Morocco's Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (Onee) has tendered the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 300MW El-Menzel pumped-storage hydropower project.

The bid submission deadline is 30 September.

The El-Menzel pumped energy transfer station will be developed in the Sefrou area of Morocco's Fes-Boulemane region. The project is intended to support Morocco's renewable energy programme and contribute to the country's target of sourcing 52% of its energy mix from renewables by 2030.

The project scope comprises upper and lower reservoirs, a 400kV substation and a 44-kilometre (km) transmission line. It also inlcudes the construction of 10km of access roads and associated facilities. The project is estimated to cost $244m.

According to regional project tracker MEED Projects, three consortiums prequalified to bid for the EPC contract last year.

They were:

• China International Water & Electric, Yellow River Engineering Consulting (China), Harbin Electric Machinery (China), Harbin Electric International (China) and Jet Contractors (Morocco)
• Sinohydro (China) and Andritz Hydro (Austria)
• Webuild (Italy) and Dongfang Electric International Corporation (China)

The project is being financed by the African Development Bank and Germany's KfW Development Bank.

Morocco's renewable energy plans received a boost recently, when the World Bank approved $265m in financing for a separate 300MW pumped hydropower storage project in Ifahsa in Chefchaouen Province.

The facility will act as a rechargeable battery for the national electricity grid, storing excess electricity generated from solar and wind projects before releasing it during periods of peak demand.

The Ifahsa and El-Menzel projects are both being developed by Onee as part of a broader energy storage strategy that targets 1GW of new pumped hydropower by 2030.

Onee commissioned the 350MW Abdelmoumen pumped-storage plant in 2024.