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Follow on Google News | MASEN to reveal the winners of the first phase of the tender for the Quarzazate ProjectMASEN’s tender processes near completion- decision imminent and rumours on the next phases
By: Michael Chaplin With the technical aspects of the bids having now been analysed, MASEN are in the process of closely scrutinising the financial criteria with an announcement expected towards the end of May. On 22 May, MASEN President, Mustapha Bakkoury and the MASEN board will lead the proceedings at the annual Solar Maghreb meeting held in Casablanca where many expect further details of the bids to be revealed. They will be joined by representatives from the remaining consortia of bidders as well as those keenly awaiting the details of the next tendering processes. Whilst the details of next phases have yet to be publically announced, MASEN have indicated that it is likely to be CSP that will feature most prominently again which comes as a welcome sign to the sector that has been struggling to compete with PV in other more established markets. How PV and CSP will play out in North Africa is the subject of a lot of debate and lobbying by the solar industry who see the market as a big opportunity for large scale solar deployment following the reduction of tariffs across Europe. On the issue, we recently spoke to Kevin Sara of Nur Energie (a company active in both technologies who will join the meeting in Casablanca) who are currently developing the 2GW TuNur project in Tunisia. TuNur, a CSP project, has been gaining a lot of interest recently with many of the technical and environmental studies now completed and last month project leaders including Mr. Sara meeting with Tunisian interim President, Mohamed Moncef Marzouki and other government officials. On the subject of why CSP had been chosen Kevin cited two major reasons. “Firstly, it can create more local economic impact for the country it is used in, as a higher percentage of the value-add from the projects can be created locally. And secondly, CSP technology can be combined with thermal storage, which allows for longer and more predictable operating hours than PV. This is crucial for electricity export, where new cable lines have to be amortized as quickly as possible by having utilisation rates” Yet PV companies are still pushing forward in the region with heavy hitters such as First Solar, SunPower, Yingli and Canadian Solar all joining MASEN and government officials from across North Africa in Casablanca next month. Similarly the CPV industry are eying up the market. With CPV arrays operating best in clear, sunny conditions companies such as Amonix and Abengoa (currently better known for their CSP projects) are also starting to explore development opportunities in the Maghreb. Keen to get the decision right for the economy as well as power needs, the governments of North Africa are looking at lessons learned from the more established solar markets and will host roundtable working groups to open dialogue with stakeholders in the different sectors. More information on the forthcoming conference and the discussions to be held there is available at www.greenpowerconferences.com/ Note to Editors Green Power Conferences are pleased to welcome journalists to attend the Solar Maghreb 2012 Congress free of charge. To request a press pass please email michael.chaplin@ About Green Power Conferences Green Power Conferences is the market leader in renewable energy conferences. Since 2003, over 15,000 delegates have attended more than 300 conferences, exhibitions, workshops and training courses providing strategic business intelligence to the renewable energy and sustainability industries. Green Power’s expertise lies in producing high quality, interactive events that provide ample networking opportunities for delegates, sponsors and partners. More information and a full list of current conferences is available at: www.greenpowerconferences.com. -more- Media Contacts Michael Chaplin Marketing Executive Green Power Conferences – Solar Maghreb michael.chaplin@ End
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