Technical assistance for Moroccan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MorSEFF)

Following successful sustainable energy financing programs in Poland and the Western Balkans (PolSEFF and WebSEFF) the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)—in cooperation with the French Agency for Development (AFD), European Investment Bank (EIB), and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) Development Bank—launched the Moroccan Sustainable Financing Facility (MorSEFF), a €110 million financing facility dedicated to investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These funds were on-lent to private sector companies willing to invest in green energy equipment and complemented by EU-funded technical assistance and grants to participating companies.

ACS was a partner to DAI on the facility and provided technical assistance in the implementation of the credit line, specifically assisting the participating financial institutions to on-lend the funds to qualified applicants.

Client: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

  • Duration: 2015-2020

Activities

  • Promoted the MorSEFF product through targeted marketing and communication campaigns;
  • Supported EBRD and its partners in policy dialogue and liaising with relevant public sector entities;
  • Provided technical assistance to potential borrowers through a team of engineers who advise borrowers and estimate projects’ energy efficiency potential;
  • Developed the List of Eligible Equipment and Materials (LEME) and the technical methodology to determine the energy efficiency impact of each equipment category;
  • Prepared Project Assessment Reports (PARs) that illustrate the energy saving potential of final borrowers’ investment projects and advising PFIs on the eligibility of projects for MorSEFF financing;
  • Trained the staff of partner financial institutions in the financing of energy efficiency or renewable energy projects and improved their capacity to identify eligible project opportunities;
  • Worked in cooperation with PFIs’ marketing teams to create appropriate marketing campaigns;
  • Created a website dedicated to the MorSEFF product (www.morseff.com) where potential borrowers can find information on eligibility criteria and how to obtain financing, view MorSEFF financing case studies, and download useful documents;
  • Established an electronic system for tracking, monitoring, and reporting performance indicators such as the total amount of energy saved across the portfolio of funded projects.

Results

  • Supported two financial institutions to on-lend €109.5 million to 260 energy efficiency projects, which resulted in 207,289-megawatt hours of annual energy savings and helped avoid 102,725 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually;
  • Trained 278 credit officers in the financial institutions on energy efficiency financing;
  • Raised awareness of energy efficiency in the small and mid-size business sector by supporting the financial institutions in marketing through industry workshops and events;
  • Spurred development of a local production base for energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.