mentioned that the consortium has signed a power purchase agreement with the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water and is seeking financing from Moroccan lending institutions, emphasizing that all project-related debts will be locally sourced.
This project comes at a time when the Mediana landfill faces environmental criticism due to methane emissions and greenhouse gases. Supporters of the initiative argue that it will help reduce pollution and transform waste into an energy source. Baudouin highlighted that the new plant could contribute to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to about 20% of Switzerland's annual emissions, which he likened to removing approximately 300,000 cars from the roads.
However, some environmental experts and climate activists warn that waste-to-energy plants, particularly those reliant on incineration, may adversely affect recycling efforts and could release fine particles and gases linked to climate change.
As reported by sawtbeirut.com.
