The Noor 3 solar power plant, the centerpiece of the Ouarzazate complex with a capacity of 150 megawatts, will remain shut down at least until the end of the first quarter of 2025. This prolonged suspension follows a malfunction that occurred a year ago in its molten salt reservoir, a key component of its thermal storage system.
According to the latest quarterly report from its main shareholder, ACWA Power, the facility stopped operating in March 2024 to allow for the repair of a leak in this reservoir. This failure resulted in a depreciation of 191.6 million Saudi riyals (approximately 509.5 million dirhams), of which 143.7 million riyals (nearly 381.8 million dirhams) are the responsibility of ACWA Power, which holds 75% of the project.
Commissioned in 2018, Noor 3 uses concentrated solar power technology, allowing it to store heat to generate electricity even outside of sunlight hours. This new shutdown highlights the technical challenges faced by renewable energy production infrastructures, even as they are essential to Morocco’s energy transition.