Morocco’s agency for solar energy, Masen, has launched a tender for bids to build a 400MW solar power plant, Trade Arabia reports. The bids are expected to begin on February 1st for the development of the first phase of the Noor Midelt solar power project. The project will utilize an independent power producer (IPP) scheme and will comprise one or several power plants with hybrid technology – combining concentrated solar power (CSP) and photovoltaics (PV).
SeeNews reports that developers will be selected based on the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance components of their proposal. The Noor Midelt site, approximately 25km northeast of the town of Midelt, covers a surface of about 2,400 hectares. The financial components of the project will be concluded in 2017 and construction will begin in the same year.
The announcement comes two weeks after construction on the first part of Morocco’s solar energy initiative, Noor 1, was delayed without explanation, The Guardian reported. Upon completion, the solar plant will be the world’s largest, at 580MW.