The Moroccan plant of Safran Nacelles, which specializes in the production of composite parts and the assembly of inverters/nacelles and sub-assemblies, inaugurated, on Friday at its site in the province of Nouaceur in Casablanca, its photovoltaic power plant considered the first of its kind in the aeronautical industry in Morocco.
Inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, the Chairman of Safran Nacelles, Vincent Caro, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Safran Nacelles Morocco, Hamid Benbrahim El Andaloussi, and the Governor of the Province of Nouaceur, Abdallah Chater, this new 1.7 Megawatt plant will cover more than 20% of the site’s annual consumption for a saving of 2,000 tons of CO2 per year thanks to the installation of more than 3,000 photovoltaic panels.
To set up and manage its photovoltaic power plant, Safran Nacelles Morocco has partnered with Qair Maroc, a company specializing in the production of electrical energy from renewable sources.
A plant expansion project is planned for 2023 with the installation of 1,800 additional panels which will cover a total of one third of the site’s energy needs and ultimately save more than 3,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Speaking on this occasion, Ms. Benali welcomed the symbolic initiative of investing in this plant, which will enable Safran Nacelles Morocco to reduce its CO2 emissions by contributing to the promotion of renewable energies (EnR), adding that this project comes in line with the Kingdom’s energy strategy and translates into concrete terms its guidelines for the promotion of clean, sober and low-cost energies.
The completion of this project is an important signal insofar as Morocco gives investors the opportunity to produce part of their carbon-free energy, said the minister, noting that this ecosystem allows manufacturers based in the Kingdom to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce their energy bill and plan for the future to capture even more investment.
In addition, Ms. Benali expressed her department’s unconditional support for similar energy transition and development projects by renewable energies, including those with a capacity of less than 2 megawatts, calling for greater support from industrial actors to achieve the Kingdom’s energy objectives instead.
For his part, Mr. Caro assured that sustainable development is a strong commitment for Safran, noting that the Group has set itself the goal of reducing its CO2 emissions by 30% by 2025 compared to 2018 and by 50% by ‘by 2030.
By directly consuming the electricity produced by its photovoltaic panels, Safran Nacelles is pursuing its desire to increase its share of renewable and self-produced energy locally on its sites, he added.
“At our Casablanca site, we are working with the Moroccan government to go further in the share of renewable energy in the site’s consumption. We are proud of this new installation, which is one of the largest photovoltaic panel plants on an industrial site in Morocco and the first on an aeronautical site in the country,” said Mr. Caro.
Created in March 2005, Safran Nacelles Morocco is the largest aeronautical production site in Morocco. It specializes in the manufacture of composite materials and the assembly of nacelles (air intake, engine cover and thrust reversers) and its sub-assemblies.
Thanks to its roots in the territory, the company has developed a local supply chain with the support of the Group of Moroccan Aeronautical and Space Industries.