A new green investment program of the “Sharifian Phosphate Office” (OCP Moroccan Group) 2023-2027 was signed on the 3rd of December 2022, between the Moroccan Government and the OCP group, during a presentation ceremony chaired by the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI.
This strategy, devoted to the development and new perspectives of renewable energies, is part of the proactive orientation promoted by the King of Morocco, for many years, in matters of transition towards green energies and a low-carbon economy.
The OCP group, positioned today as one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of phosphate fertilizers, relied on the research and development capabilities of the “Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)” to seize the opportunities offered by the new industrial and digital technologies and to develop an expertise in innovative technologies for balanced fertilization to take up the challenges of sustainable agriculture and food security.
The new program revolves around increasing the fertilizer production capacities while committing to achieve carbon neutrality before 2040 by relying on the unique source of renewable energies as well as on the Kingdom’s progress in this field.
Moreover, by investing in solar and wind power, the Moroccan Group plans to feed all its industrial facilities with green energy by 2027. The low-carbon energy will also be used to supply the new seawater desalination capacities in order to meet the group’s needs and provide the areas around OCP sites with drinking and irrigation water.
This investment will help the OCP, first world importer of ammonia, to eventually end reliance on these imports by also investing in renewable energy – green hydrogen – green ammonia sector, allowing the group to strongly enter the market of green fertilizer and of fertilization solutions adapted to the specific needs of different soils and crops.
This ambition will be backed by supporting programs for industrial SMEs and those operating in the sectors of energy and agriculture, hence, favouring the emergence of an innovative national ecosystem and the creation of new employment and job integration opportunities for the youth.
Last but not least, the new program, which will help consolidate OCP’s world position, provides for a global investment of 13 billion dollars (130 billion dirhams) over the period 2023-2027, the achievement of a local integration rate of 70%, the backing of 600 Moroccan industrial enterprises and the creation of 25000 direct and indirect jobs.
