One of MENA’s quieter wind moves this month measures 40 megawatts, and I think it may be the smartest one in the region.
ACWA Power has secured a permit to lift its Khalladi wind plant in northern Morocco from 120 to 160 megawatts, an investment of about MAD 550 million (roughly $60 million), expected to be completed within two years to help meet growing industrial demand. Khalladi has run since 2018. Expanding an operating site means the grid link, the wind data and the access roads already exist. My read is that these are among the cheapest megawatts Morocco can build right now.
The permit adds to a bigger Moroccan book for ACWA: AGBI, citing Asharq Business, puts its investments in the country at $3 billion, and the company also plans to enter desalination there. I read this as a playbook: expand what already works before reaching for the next greenfield. Small moves, stacked, can beat one big leap that stalls at financial close.
When the 2027 additions are tallied, will Morocco’s quiet compounding outpace the region’s gigawatt flagships?
