Morocco sets 2040 end date for coal plants
Bob Burton Coalwire for Global Energy Monitor
Morocco sets 2040 end date for coal plants: In its latest national climate plan, Morocco committed to phase out coal use in the power sector by 2040, subject to adequate international support for the early closure of plants and the “management of contractual commitments”. Morocco’s Nationally Determined Contribution submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change said that without international support, it would provide an “unconditional commitment” to ending the use of coal by the 2040s. Morocco has four coal plants with a combined capacity of 4.1 gigawatts (GW). The 1.39 GW Safi coal plant was commissioned in 2018 and is 50.7 per cent owned by Nareva, a subsidiary of Al Mada, the holding company of King Mohammed VI, with the Japanese trading company Mistui holding a 30 per cent stake. Morocco has also committed to tripling renewable energy capacity to more than 15 GW by 2030, upgrading the grid and adding new storage capacity.
Oct 23, 2025
Morocco sets date for coal phase-out for the first time in climate plan
The 2040 deadline is dependent on external support, but the phase-out will still be achieved unconditionally in the 2040s, according to the country’s updated NDC
Vivian Chime
Africa energy transition reporter
Editing: Helen Popper
Morocco’s new national climate plan aims to halt the use of coal by 2040 alongside a goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030, the first time the country has set a date for phasing out the fossil fuel in a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
Coal is still the biggest source of electricity in the North African country, generating more than 60% of its power in 2023, and while Morocco has made strong commitments in recent years to phase out coal, it had not set a date until now.
“The Kingdom of Morocco has stopped planning for new coal power plants,” Leila Benali, the country’s minister of energy transition and sustainable development, said in a statement, adding that the gradual phase-out of coal power and the rapid scale-up of renewable energy would boost energy security and drive economic growth.
The government said the country will need conditional support of more than $30 billion to support its climate mitigation plans, including the 2040 coal phase-out target. Without external financing, it said the phase-out would take place some time in the 2040s.
Many countries split their NDCs into two parts – one that they can achieve with their own domestic resources and an additional effort that depends on them receiving financial support from the international community. Some NDCs specify the amount of money required to implement the so-called conditional part of their pledges.
Surge in renewables
Morocco’s updated national climate plan aims to drive down greenhouse gas emissions by 53% by 2035, as against business as usual, up from the 45.5% cut by 2030 it had targeted in the previous plan.
That partly reflects progress to rapidly expand renewable energy capacity, with wind and solar supplying nearly 25% of the nation’s electricity in 2024, up from 9% in 2015.
The government said it wants to raise installed renewable energy capacity from the current 5 gigawatts (GW) to over 15 GW by 2030 in line with a COP28 pledge to triple renewables, which Morocco backed. The country’s 2021 NDC had aimed to reach 52% of installed electricity capacity from renewables by 2030.
Is “hard-to-abate” really that hard – or is it a justification for delay?
The new more ambitious goal “confirms [the country’s] leadership efforts in the global energy transition”, said Iskander Erzini Vernoit, co-founder of the Morocco-based think tank Imal Initiative for Climate and Development.
Renewables are rapidly becoming the least-costly alternative in many countries. A recent report by energy think-tank Ember found that renewables overtook coal as the biggest source of electricity generation in the first half of this year, slightly driving down power sector emissions globally.
The clean energy boom has gathered speed in Africa, in particular, with solar panel imports from China jumping 60% in 12 months and providing about 15 GW of electricity capacity to the continent.
Reducing reliance on US coal
Morocco’s plan to end coal use puts it “on a path from a heavy dependence on costly fossil fuel imports to a future powered by home-produced renewable energy”, said Julia Skorupska, head of secretariat at the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA).
Currently, Morocco imports large amounts of thermal coal from the United States. In 2024, African countries imported a record 6.1 millionmetric tons of thermal coal from the US during the first eight months of 2024 – Morocco accounted for half of that.
First carbon credit scheme for early coal plant closures unveiled
Skorupska said the PPCA will help Morocco achieve its new phase-out target, adding that “setting a coal phase-out date is a crucial step that paves the way for cleaner air, good quality jobs, and cheaper energy”.
A PPCA spokesperson told Climate Home News the body will ensure this support by connecting Moroccan policymakers with technical resources tailored to the country’s needs.
Accelerating shift from coal
With international support needed to achieve this goal, Erzini Vernoit said the International Court of Justice ruling on polluting countries’ obligations for damages caused has made it not only expected but mandatory for developed countries to provide the necessary public finance to help realise developing countries’ climate change mitigation ambitions.
