On the 3rd of July 2012, the German Minister of Economics and Technology, Philipp Rösler, and the Moroccan Minister for Energy, Mines, Water and the Environment, Fouad Douiri, initiated a bilateral energy partnership agreement. This agreement focuses on renewable energy development and underlines how important the political support of Desertec is for both countries.

Paul van Son, Managing Director of Dii: „The German-Moroccan energy partnership is an important milestone for Desertec. Both countries have made immense progress in the field of renewable energy development and wish to create a supporting political framework for the first Desertec reference projects in Morocco. Germany and Morocco contribute considerably to the creation of a market for renewable energy and are laying the foundation for a power supply which spans the Mediterranean and which will benefit all.

Dii is currently initiating reference projects in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia amounting to 2.5 gigawatts of installed capacity. Presently, Morocco accounts for 500 megawatts (MW). Half of this project has already been specified with 150 MW solar thermal energy and 100 MW photovoltaic and wind energy. Power will first be produced by these plants in 2014. The current plans for Algeria and Tunisia involve 1 gigawatt per country. National strategies developed by Dii, in close cooperation with local partners and stakeholders, form the foundation for all Dii reference projects.