Morocco Noor Solar Program 2026: Ouarzazate, Midelt and Status

Noor is a useful case study because it mixes technologies, financing structures and development stages. SurgePV publishes this guide. It is not a status bulletin from Masen or an operator. Figures below come from the developers, lenders and ministry pages linked in each section, read on 28 October 2026 unless a date is given.

Noor Ouarzazate: Phase by Phase

Sources: ACWA Power on Noor I’s inauguration, Noor I’s tariff, the Noor II and III financial close, the Noor PV I launch and the Noor PV I agreement. TSK’s Noor I project page also lists 160 MW. The World Bank’s 2017 blog gives Noor I electricity at USD 0.18 per kWh and says Noor II and III should enter service in 2018.

Noor IV is one plant in the PV I programme, with Laayoune (80 MW) and Boujdour (20 MW). Do not add those two sites to Ouarzazate’s capacity. The World Bank blog describes a 580 MW complex with a 70 MW fourth phase. The phase figures above add to 582 MW (160 + 200 + 150 + 72), so the 580 MW is a planning total, not a metered capacity.

The sources read give no actual commissioning dates (start-up dates) for Noor II, Noor III or Noor IV. At financial close, ACWA expected Noor II and III in commercial operation in the third or fourth quarter of 2017. The World Bank blog expected 2018. No source read for this page reports whether Noor III is available today.

How Much Will Noor Cost?

The cost depends on the phase and the date of the figure:

• Noor I: about USD 840 million (ACWA Power, 4 February 2016).
• Noor II and III: about USD 2.0 billion together. It was funded 80/20 debt to equity, which means 80% borrowed money and 20% owners’ money. Masen borrowed the debt from the African Development Bank, Agence Française de Développement, the Clean Technology Fund, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, KfW and the World Bank (ACWA Power, 19 May 2015). The World Bank’s own record for the Noor Solar Power Project, which finances Noor II and III, lists total commitments of USD 706 million, approved 30 September 2014.
• Noor PV I (includes Noor IV): USD 220 million (ACWA Power, 2017).
• Whole complex: the World Bank’s 2017 blog says over USD 2 billion for the 580 MW complex and USD 435 million from the Clean Technology Fund across three phases.

These figures come from different dates and scopes. ACWA’s phase figures do not match the World Bank’s complex-wide number, so this page prints both and does not add them. A bid tariff is the price offered in the tender. It reflects its financing package and delivery obligation. It is not a current cost of energy.

CSP, PV and Storage Are Different Systems

CSP focuses sunlight to make heat. The heat drives a thermal power cycle that makes electricity. Parabolic troughs (long curved collectors) and towers collect that heat in different ways.

Molten-salt storage holds heat for later electricity generation. Its hours apply at the plant’s declared operating conditions. PV modules turn sunlight into electricity directly. Battery storage holds electrical energy. It needs a charging source, a usable-energy definition and a power rating. Hours of CSP storage cannot be swapped for a battery’s kWh.

For an engineering comparison, record:

• The solar resource: direct normal irradiance (sunlight arriving straight from the sun) for concentrating plants, and the irradiance inputs of the PV model.
• The output boundary: gross generation, net plant output or energy delivered at the connection point.
• The storage boundary: stored thermal energy, usable electrical energy and conversion losses.
• The delivery requirement: annual energy, evening output, peak power or a contracted schedule.
• Uncertainty and maintenance assumptions, including unavailable periods.

A capacity rating does not tell you the energy a plant delivers. A storage duration does not guarantee constant output all night. Desert heat also reduces PV output; see solar temperature derating.

