Casablanca – Morocco is moving ahead with one of its largest environmental and energy infrastructure projects after authorities and a consortium of international and Moroccan companies finalized agreements to develop the country’s first integrated waste-to-energy facility. The project, which represents an investment of about $1.5 billion, is expected to transform municipal waste management in the country’s largest city while adding new electricity generation capacity to the national grid.

The development follows the signing of a 33.5-year concession agreement between the Casablanca Municipality and a consortium comprising Swiss-Japanese engineering company Kanadevia Inova, Moroccan energy company Nareva, and Japanese trading and investment group Itochu. The partners also concluded long-term electricity purchase agreements with the Casablanca-Settat Regional Multi-Services Company (SRM Casablanca-Settat) and Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), allowing the project to move into its implementation phase.

With the contractual framework now in place, the consortium is preparing to begin engineering, procurement and construction activities after completing financing arrangements. Construction is expected to start before the end of 2026, with the building phase lasting approximately three and a half years. Project developers expect the facility to enter full commercial operation around the middle of 2030, although some waste processing and electricity generation could begin several months before final completion.

The project will be located near the Médiouna landfill on the outskirts of Casablanca, one of the largest landfill sites in Morocco and among the biggest sources of methane emissions in Africa. Rather than expanding landfill capacity, the new facility is designed to convert municipal solid waste into electricity, reducing the volume of waste buried while recovering energy from materials that would otherwise decompose and release greenhouse gases.

Under the concession agreement, the plant will receive household waste generated across the Greater Casablanca metropolitan area, which is home to more than 4.2 million residents. The installation is designed to process approximately 1.5 million metric tons of municipal waste each year, making it one of the largest waste treatment facilities on the African continent.

According to project specifications released by the consortium, the facility is expected to recover close to 80% of incoming waste, significantly reducing dependence on landfill disposal. The project combines waste treatment with electricity generation, supporting Morocco’s efforts to improve urban waste management while expanding domestic power production.

The energy component of the project includes an installed base-load generation capacity of approximately 126 megawatts, complemented by a 50-megawatt-peak solar photovoltaic plant and a 4-megawatt landfill biogas recovery system. Together, the different energy sources are expected to produce nearly one terawatt-hour of electricity annually, enough to supply around one million people.

Some reports have cited an effective electricity output of approximately 115 megawatts from the combined waste, solar and landfill gas systems, reflecting different methods of reporting installed and operational capacity. Regardless of the measurement, the project is expected to make a meaningful contribution to Morocco’s electricity supply while providing a continuous source of generation that complements solar and wind power.

Project developers say the environmental benefits extend beyond electricity production. By diverting waste away from landfill and recovering methane emissions from the existing disposal site, the facility is expected to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kanadevia Inova has estimated that the project could avoid between half a metric ton and one metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent for every metric ton of waste processed through reduced methane emissions and the replacement of conventional electricity generation.

The company has also stated that the overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could be comparable to approximately one-fifth of Switzerland’s annual emissions, an impact similar to removing around 300,000 passenger vehicles from the road.

In addition to environmental benefits, the project is expected to create employment during both the construction and operational phases. Around 1,240 workers are expected to be employed throughout the three-and-a-half-year construction period, while approximately 300 additional jobs will be generated through supporting infrastructure and related activities. Once the plant enters commercial operation, about 140 permanent skilled positions will be required to manage operations, maintenance and technical support.

The facility will incorporate three high-capacity combustion lines equipped with advanced emissions monitoring and flue gas treatment systems designed to comply with European environmental standards. Project developers have also indicated that the plant has been designed to accommodate future carbon capture technologies should such systems become commercially viable during the concession period.

Within the consortium, Nareva serves as the principal Moroccan investor, Itochu contributes industrial and project development expertise, and Kanadevia Inova is responsible for engineering, procurement, construction, operational support, long-term maintenance and part of the project’s financing.

Most of the project’s financing is expected to come from loans provided by Moroccan financial institutions, although the final financing package is still being completed before construction officially begins.

The waste-to-energy facility forms part of Morocco’s broader strategy to modernize its electricity system while expanding the use of lower-carbon energy sources. The country continues to invest heavily in renewable electricity generation through solar and wind projects while also developing battery storage systems, pumped-storage hydropower and grid modernization to improve the flexibility and reliability of the national electricity network.

Morocco has set a target of increasing renewable energy’s share of installed electricity capacity to 52% by 2030. According to official energy data, renewable energy supplied approximately 24% of the country’s electricity demand during 2025, while installed renewable generation capacity reached approximately 4.85 gigawatts.

Although waste-to-energy facilities are generally viewed as an alternative to landfill disposal, the technology continues to generate discussion among environmental organizations. Some experts argue that such projects should be implemented alongside stronger recycling and waste reduction policies to ensure that recyclable materials are not diverted to thermal treatment. Others point to concerns over emissions associated with waste combustion, despite the use of modern pollution-control systems that comply with stringent environmental regulations.

For Casablanca, however, the project represents a significant shift in municipal waste management. Instead of relying primarily on landfill disposal, the city is preparing to introduce infrastructure capable of treating large volumes of household waste while simultaneously producing electricity, reducing methane emissions and recovering value from municipal refuse.

Once completed, the facility is expected to become Morocco’s first integrated waste-to-energy plant and one of the largest projects of its kind in Africa, reflecting the country’s efforts to combine environmental management with energy security through long-term infrastructure investment.