Abdelkader Amara, Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, affirmed on August 12 that Safi’s new port will have a notable economic impact on the Marrakech-Safi region.

During his visit to check on construction on the port, Amara told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) that Safi’s harbor will contribute to the economic and social development of the Marrakech-Safi region.

Safi’s port is one of five new ports to be built as part of the national port strategy for 2030, which sees the ports as catalysts for the competitiveness of the national economy and drivers of regional development.

The national port strategy was launched by King Mohammed VI in April 2013. It aims to turn Morocco into a major transport hub in the Mediterranean basin.

Amara said that this project seeks to improve the energy and chemical industry in the region through three phases. The first phase seeks to ensure the provision of the new thermal power plant in coal, estimated at 3.5 million tons per year. The aim of this operation is to produce a total energy output of 1320 MW (milliwats).

The second phase aims to double the amount of coal to seven million tons per year to meet the growing needs of the thermal power plant. This will result on the production of a total output of 2640 MW by 2020.

The third phase of the project intends to meet the needs of the Office Chérifien des Phosphate (OCP), estimated at 15 million tones.

The minister pointed out that “difficulties in structuring these kinds of projects are very normal,” but that “through meetings with experts and the parties involved, we will find solutions to these difficulties.”

M’Hamed Oubouisk, engineer in charge of the quality and safety services of the Safi port, said that the overall progress of the construction works has reached 75 percent at the end of July 2017.

source:MoroccoWorldNews