Statement on the latest political developments in North Africa and the Middle East
We are following the developments in North Africa closely because they might have consequences for the short-and medium-term work of Dii. No one can predict today how the political systems will develop in this region and when stable living conditions (from the perspective of the people) will be achieved.
Nevertheless we believe that Dii’s mission to enable the long-term development of renewable energies for the local population and for export to Europe will not become less important in any scenario. On the contrary: By the year 2050 the population of North Africa will grow strongly. Accordingly, there will not only be a growing energy demand, but also an urgent need for jobs and economic prospects for the young generation. It is now even more important to point at these elements of our Desertec vision that go beyond the issue of clean energy supply.
We need a North-South Pact for Europe and North Africa. We, Dii and our industry partners are willing to work with governments in North Africa and Europe to implement such plans efficiently in the field of renewable energies.
Desertec is also about the development of new industries in MENA, about investments, the creation of jobs and the transfer of knowledge and know-how. Not only for the region but also for Europe stability, employment and energy security are of great importance. The situation in North Africa will have in many respects, short or long term great implications for Europe. It is therefore very useful to establish a new energy and industrial partnership with the countries south of the Mediterranean in order to jointly shape the future.
The aim of Dii is the creation of a political, regulatory and economic framework to enable investments in renewable energy in North Africa and the Middle East including interconnected power grids.
An important component of this project is to get a first reference project in Morocco and other reference projects in other North African countries on their way. Given the current political changes the planning of these first plants may be delayed. We have a long-term perspective because we will develop a roll-out plan until the year 2050, which will be independent of the prevailing political conditions.
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