Casablanca is moving ahead with a major waste-to-energy project aimed at tackling two infrastructure pressures at once: rising municipal waste volumes and demand for dependable electricity generation.

The planned facility, to be built northwest of the Mediouna landfill in the Casablanca-Settat region, is designed to process about 1.5 million tons of non-recyclable waste annually and generate 126 MW of baseload electricity.

The project is being developed under a 33.5-year concession between the Municipality of Casablanca and a consortium comprising Nareva, Kanadevia Inova and Itochu Corporation.

Engineering, procurement and construction responsibilities have now been awarded to BUTEC in partnership with Kanadevia Inova, with the work split between specialist process technology and wider site infrastructure.

Casablanca waste-to-energy EPC scope takes shape

Kanadevia Inova will lead the process-related section of the EPC package, supplying the core waste-to-energy technology required to convert municipal waste into electricity. Its role will also extend into operations support, long-term maintenance and project-related financing.

BUTEC will take responsibility for civil engineering and the construction of non-process buildings and supporting infrastructure. Its scope covers structural and architectural works as well as mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems across the development.

The division of work reflects the complexity of large-scale waste-to-energy facilities, which combine conventional civil construction with combustion, emissions-control and energy-recovery systems.

The award also gives BUTEC another large waste-to-energy assignment in markets where it operates, while expanding its construction activity in Morocco through a project that relies on both local delivery capability and specialist international technology.

Execution will be closely watched given the scale and operating life of the facility. Waste-to-energy plants require consistent feedstock, reliable pollution-control systems and long-term maintenance if they are to perform as intended over several decades.

Waste disposal and baseload power converge in Casablanca

For Casablanca, the bigger issue is how the project fits into the region’s long-term waste and energy strategy.

Greater Casablanca has a population of more than 4.2 million, putting sustained pressure on landfill capacity and municipal waste infrastructure. Diverting non-recyclable material from landfill could reduce that burden while creating an additional source of electricity.

Unlike solar and wind generation, waste-to-energy facilities can provide relatively continuous output when sufficient waste is available, giving the Casablanca plant a potential role in baseload generation.

The project developers estimate that processing the waste could avoid up to one ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions for every ton treated. Actual emissions performance, however, will depend on factors including the composition of the waste stream, plant efficiency, pollution controls and the disposal methods that the facility replaces.

Waste-to-energy also presents a policy balancing act. Large incineration projects need sufficient volumes of waste over long operating periods, while circular-economy policies generally aim to prioritize waste prevention, reuse and recycling before energy recovery.

Maintaining that balance will be important if Casablanca is to reduce landfill dependence without creating incentives that compete with higher-value recycling and waste-reduction programs.

If delivered to its planned capacity, the facility would represent a significant addition to Casablanca’s waste-management infrastructure, with the ability to process 1.5 million tons annually while adding 126 MW of generation. Its longer-term impact will depend less on headline capacity than on operational performance, emissions management and its integration with Morocco’s broader waste and energy policies.