Moroccan media reported on Tuesday, July 1, that the government has secured the necessary land rights in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region of southern Morocco for the Chbika project. This initiative is a strategic play in the global renewable hydrogen market, with Morocco backing green ammonia as its primary export vehicle. The project, led by a consortium of TotalEnergies, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, and A.P. Møller Capital, aims to produce 200,000 tons of green ammonia annually.
The Chbika project will be powered by 1 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy and an electrolyzer unit supplied with desalinated seawater.
Green ammonia is easier to store and transport than pure hydrogen, aligning with the European Union's strategy. The REPowerEU plan aims to import 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen by 2030.
The Moroccan project emerges as green ammonia exporters gain traction. In July 2024, Germany awarded a supply contract for 259,000 tons of green ammonia to Egypt-based Fertiglobe. This contract, spanning 2027 to 2033, guaranteed a price of €811 per tonne, about $960, including transport, according to data from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs. By comparison, the spot price of fossil-based ammonia, produced from natural gas, exceeded $580 per tonne in 2024, according to the Platts index (S&P Global).
No public details have yet been released regarding Chbika’s production costs, commercial agreements, or commissioning timeline. Market research firm MarketsandMarkets estimates the global ammonia market across all sources at $79.5 billion in 2024, projected to reach $92 billion by 2029, growing at an average annual rate of 3%.
Written in French by Abdel-Latif Boureima,
Translated and adapted into French by Mouka Mezonlin
Lebara Group is now bringing its affordable and reliable mobile services to Africa, starting with Ni...
• Gates Foundation commits $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi.• Bill Gates warns of rising ch...
Transport and food prices have been climbing steadily across Africa in recent years. In Côte d’Ivoir...
In a West African financial landscape marked by tighter regulation of the fintech sector, digital fi...
• Maritime sector faces renewed risks amid military tensions in the Middle East• Blockade fears at S...
• South Sudan initiates a $58 million, four-year project to transform basic education nationwide.• The program aims to directly benefit over 300,000...
• Cape Verde reclassified as an upper-middle-income country due to a 16.8% rise in GNI per capita.• Namibia downgraded to lower-middle-income after a...
• Global coffee consumption projected to hit a record 169.4 million 60-kg bags in 2025/2026, up from 166.5 million in 2024/2025.• China’s coffee demand...
• Benin creates the Agency for the Development of Ruminant Farming (ADER) to boost local cattle, sheep, and goat sectors.• National ruminant meat...
The Gerewol tradition is a fascinating ritual celebrated by the Bororo Fulani, a nomadic community primarily located in Chad and Niger. This annual...
In northern Ethiopia, in the Tigray region, lies Axum (also spelled Aksum), an ancient city that once stood at the heart of one of Africa’s most powerful...