MENALINKS advances strategic priorities for flexibility and urban smart grids in Morocco
Between 13 and 15 May 2025, representatives of the MENALINKS consortium convened in Rabat and Casablanca for a series of strategic co-creation sessions with key Moroccan stakeholders. The meetings focused identifying concrete needs of the stakeholders within the Focus Area of urban smart grids and demand aggregation.
Participants included officials from the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (MTEDD), the Ministry of Interior, the Sociétés Régionales Multiservices (SRM) Marrakech–Safi and SRM Casablanca–Settat, the Office National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE), and the regulator Autorité Nationale de Régulation de l'Électricité (ANRE).
Responding to Morocco’s energy transition needs
MENALINKS explores flexibility solutions in Morocco’s evolving energy landscape with a focus on demand-side management and urban flexibility. These topics have been identified as strategic priorities to support the country’s ambitious energy transition. Morocco is currently undergoing a major restructuring of its energy sector. This includes the evolving responsibilities of ONEE, the creation of publicly owned regional energy companies (SRMs), and the expanded mandate of the energy regulator ANRE. These developments provide a fertile basis for cooperation on flexibility and innovation.
The MENALINKS kick-off phase included co-creation workshops with key stakeholders, laying the groundwork for a collaborative workplan. The discussions addressed the integration of renewables, the role of smart grids, and the potential of flexibility solutions to manage peak demand and balance the electricity system. The MENALINKS programme aims to support Moroccan partners in defining a roadmap for flexibility, aligned with national priorities, focusing in particular on the potential of flexibility in medium and low voltage urban areas.
Based on these discussions, stakeholders identified several priority activities:
Quantifying flexibility potential across sectors.
Conducting a technical and economic feasibility assessment on hotel sector flexibility.
Benchmarking international best practices for equitable benefit-sharing of flexibility.
Developing a methodological guide and conducting an initial industrial flexibility assessment.
Organizing regional exchanges and technical training sessions
The co-creation sessions in Rabat and Casablanca laid a strong foundation for MENALINKS’ implementation phase in Morocco. Building on existing flexibility levers in the country and in response to the short-term challenges and priority needs expressed by key stakeholders, the MENALINKS programme developed a targeted and tailored work plan. This plan will guide the next phase of collaboration, ensuring that future activities remain aligned with the focus area selected by the MTEDD while also responding to the specific needs raised by Moroccan stakeholders.