France Is ‘Ready’ to Finance Morocco’s 3GW Power Link from Casablanca to Dakhla

France has historically been the largest foreign investor in Morocco, with investments totaling €8.2 billion up to 2022.

Jihane Rahhou Apr. 27, 2024 3:47 p.m.

Rabat – French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced on Friday France’s readiness to participate in financing a 3 gigawatt power (GW) cable project connecting Casablanca to Dakhla.

France has been actively catalyzing business initiatives to mend fences with Morocco. After years of ambiguity on the Western Sahara dossier, France is now closer than ever to recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces, many observers have noted in recent weeks.

“I confirm to you that we are ready to participate in funding this project,” Le Maire said while addressing a Moroccan-French business forum in Rabat.

The announcement comes on the heels of a recent statement by French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in February, who expressed France’s support for Morocco’s investments in Western Sahara and announced Paris’s readiness to back Rabat’s autonomy plan to solve the regional dispute.

In addition to the power cable initiative, France has expressed interest in collaborating with Morocco on various renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, green hydrogen, and nuclear power.

Le Maire highlighted France’s willingness to assist Morocco’s phosphates and fertilizers giant OCP Group in its efforts towards decarbonization, with the French development agency AFD offering a substantial loan of €350 million.

France has historically been the largest foreign investor in Morocco, with French investments in the North African kingdom totaling €8.2 billion up to 2022. Morocco is notably home to industrial facilities operated by major French automotive companies such as Renault and Safran.

While the European country is yet to formally declare its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, French delegations and officials have reiterated in recent months their country’s interest in accompanying Morocco’s development efforts in the region.

For many observers, this bold step suggests that Fance might be exploring a much bolder move in the near future: an official announcement of support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. Earlier this week, Xavier Driencourt, the former French ambassador to Algeria told French media that supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara has become “part of the facts.”