Morocco’s Office National de l’Electricité (ONE) has received 26 responses from developers to its request for qualification (RFQ) to build a 150MW wind farm in Taza.

The following groups submitted RFQ documents:

• Greenwich Energy (US)
• Cobra (Spain)
• Theolia (France)
• Clipper Wind (US)
• EDF Energies Nouvelles (France)
• Enercon (UK)
• Fina Enerji (Turkey)
• Mitsui (Japan)
• Ibereolica (Spain)
• China National Electric Equipment Corp (China)
• AES (US)
• Enel Green Power (Italy)
• Elecnor (Spain)
• CM Energies (Morocco) – a joint venture of Greece’s Windvision (80 per cent) and Belgium’s Groupe CFE/Vinci
• Akuo Taka (Morocco)
• Siemens (Germany) - 50 per cent/WKN Windkraft (Germany) – 50 per cent
• Procme (Portugal) – 60 per cent/Vestas (Denmark) – 20 per cent/ Urbancraft (Portugal) – 20 per cent
• Globeleq (UK) – 52 per cent/Eolfi-Groupe Veolia (France) – 24 per cent/Nur Energy (France) – 24 per cent
• International Power (UK) – 50 per cent/Nareva (Morocco) – 50 per cent
• Korea Midland Power (South Korea) – 70 per cent/Daewoo Engineering Company (South Korea) – 30 per cent
• Alerion Cleanpower (Italy) – 51 per cent/Toto Construzioni Generali (Italy) – 49 per cent
• Taqa (UAE) – 60 per cent/GEK Terna (Greece) – 20 per cent/Terna Energy (Greece) – 20 per cent
• China Wind Power (China) – 52 per cent/China Harbour Engineering Company (China) – 48 per cent
• China International Water and Electric Corporation (China) – 55 per cent/China Three Gorges New Energy (China) – 45 per cent
• CECEP Wind Power (China)
• Acciona (Spain) – 50 per cent/Petrom (Morocco) – 25 per cent/Moroccan Infrastructure Fund (Morocco) – 25 per cent

ONE has also issued separate RFQs for legal and financial advisers to work on the project.

The wind farm will be constructed at a site located 12 kilometres northwest of Taza on a build-own-operate-transfer basis. ONE will agree a 20-year offtake agreement with the chosen developer.

According to ONE’s bid schedule, bids will be invited in early April 2011, which will be followed by discount offers by the end of July and a successful bidder chosen in October 2011. Project contracts are to be finalised by January 2012 and financial close is to be achieved by July 2012. The project is scheduled for operation by July 2014.

The project is part of Morocco’s plan to develop a 1,000MW wind-power programme to assist in the country’s target of 42 per cent of installed capacity based on renewable energy 2020.

The scheme will comprise five wind farms:

• Taza (Taza): 150MW
• Sendouk (Tangier): 150MW
• Baida Koudia II (Tetouan): 300MW
• Tiskrad (Laayoune): 300MW
• Boujdour (Boujdour): 100MW

The wind farms included in the programme will be structured through public-private partnerships, whereby ONE, Société d’Investissement Energétique (SIE) and Hassan II Funds will be partner with one or several strategic partners to set up a project company.