Morocco launches World Power-to-X Summit to fast-track hydrogen agreements

Morocco recently launched the World Power-to-X Summit, which aims to fast-track the world’s hydrogen agreements between nations. The global community is finally realizing the potential that hydrogen has stored away. The two-day event in Marrakech brought together global and local leaders to explore opportunities, foster partnerships, and secure investments for the green hydrogen sector. The event also promoted the acceleration of Morocco’s standing in the Power-to-X alliance.

Marrakech hosted the opening of the Fifth World Power-to-X Summit on October 1

The event was a star-studded affair that saw some of the highest-ranking government officials from several nations in attendance. The event brought together 2,000 attendees from 40 countries and 125 speakers to address what organizers termed the global “hydrogen gap” between ambition and implementation.

The event was held at the Palais des Congrès and was hosted by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development. Among the co-hosts of the event were:

• The Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN)
• The Moroccan Green H2 Cluster
• Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)
• The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN)

On March 11, 2024, Morocco’s green hydrogen strategy took formal shape through the “Morocco Offer” circular. That integral framework reserved up to one million hectares of public land for Power-to-X development, with an initial 300,000 hectares now allocated.

During March of this year, the steering committee pre-selected five investors for six projects valued at approximately $32.8 billion. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI addressed the strategic importance of the sector during his Throne Day speech.

“Following the meeting I chaired in this regard, the government prepared the ‘Morocco Offer’ project in the field of green hydrogen. I invite the government to speed up the implementation of this project, to make sure the requirements of quality are observed, to leverage our country’s significant potential in this regard, and to meet the expectations of leading global investors in this promising field,” – Morocco’s King Mohammed VI

Morocco’s Energy Minister Leila Benali outlined priorities for the Power-to-X summit

Morocco’s Energy Minister addressed the event, and during her speech, she outlined three key priorities that the Power-to-X alliance needs to focus on, namely:

• Infrastructure development
• Requests for proposals for a floating storage regasification unit at Nador-West Med port
• Pipeline construction connecting supply and demand centers planned before year-end

“We cannot talk seriously about hydrogen, about part of it, if we are not credible in building our gas infrastructure, Morocco is a producer, but also will be a producer and exporter of competitive low-carbon electrons, low-carbon molecules, low-carbon steel, and other commodities, fertilizers as well.”  – Moroccon Energy Minister Leila Benali

The hydrogen sector has seen significant growth in recent months, as evidenced by the 80% completion mark reached by the NEOM project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Minister ended her speech with a direct appeal to stakeholders.

“To financiers and the industry, we need to really move now beyond pilot projects towards implementation of ready portfolios and with fair risk sharing and fair and realistic returns. Over the next two days, let’s transform ambition into execution, MOUs into actual investments, and projects into shared prosperity in our regions.” – Moroccon Energy Minister Leila Benali

Hydrogen could finally reach its full potential to become the fuel of the future

For many years, hydrogen has faced an uphill battle to get the attention it deserves from the relevant stakeholders in the energy sector. That is now coming to an end thanks to the efforts of all who attended the event in Marrakech. Taking into account the acceleration of the standing of hydrogen in the energy sector being championed by the Power-to-X alliance, as well as the H2Med alliance that recently added new members, hydrogen could finally reach its full potential in the not-too-distant future.