The World Bank has approved a USD265mn financing package for the 300 MW Ifahsa pumped hydropower storage project in northern Morocco (World Bank press release 01/07/2026). The USD500mn project is being developed by the National Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE) near Chefchaouen. The project is planned to operate with two 150 MW reversible pump‑turbine units connected to the 400 kV transmission network and could store 1.5 GWh of electricity.
According to the World Bank, the project could enable the integration of around 400 MW of solar and 600 MW of wind capacity, while cutting renewable curtailment by roughly 340 GWh per year compared with a scenario without the plant. The project could replace around 3 TWh/year of electricity currently generated from fossil fuels, avoiding roughly 1.7 MtCO₂/year of emissions.
Ifahsa forms part of ONEE’s wider energy storage programme, which targets 1 GW of new pumped hydro capacity by 2030. The utility commissioned the 350 MW Abdelmoumen plant in 2024 and is currently developing a 362 MW project at El Menzel. In parallel, ONEE plans to expand battery storage, with a target to procure 800 MW/1.6 GWh under its 2026–2030 plan.
Interested in Power Plants?
Enerdata has developed a market research service to screen, monitor and analyse the development of power generation assets.
Power Plant Tracker offers an interactive database and a powerful search engine covering power plants worldwide – including both installed and planned capacities for renewables and fossil fuels.