Morocco is stepping up the pace of electric mobility. A memorandum of understanding has just been signed between Mohcine Jazouli, the Moroccan Minister Delegate for Investment, Convergence and the Evaluation of Public Policies, and the management of Gotion High-Tech, a digital solutions company based in the eastern Chinese city of Hefei.
It will build a factory to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles in the Bouknadel district of Rabat. At a total cost of 65 billion dirhams (5.9 billion euros), the future facility will have a production capacity of up to 100 GWh/year. According to the Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency (AMDIE), this investment should also lead to the creation of 25,000 jobs.
While Morocco has established itself in recent years as a “leader in the automotive industry in Africa”, Gotion High-Tech will certainly be banking on its mineral resources, particularly low-carbon cobalt, which is very useful in the manufacture of electric batteries. “We look forward to accelerating decarbonisation worldwide through the deployment of our innovative energy solutions,” says Li Zhen, CEO of the company listed on the Chinese Shenzhen stock exchange.
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In Morocco, Gotion High-Tech will have to contend with the presence of a number of automotive firms, including Renault. The French giant, which has been present in the Kingdom since 2012, signed an agreement in June 2022 with the Moroccan group Managem, which specialises in the mining and hydrometallurgy sectors. The aim of the partnership is to deliver 5,000 tonnes of cobalt sulphate to Renault every year between 2025 and 2027. The mineral resource extracted from the Bou Azzer mine in the Ouarzazate region will enable Renault to maximise its production of electric batteries, reaching an annual capacity of 15 GWh.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi