Rabat - The Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN), the Paris-Saclay Technology Transfer Acceleration Company (SATT Paris-Saclay), and the French Development Agency (AFD) have entered into a tripartite agreement to support Franco-Moroccan applied research projects in the field of decarbonized hydrogen.

Signed on July 4 in Rabat, the agreement includes the launch, in the fourth quarter of 2024, of an innovative project call dedicated to the decarbonized hydrogen sector, said AFD in a press release.

The partnership is supported by a €800,000 grant from AFD and the French Treasury. The funding aims to foster a decarbonized and sustainable economy in Morocco and position it as a key player in this future-oriented industry, according to the statement.

The agreement, which was announced during the visit of Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy and Finance to Morocco in April, underlines Morocco’s importance as a strategic partner for France, Europe, and Africa in tackling the challenges of energy transition and economic decarbonization, added the statement.

It noted that the initiative is part of a broader bilateral cooperation aimed at supporting Morocco’s strategy in energy transition and developing innovative technological solutions to global climate challenges. 

The project call will select and support innovative initiatives over a three-year period, led by French-Moroccan teams.

Meanwhile, IRESEN will manage the administrative and technical aspects of the project call. It will provide financial and technological support to selected projects, and access to expertise and shared infrastructure, including the dedicated Green H2A R&D platform.

The signing ceremony saw the presence of French Ambassador to Morocco Christophe Lecourtier, who stressed that the agreement “will foster new French-Moroccan partnerships among research centers, universities, and industrial actors in this strategic field of decarbonized hydrogen.”

Meanwhile, AFD Director in Morocco Quiterie Pincent stressed the need to promote a low-carbon economy in the wake of current climate change challenges. He added that “developing research on the green hydrogen value chain contributes to this transition and offers another opportunity to support the Kingdom’s ambitions.”

Samir Rachidi, General Director of IRESEN, declared, “Through this applied research project call, we aim to bring forth decarbonized hydrogen technologies and transform them into marketable industrial products, thus reinforcing our contribution to industry development.”

For his part, Xavier Apolinarski, President of SATT Paris-Saclay, said that his company, in partnership with IRESEN teams managing the project call, is set to “assess the commercialization potential of proposed applied research projects, valorize results from selected projects, and successfully transfer technologies to the market.”