Noor Midelt: Status in 2026

Here is what the primary sources read for this page say about Noor Midelt:

• Masen board, 10 June 2026. The board reviewed progress on Noor Atlas and Noor Midelt (ministry release, published 26 July 2026, in French). It gives no capacity, technology or date.
• Nareva. Nareva’s project list shows a “Parc solaire PV - Midelt 2 & 3” of 800 MW with the status “en développement” (in development). Its separate 180 MW Midelt wind park is a different project.
• Masen’s tender news, 10 July 2019. Masen’s news page on the Phase II tender, which reposts a Morocco World News article. The article describes Noor Midelt as two plants combining thermosolar (CSP) and PV for 800 MW with 5 hours of storage, at MAD 0.68 per kWh at peak time. MAD is the Moroccan dirham. It says the Phase I winning bidder, announced in May 2019, was led by EDF Renouvelables with Masdar and Green of Africa. That is the 2019 plan. It differs from Nareva’s current PV listing, so ask Masen which applies to Phase II and III.
• World Bank. The Bank’s record for the Noor-Midelt Solar Power Project lists USD 400 million with the status “Dropped”. That 2019 article said the Bank had provided USD 125 million the year before. Both describe Bank financing, not the plant’s progress.
• Masen’s project pages. Masen’s projects page puts the scope under development at 2,443 MW of solar plus 2,500 MWh of battery storage across all projects. The operational scope developed by Masen is 686 MW of solar.

None of these sources gives Midelt II or III battery specifications, tariffs or an operating date, so this page does not publish them. Tender launch, selection, financial close, construction, energisation and commercial operation are separate milestones. A progress review is none of them.

Noor Atlas: PV for Remote Areas

The European Investment Bank’s PV Noor Atlas record names ONEE as promoter. ONEE is Morocco’s national electricity and drinking water office. The record describes seven PV plants in the east and south of Morocco totalling 240 MW. It calls the project the second phase of ONEE’s PV programme.

The EIB signed EUR 129 million on 13 December 2019 against an approximate total cost of EUR 272 million. So the EIB loan is about 47% of the project cost (129 divided by 272). The record lists site environmental documents through November 2024 for Enjil, Bouanane, Boudnib, Tantan, Tata and Ain Beni Mathar. The June 2026 Masen board review covers progress on Noor Atlas. The release gives no commissioning dates.

Practical Lessons for Solar Project Teams

Use Noor to strengthen a project’s evidence register, not to copy headline specifications into a smaller PV design.

For PV estimates, keep a production assumption register next to the design, and use P50 and P90 energy-yield figures with a stated period and output boundary.

Noor’s plants sell to Masen under long-term power purchase agreements, which are contracts to buy power on agreed terms (25 years for Noor II and III). For how distributed PV is credited, see net metering by country.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Noor Ouarzazate a PV or CSP project?

It includes both. Noor I and II use parabolic-trough CSP, Noor III uses a central tower, and Noor IV uses photovoltaic modules. The CSP phases store heat in molten salt, which is not a battery.

How large is the Noor Ouarzazate complex?

The planned total was 580 MW (World Bank, 2017). The four phase figures add to 582 MW with Noor IV at 72 MW. ACWA Power’s own releases give Noor IV as 72 MW in 2017 and around 70 MW in 2016. Use the phase figures in the table and keep each source’s rating.

How much did Noor cost?

ACWA Power’s releases give about USD 840 million for Noor I (2016). They give about USD 2.0 billion for Noor II and III together (financial close, May 2015). They give USD 220 million for the Noor PV I project that includes Noor IV (2017). The World Bank’s 2017 blog says over USD 2 billion for the whole complex. The figures differ in date and scope, so they are not added together here.

What is the status of Noor Midelt in 2026?

On 10 June 2026 Masen’s board reviewed progress on Noor Midelt and Noor Atlas, according to a ministry release published on 26 July 2026. The release gives no capacity or date. Nareva lists a Midelt 2 and 3 PV park of 800 MW as in development. No source read for this page reports commercial operation.

What is Noor Atlas?

Noor Atlas is a PV programme run by ONEE. The European Investment Bank describes seven PV plants totalling 240 MW. It lists a EUR 129 million EIB loan signed on 13 December 2019, against an approximate total cost of EUR 272 million.

Does Noor show that Morocco has abandoned CSP?

Not on the evidence read. Noor Atlas and the Midelt 2 and 3 listing are PV, but no source read announces a ban on CSP or the retirement of existing plants.