Mr. Nizar Baraka, Minister of Economy and Finance, received Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at the head office of his department, Mr. Stefan FULE, the European Commissioner responsible for Enlargement and the European Neighborhood Policy.
At the meeting, which was attended by Mr. Fouad DOUIRI, Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, Mr. Idriss AZAMI Al IDRISSI, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the Budget, Mr. Ali Fassi Fihri, the Managing Director of the National Office for Drinking Water (ONEP) and Mr. Mustapha Bakkoury, the Managing Director of the Moroccan Agency for solar energy, Mr. BARAKA and MR. FULE welcomed the signing of the financing agreements relating to the contribution of the European Union, via the Neighbourhood Investment Facility , to finance the first phase of the solar power station of Ouarzazate with a donation of 30 million Euros and the financing of the second phase of performance improvement program in the drinking water supply by a grant of 7 million Euros.
On this occasion, the Minister of Economy and Finance stressed the importance of these projects and programs that are part of the core policies of our country, namely the national energy strategy giving a priority to the development of renewable energy and the national strategy of water through its main lever which is to meet water-supply needs and support the socio-economic development of the country.
He thus reminded that the project concerning the first phase of the solar power station of Ouarzazate which involves the construction of the first thermo-solar plant with a capacity between 125 and 160 MW and aims at developing a complex with an overall production capacity of electricity using solar energy of 500 MW by 2020, will enable our country to reduce its energy dependency and increase its electric production capacity, control a national resource which consists of a maximum sunshine exposure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As regards the second phase of the performance improvement Program in the drinking water supply, Mr. Baraka stressed that the program aims to reduce health risks associated to water unfit for human consumption, to provide a continuing water supply sufficient and effective in the Moroccan cities, reduce leakage in water networks and optimize its use.
Mr. BARAKA and Mr. FULE welcomed the level and quality of cooperation relations between Morocco and the European Union, while reaffirming their shared will to further develop this cooperation within the framework of the new context of the advanced status.