CWP Global delivered last week 15 sustainable modular homes to three villages located near Marrakech and Taroudant, devastated by the earthquake of September 8th. During the crisis, CWP Global engaged in a number of emergency intervention initiatives to contribute to reconstruction efforts and provide immediate support to the most affected communities. These initiatives included providing emergency equipment for energy and lighting amounting to $50,000, as well as a specific allocation of $50,000 for the development of sustainable modular homes for the villages near Marrakech. This work is now complete. The CWP team in Morocco worked for several months with the local association JOOD to build the modular homes as part of the reconstruction efforts in the villages of Bouladaame, Ijrafen, and Gouamane. Fifteen units will now provide some comfort and shelter to families during the reconstruction of their homes. These units were designed with sustainability in mind and respect for local heritage, thus promoting the socio-economic development of the villages. The modular buildings will be reused after reconstruction for craft and sustainable local tourism projects, thereby supporting the local communities affected by the earthquake in their economic recovery. “Since this tragedy struck in September of last year, we have repeatedly witnessed very moving and inspiring demonstrations of resilience and solidarity from the Moroccan people. As a renewable project developer with great ambitions, we are not just a company; we are an integral part of our local community. As such, we have the great privilege of contributing to reconstruction efforts, under the leadership of our Moroccan team, who have worked tirelessly over the past few months to make a difference,” said Nouri Chahid, in charge of development at CWP Global. This support represents an important pillar of CWP Global’s commitment to giving back to communities, near the places that will host further south, across the High Atlas, its large-scale green hydrogen project AMUN, currently under development in the Guelmim – Oued Noun Region. To further support the affected individuals, CWP Global made a significant contribution of $100,000 directly to the state for the special fund established by the government, to contribute to recovery and reconstruction efforts for communities affected by this terrible earthquake. CWP Global has had an established presence in Morocco since 2020 and was the first developer to propose a large-scale green hydrogen platform project in the country. The AMUN project is a very large-scale hybrid wind and solar energy production hub of 15 GW, targeting the production of green hydrogen and its derivatives, aiming to maximize national value and benefits in the fields of economy, heavy industry, education, infrastructure, agriculture, and mobility.
Context
On September 8th of last year, Morocco was struck by a devastating earthquake that resulted in over 2,960 deaths and 6,925 injuries. The earthquake damaged significant cultural heritage sites, as well as major infrastructure and roads, which posed an additional challenge for delivering humanitarian aid to the affected areas. Marrakech was impacted, but it was the small localities surrounding the large city that were most affected. During the relief period, the CWP Global team responded by taking immediate support measures to help some of the affected communities, as well as providing long-term support. CWP provided equipment worth approximately $50,000 to supply energy and lighting to communities in the El Haouz and Taroudant regions. This budget allowed for the purchase and provision of essential support in the form of: 10 self-consumption solar kits, 80 spotlight kits with 8 and 16 hours of autonomy and a solar panel with built-in battery, 200 wall-mounted solar lamps, 20 portable generators, and 40 gas stoves. An additional sum of $50,000 was allocated for the construction of sustainable modular homes in the three affected villages. Finally, a donation of $100,000 was made in 2023 to the special fund 126. CWP Global has been present in Morocco since 2020, following the announcement of the AMUN project, a very large-scale renewable energy facility and mixed generation of 15 GW for the production of green hydrogen and derivatives. The project is under development and progressing within the Morocco Offer. The project team has been conducting technical studies on wind and solar resources at the project site since 2021 and is completing feasibility studies in 2025.
About CWP Global
Building on its track record of delivering large-scale wind and solar project portfolios in Southeast Europe and Australia, CWP has expanded its vision over the past seven years to pursue the development of six very large-scale green hydrogen centers in prime locations around the world, where renewable energy resources are constant and abundant, and where it is possible to deploy cheap green energy and efficiently produce green fuels, such as green ammonia. Currently, CWP’s green hydrogen platform portfolio has a planned combined renewable energy production capacity of nearly 200 GW. The CWP portfolio includes the Australian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), launched jointly with InterContinental Energy in 2017. In 2022, AREH came under the stewardship of bp, with the goal of providing the first green energy to iron ore miners in the Pilbara region of northwest Australia by 2027. In 2023, CWP Global announced a strategic investment from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) in its very large-scale green hydrogen platform development portfolio, including projects in Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Under this agreement, CIP, through its Energy Transition Fund I, acquired a 26.67% stake in a development platform within CWP’s green hydrogen business. If fully realized, CWP’s current portfolio of green hydrogen hubs is at a scale that could make a tangible contribution to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, including achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. According to the 2022 Breakthrough Agenda report, co-authored by the IEA, IRENA, and UN high-level champions, green hydrogen could meet up to 20% of global energy demand by mid-century, with some predicting a market value of around $850 billion by 2050.