Most of the fossils extracted from under the sands in Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia are burned in the European Union, which results in a web of mutual dependency between the two sides of the Mediterranean. Europe currently gets a lot of its energy from across the Mediterranean and that will probably not change in a climate-neutral world. The EU’s plans for post-carbon economy is likely to lock that pattern in and, in fact, the scope of mutual dependence in a zero-emissions world will likely only grow. As the world’s sunniest area, the Sahara and the steady high winds that blow across its sands make North Africa a good place to produce the green hydrogen needed for the bloc to slash its net emissions to zero by 2050, some experts predict.
Morocco is the only North African country with a power cable linking it to the European grid, but by 2025 Libya, Tunisia and Egypt are expected to be plugged in as well. And European countries are ready to tap into North Africa’s geographical conditions and proximity. That conditions for hydrogen production in Africa are ideal is clear also, for example, from a broader German hydrogen strategy that aims to invest €9 billion in boosting production of the clean fuel, €2 billion of which will be used for increasing foreign production, including in Morocco. The German initiative is not the only big renewable energy investment linking Morocco and the EU. The 580-megawatt Noor Ouarzazate plant in central Morocco is the world’s largest concentrated solar power facility that was initially built with the help of Spanish companies and technology, with some of the $2.5 billion in financing coming from Europe.
„Africa presents a sound solution to Europe’s decarbonisation woes, providing a unique answer to the EU’s 2050 zero carbon target,“ writes Hanane Mourchid, OCP Group’s Senior Vice-President, Sustainability Platform, in an opinion piece in The Parliament Magazine. She also reminds that Europe wants to accelerate the world’s green transition by putting in place its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. Besides, Europe plans to subsidize its green industries to allow them to flourish and lower their costs closer to become economically viable. Nevertheless, the additional cost generated by the adjustment mechanism will most likely be transferred overseas, for example to African farmers or smallholders. Therefore, the OCP Group’s Vice-President argues that all stakeholders, from both sides of the Mediterranean would benefit from working together to resolve the carbon neutrality equation. Decarbonisation is the future of Africa and Europe at the same time, under different, but complementary perspectives. Protecting the planet is ultimately everyone’s responsibility.
