After the decision to abandon Russian hydrocarbons because of the war in Ukraine, the British Isles are interested in the energy advantages offered by the Alawite kingdom

Marruecos podría abastecer con energía a Reino Unido y evitarle la dependencia de Rusia

photo_camera REUTERS/YOUSSEF BOUDLAL - Molinos de viento generadores en Jbel Sendouq, en las afueras de Tánger, Marruecos

The Ukrainian conflict is having a major impact on the world's economies. Russia is one of the main suppliers of gas and oil and many powers have already positioned themselves in favour of stopping using these resources in support of Ukraine. One of them is the UK, which has already announced that it is going to do without Russian hydrocarbons by the end of 2022 and is already looking for solutions. One of them would be to start collaborating with Morocco, as its renewable energy industry is currently booming.

The UK has announced the decision through its Minister for Enterprise and Energy, Kwasi Kwarteng. He tweeted the country's decision to halt imports of crude oil and petroleum products. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also spoke out on the issue and announced that a new strategy is being adopted to combat the energy crisis.

 El Secretario de Energía británico, Kwasi Kwarteng, asiste a la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático (COP26), en Glasgow, Escocia, Gran Bretaña, el 4 de noviembre de 2021 REUTERS/PHIL  NOBLE

"It is time to do without Putin's hydrocarbons. We can do it. It's going to be hard, but it will be worth it," Johnson commented on Twitter. He added that the problem can be tackled by using renewable energy. "We need to work with partners around the world to help stabilise world energy markets, invest heavily in renewable technologies and protect UK consumers, that's how we can resist Putin's blackmail," the prime minister continued.

The truth is that the UK has not yet confirmed what its new strategy will be. According to Ali Seddiki, an executive at the Moroccan Agency for Investment and Export Development (AMDIE), Morocco could be one of the solutions to this dilemma. "As a renewable energy giant, Morocco has a huge potential to supply its renewable resources to the UK," he told the British online newspaper Express. 

Parque Solar Noor a unos 10 kilómetros al noreste de la ciudad de Ouarzazate, en el sur del valle del Draa, en la región de Tafilalet AFP PHOTO / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies

The UK is a very good bet for investment. Morocco is one of the countries that is developing renewable energy with bets that are good news for the fight against climate change. Thanks to the country's climate and its hours of sunshine, such as gusts of wind, the various governments have taken advantage of these resources to install different areas of solar and wind energy, which are mixed with the national energy mix and cause less carbon emissions.

In addition, Morocco has been committed to green energy for years and has demonstrated this with various plans. Since 2009, the North African nation has improved the energy efficiency of the territory and has integrated this type of energy in a very good way. One of the projects that is having the greatest effect is the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (ENDE), which will prioritise the use of renewable sources for 52% of the energy mix by 2030. At the moment, it is one of the plans that is having the most positive effects.

Antorcha de gas se ve junto a la señal de la compañía Lukoil en la plataforma petrolera Filanovskogo en el Mar Caspio, Rusia REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV

Seddiki also said that the two countries have already been building agreements for some time to further develop this sector, which could benefit both sides greatly in the future. "The partnership with the UK on renewable resources started years ago. We worked on joint programmes to prepare for COP26 and saw how British companies could invest," he told the British press.

The war in Ukraine is having negative consequences globally and the blockade on Russia, plus various restrictions, are causing Putin to begin a tug of war with Western powers. The country is one of the biggest exporters of oil and gas in the world, and as a result of the lack of international support for its cause, barrel prices are rising. In the case of the UK, it uses more than 5% of Russian oil.

Many nations are being severely affected by this decision, but Russia continues to stand its ground and Alexander Novak, Russia's deputy prime minister, has already announced that "the world market will collapse without Russian hydrocarbons". "Russia is the largest supplier of energy resources to the world market, Russian energy exports make up about 20% of world trade," Novak reminded the Duma. He went on to say that the more Russian hydrocarbons continue to be foregone, the more prices will rise.

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