Moroccan renewables agency Masen took centre stage at COP 22 last week, in a ceremony to award a contract to develop 170MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity at three sites to Saudi private firm Acwa Power partnered by China’s Chint Group and Indian firms Sterling & Wilson and Shapoorji Pallonji.

The closing statement of COP 22, where global leaders gathered to adopt a climate change convention agreed in Paris last year (MEES, 25 November), speaks of “extraordinary momentum on climate change worldwide.” Mena governments have been part of that surge, with a flurry of major solar projects taking shape – although their motivation is reducing fuel imports or demand for overstretched gas resources. (CONTINUED - 788 WORDS)