- New factory manufacturing wind turbine blades
- Creation of more than 700 direct jobs

A Memorandum Of Understanding for the building of a plant manufacturing wind turbine blades in Morocco has been signed today by the Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy, Mr. Moulay Hafid Elalamy, the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, Abdelkader Amara, and the CEO of Siemens Wind Power and Renewables, Markus Tacke.

This project will increase the presence of the German industrial group in Morocco by three folds, as, with an overall investment of 100 million euros, it will create about 1200 new direct and indirect jobs. The construction of the plant should begin in spring 2016, with an expected start of production in spring 2017.

This major project, said Mr. Elalamy, is fully in line with Accelerated Industrial Plan, paving the way for the development of an efficient industrial ecosystem in the renewable energy industry.
“The putting into service of the Siemens factory will operate a true upgrade of the sector as it will supply, for the first time” wind turbine blades “made in Morocco”. We are proud to host one of the most modern and most sophisticated Siemens factories worldwide”, Mr Minister further stated.

More than 85% of the production of the future Siemens plant in Tangier, will be aimed for international markets as it will initially manufacture 63-meter long composite blades. Those parts count amongst the most voluminous currently produced in the world using such a material. Morocco will hence be home of a plant manufacturing most complex and most technical parts.

The production unit is expected to extend over an area of 37 500 square meters in the industrial zone of Tangiers Automotive City, 35 kilometres from the port of Tangier Med. Ideally located between Europe and Africa, the port of Tangier Med offers all required conditions to competitively supply wind turbines markets in Africa, Middle East and Europe.

Siemens already has to their credit several important projects in the field of renewable energy in Morocco, such as Tarfaya wind farm with a capacity of 300 megawatts. The group is present in Morocco since 1956 through its local legal entity, Siemens Maroc.