The Daily Populous Wednesday July 15th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by worldbank.org and submitted by ArgentineBeauty

A major new pumped storage hydropower project in northern Morocco will provide reliable and affordable electricity, improve the resilience of the national grid, and create jobs

WASHINGTON, 1 July 2026 — The World Bank Board of Directors today approved $265 million to support the Ifahsa Pumped Hydropower Storage Project in Morocco, a major clean energy infrastructure investment in northern Morocco and one of the most significant of its kind on the African continent.

The project will strengthen the reliability and resilience of Morocco’s electricity system by providing flexible storage capacity to support the integration of higher levels of renewable energy generation and will provide Moroccan electricity consumers – including households and businesses – with a more reliable, cleaner supply of electricity.

Located near Chefchaouen, the project will serve as a giant rechargeable battery for the national electricity grid. During periods of high renewable energy production — when the sun is shining, or the wind is blowing — the facility can pump water to an upper reservoir. That water is then released through turbines to generate electricity precisely when it is needed most.

The initiative will create real economic opportunities for Moroccan communities. During construction, the project is expected to generate around 820 direct jobs annually, while the renewable energy capacity it enables will create additional employment opportunities across the energy sector and beyond. Moroccan businesses will also benefit from access to cleaner electricity, strengthening their position in international markets that increasingly demand low-carbon supply chains.

The 300-megawatt facility will enable Morocco to integrate at least 1 gigawatt of additional solar and wind energy into its national grid, helping unlock around $1 billion in private investment. In doing so, it will replace approximately 3 terawatt-hours of electricity currently generated from fossil fuels each year — avoiding an estimated 1.7 million tons of CO₂ emissions annually.

The World Bank's contribution combines financing from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), concessional financing from the Clean Technology Fund, a grant from the Livable Planet Fund and technical assistance support from the World Bank Group Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). The project is co-financed by the African Development Bank and implemented by the Office National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau potable (ONEE). Together, the co-financing by the two multilateral development banks demonstrates how international partnerships can mobilize funding for large-scale clean energy investments and accelerate the transition to a more resilient, low-carbon energy future.

"The Ifahsa project exemplifies the kind of transformative partnerships we strive to build — bringing together multilateral institutions and national authorities, mobilizing capital, and investing in infrastructure that delivers environmental, social, and economic dividends. We are honored to stand alongside ONEE with the African Development Bank in supporting what is, to date, one of Morocco's most ambitious clean energy endeavors," said Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, Division Director for the Maghreb and Malta at the World Bank.

Illustrious_Fan_8148 on July 15th, 2026 at 09:35 UTC »

How awesome! I wish we had a project like that in my country!

itsn0ts0bad on July 15th, 2026 at 09:30 UTC »

Interesting project. Water is being pumped from a lower reservoir up to a higher reservoir using solar and wind energy. The "battery" is basically storing potential energy in a higher reservoir.

ArgentineBeauty on July 15th, 2026 at 09:17 UTC »

It's amazing to see renewable energy projects happening in Africa. Hopefully, there will be many more because the potential across the continent is massive.