The civil engineering works to be carried out by VINCI Construction include earthworks for two reservoirs, excavation for the powerhouse to be embedded in the slope, and installation of the penstock pipe over a distance of 3 km, including 1 km underground.

New roads will also be built and several others will be refurbished to provide access to the facilities both during construction and during operation of the future site. The electromechanical equipment, for which Andritz Hydro is responsible, includes two 175 MW Francis turbines specially developed in the company’s laboratory and a high voltage substation.

A total of 840 people will be recruited for the 48-month project, including 780 to be hired locally. A training programme will be set up to ensure worksite safety and quality.

The Abdelmoumen pumped-storage energy solution

The water stored in an uphill tank will be released into a 3-kilometre transfer line (penstock and galleries) and travel on a natural slope to a tank about 550 metres downhill. A 350 MW hydroelectric plant will be built along the penstock between the two reservoirs.

The reversible plant will generate electricity when operating in turbine mode and pump water from the lower to the upper reservoir in pumping mode. The system will thus generate renewable energy on demand. The system can be switched between pumping and turbine mode up to 20 times a day, depending on the amount of surplus electricity available or the needs of the Moroccan electricity grid.

In Morocco, VINCI operates primarily via its subsidiaries Sogea-Satom and VINCI Energies. Sogea-Satom subsidiaries Sogea Maroc and Dumez Maroc have been operating in the country for 90 years.