The program in question — Le Programme de Développement des Réseaux de Transport d’Électricité et d’Électrification Rurale (PDRTE-ER) — is a €352.33 million-initiative executed by ONEE, the national electricity and water authority. On rural electrification, the program connected 937 new villages to the national grid — surpassing the original target of 720 by 30% — and brought electricity to 19,980 additional households, well above the 16,250 planned. Morocco’s rural electrification rate has now reached 99.91% — a level approaching near-universal coverage and described by the AfDB as a catalyst for socioeconomic transformation in rural communities. On the transmission side, the program has integrated 45.5% renewable energy capacity into the national grid and elevated peak capacity to 7,580 MW — enabling the evacuation of solar and wind production from generation sites to consumption centers. Morocco’s peak capacity, grid reliability improvements, and renewable integration ratio are now cited by the bank as replicable models across the African continent.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 24, 2026 11:02 UTC