Morocco is set to develop Africa’s second large-scale waste-to-energy facility, a $1.5 billion project aimed at converting millions of tonnes of household waste into electricity while reducing landfill pollution.
A consortium led by Swiss-Japanese waste management company Kanadevia Inova announced that construction of the facility in Casablanca is expected to begin by the end of 2026, with commercial operations targeted for mid-2030.
According to Reuters, the project is being developed in partnership with Moroccan energy company Nareva and Japanese trading firm Itochu under a concession granted by Casablanca’s city government.
Once completed, the plant will process about 1.5 million metric tonnes of municipal waste annually and generate approximately 115 megawatts of electricity using a combination of household waste, landfill gas and solar energy.
The electricity generated is expected to supply nearly one million people.
The consortium has secured a power purchase agreement with Morocco’s state-owned electricity utility, Office National de l’Électricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE).
Financing for the project is expected to come mainly from local lenders, while construction will be handled by Moroccan engineering company Somagec.
The facility will transform the Mediouna landfill, Morocco’s largest dumpsite, which has faced years of environmental challenges, including unpleasant odours, polluted farmland and methane emissions caused by decomposing waste.
Kanadevia Inova said the project could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cutting emissions equivalent to about 20 per cent of Switzerland’s annual output.
The company said the reduction would be comparable to removing about 300,000 cars from roads.
The waste-to-energy project is part of Morocco’s broader efforts to improve waste management, increase renewable energy generation and reduce environmental pollution.
However, waste-to-energy technology remains debated globally.
Environmental groups have raised concerns that incineration-based facilities could discourage recycling efforts, while also contributing to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions if not properly managed.
Despite these concerns, Morocco’s planned facility is expected to become one of Africa’s largest waste-to-energy projects and a major step in addressing the country’s growing waste management challenges.
