French high commissioner for atomic energy proposes nuclear cooperation to Morocco
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Aujourd’hui le Maroc
France's high commissioner for atomic energy, Vincent Berger, travelled to Morocco with French ambassador Philippe Lalliot to propose civil nuclear cooperation, in the face of Russian and American competition. The discussions focused on the place of nuclear power in Morocco's energy transition, according to sources close to the matter.
France's high commissioner for atomic energy, Vincent Berger, travelled to Morocco in recent days to propose nuclear cooperation to the kingdom, according to Aujourd'hui le Maroc. He was accompanied by the French ambassador to Morocco, Philippe Lalliot, and by Nidhal Ouerfelli, head of partnerships at the French High Commission for Atomic Energy.
According to sources close to the matter cited by the Moroccan daily, the meeting allowed an exchange on "strategic orientations aimed at strengthening the place of nuclear energy among the options under consideration to support the energy transition", as well as on prospects for Moroccan-French cooperation in the energy field. Paris wants to position itself against other potential partners, from Moscow to Washington, on a subject that is attracting growing interest among Moroccan officials.
The debate concerns in particular small modular reactors (SMRs), low- or medium-power units that can be deployed alone or in multiple modules and coupled to other energy sources, including renewables. The question of French-Moroccan nuclear cooperation had already been raised in 2024, during the visit to Morocco of the French minister delegate for foreign trade, attractiveness and the Francophonie.
