French senator criticises returns from Moroccan solar projects
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Bladi
French senator Christian Cambon criticised on 28 October the limited benefits for French companies from funding granted to Moroccan solar projects. In Ouarzazate, the French Development Agency lent €150 million for Noor I and Noor III, according to the Senate report cited by Bladi.
French senator Christian Cambon said on Wednesday 28 October that French funding for Moroccan solar projects generated insufficient economic benefits for French companies. Before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, he cited the Noor complex in Ouarzazate, partly financed by French loans but built by Spanish companies, according to the committee’s official report.
The French Development Agency (AFD) granted two loans totalling €150 million for the Noor I and Noor III plants, €100 million for the first and €50 million for the second. Construction of Noor I, a 160-megawatt solar thermal plant inaugurated in 2016, was entrusted to the Spanish groups Sener, Acciona and TSK, with Saudi group ACWA Power as developer.
Christian Cambon questioned the weight given to price in tendering. Olivier Cadic, the Senate’s representative on the AFD board, advocated better monitoring of contracts won by French companies and a target of a 60% success rate, compared with the 48% mentioned during the discussions.
The debate comes as the French Senate is already discussing how to increase domestic benefits from public funding provided abroad. Senators want the quality of bids and their economic impact to be taken more into account, according to the official report.
