Kingdom of Morocco

Heightening of Mohamed V Dam
Loan No: 664 Interest Rate: 2.5 %
Beneficiary: Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water Grace Period: 6 years
Project Cost: KD 41.4 million Maturity: 30 years
Amount of Loan: KD 30.0 million Repayment: 49 semi-annual installments
Date of Board Approval: 2019-08-09 First Installment: 6 years following the first disbursement
Date of Loan Agreement: 2019-06-19 Date of Loan Effectiveness: 2029-02-11

Objectives:

The project aims at improving the regulation of Wadi Moulouya’s water through the heightening of Mohamed V dam to compensate for the decrease in the storage capacity of the dam due to the accumulation of sediment in its reservoir, and to provide additional quantities of water to meet the demand for water in the project region. The additional water provided by the project will allow for the intensification of agricultural production in the lands equipped for irrigation from the existing dam, meeting the demand for drinking water, as well as the generation of additional electricity from the dam’s existing hydroelectric power station. The project will also contribute to the protection of the land downstream of the dam in Wadi Moulouya basin from the risk of flooding.

Description:

The project, which is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2024, consists of the works related to the heightening of Mohamed V dam, and the technical services to review and complete the studies and designs of the project, in addition to the land expropriation and implementation management.

The project consists of the following components:

  1. Dam Heightening:The existing dam is a concrete dam, with a height of approximately 63 m above the foundation level, a crest width of about 6 m and length of about 310 m. The designed storage capacity of the dam, which was approximately 730 million m3, decreased to about 240 million m3due to the accumulation of sediment in the dam’s reservoir. The dam includes a reinforced concrete spillway with a discharge capacity of about 6000 m3/s, a bottom outlet, a water intake and a hydroelectric power station with an installed capacity of about 23 MW. The heightening project includes all civil and hydromechanical works to increase the storage capacity of the dam from about 240 million m3to 950 million m3. The heightening works include raising the dam crest by about 10 m through the construction of a concrete gravity wall with a width of about 6 m, increasing the base width and thickness of the downstream slope of the dam at the foundation level by approximately 11 m, in addition to raising the spillway ogee by 8 m. The works also include the replacement of the water control gates and rehabilitation of the hydromechanical equipment of the dam’s appurtenant structures in the spillway, bottom outlet and water intake.
  2. Technical Services:This includes the consultancy services required to review and complete the studies and designs of the project, and construction supervision.
  3. Land Expropriation:This includes the acquisition of land and rights required for the construction and operation of the project.
  4. Implementation Management:This includes the project management, follow-up and monitoring of the construction works.

Financing:

The Arab Fund’s loan covers about 72% of the total project cost. The Moroccan Government will cover the remaining cost of the project and any additional cost that may arise.