This includes providing finance “to ensure a timely phaseout of coal and other fossil fuels, as well as to accelerate deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency and other solutions,” he added.
CCO SETS CONDITIONAL DATE TO PHASE OUT COAL POWER BY 2040
23 OCT, 2025
NEWS, PRESS RELEASES Powering Past Coal Alliance
In its updated Nationally Determined Contribution, Morocco has committed to phase out coal power by 2040, ‘subject to adequate international support’ or in the 2040s unconditionally. This is the first time the nation has committed to a coal phase-out date – a key milestone after joining the Powering Past Coal Alliance in 2023. At the same time, the country also has committed to tripling its renewable energy capacity to over 15 GW by 2030, improving grids, and building out energy storage.
Coal power remains the primary source of electricity in Morocco, however the country’s rapidly expanding renewable energy capacity is beginning to change this. As of 2024 coal accounted for 59.3% of Morocco’s electricity mix, down from 70% in 2022. At the same time, wind and solar supplied nearly 25% of the nation’s electricity in 2024, up from 9% in 2015.
This surge in renewables’ deployment has come after a series of firm commitments made by the Moroccan government. The country first set out its ambition to expand renewables up to 52% of the energy mix by 2030 in its National Energy Strategy in 2009, aimed for 70% renewable power by 2050 in its 2021 NDC, and committed to No New Coal at COP26 the same year. Then in 2023, Morocco joined the PPCA, committing to phase out coal power, aiming to set a specific date in the near future.
These commitments have been accompanied by a range of policy measures including tenders and auctions for large solar and wind projects, boosting investor confidence by creating the one-stop agency, Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Development (MASEN), and a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) financing scheme [1].
Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Kingdom of Morocco, said:
The gradual phase out of coal power, combined with the rapid scale-up of renewable energy, will reinforce our energy security and drive clean economic and social growth. The Kingdom of Morocco has stopped planning for new coal power plants. By employing the right technical and financial levers, as presented at COP28, we are convinced that Morocco can achieve this objective and build a value-creating economy that benefits everyone.
Julia Skorupska, Head of Secretariat, Powering Past Coal Alliance, said:
Morocco is on a path from a heavy dependence on costly fossil fuel imports to a future powered by home-produced renewable energy. Setting a coal phase-out date is a crucial step that paves the way for cleaner air, good quality jobs, and cheaper energy. The PPCA stands ready to help Morocco achieve its new phase-out target and extends this support to any developing economy looking to do the same.
Rachid Ennassiri, Co-Founder and Director, the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development
“The inclusion of a conditional 2040 coal phaseout marks a decisive evolution in Morocco’s climate policy through its progressive NDC 3.0. It transforms what was once an implicit direction into a clear strategic target, signalling intent to manage early plant retirements, contractual reforms, and a just transition backed by accessible international climate finance.”
Morocco’s new coal phase-out commitment comes at a time in which significant progress is being made around the world on the transition from coal power to clean energy. Earlier this month it was confirmed that renewables have generated more of the world’s electricity than coal for the first time and, that solar and wind growth exceeded global demand growth in the first half of 2025. In 2024, additions to the global coal fleet fell to the lowest level in over 20 years. Since 2015, when the Paris Agreement was signed, the coal pipeline has decreased by nearly 65%. In OECD countries, coal generation has halved since 2015 and over 60% of coal capacity in the OECD and EU has either retired since 2010 or is on track to retire on a Paris-aligned timeline. Even in coal-dependent emerging economies, with much younger coal fleets and growing energy demand, real progress is being made. In countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Chile, South Africa and the Dominican Republic, pioneering programmes are demonstrating the early retirement of coal power plants is possible.
The Powering Past Coal Alliance supports the acceleration of coal phase-outs around the world, including by hosting the Coal Transition Commission (CTC) co-chaired by Indonesia and France. The Commission convenes national policymakers, multilateral development banks, private finance, international organisations, and experts to outline the lessons learnt of delivering transitions to date, identify the key obstacles to acceleration, and surface potential solutions. The lessons learnt, emerging solutions and next steps of the CTC are gathered in “Accelerating Coal-to-Clean Energy Transitions: First Report and Recommendations of the Coal Transition Commission”. At COP30, the Commission will release two reports that offer practical pathways to accelerate coal transition while keeping power affordable and reliable.
Additionally, as part of the COP30 Action Agenda, the PPCA has produced a new Solutions Bank that gathers case studies from around the world that identify solutions to the challenges of coal transitions. At COP30, the PPCA will launch a Plan to Accelerate Coal Transitions which will identify concrete actions to accelerate the coal-to-clean transition in the lead up to the next Global Stocktake in 2028.