Climate Resilient Water Resources Management: Office National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau Potable
Climate Resilient Water Resources Management: Office National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau Potable
Structural reorientation of Morocco's national water production base from rainfall-dependent conventional supply to climate-independent non-conventional supply — driven by absolute water scarcity below 620 cubic metres per capita per year and the empirical failure of Morocco's 120+ large dams during the 2019-2022 drought cycle — delivered through ONEE's Equipment Plan 2025-2030 within the National Water Plan 2020-2050 framework.
This report assesses how ONEE is being repositioned at the centre of Morocco's shift from conventional surface water dependence toward a diversified, climate-resilient national water resources portfolio.
Target Audience
- Utility Executives & System Operators: Understand how the Equipment Plan 2025-2030 reshapes national water production architecture.
- Regulators & Policymakers: Examine how Law 83.21 changes governance accountability across regional service delivery.
- Infrastructure Investors & Financiers: Assess how the 220 billion MAD Equipment Plan concentrates climate infrastructure risk.
Report Deliverables
- Strategic System Analysis: Provides analysis of Morocco's transition from rainfall-dependent supply toward climate-independent production.
- Portfolio Intelligence: Delivers insight into desalination, reuse, aquifer recharge, transfers, and network efficiency priorities.
- Capital Programme Evaluation: Enables evaluation of long-term financing requirements across national and utility investment programmes.
- Governance Risk Assessment: Provides assessment of institutional restructuring, basin agency capacity, and regional service coordination.
- Operational Decision Frameworks: Delivers frameworks for comparing resilience, performance, and investment implications across ONEE's water portfolio.
The Five Strategic Pillars
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Architectures: Climate-Driven Water Scarcity and Infrastructure Failure
Assesses how Morocco's freshwater scarcity, dam fill collapse, and groundwater overexploitation create the physical basis for ONEE's resilience-led water resources strategy.
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Enablement: Non-Conventional Water Resources Portfolio
Examines desalination, treated wastewater reuse, artificial groundwater recharge, inter-basin transfer, and non-revenue water reduction as an integrated adaptation portfolio.
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Resolution: Multi-Creditor IFI Financing Architecture
Evaluates the World Bank, European Investment Bank, African Development Bank, bilateral finance, and domestic securitisation signals supporting Morocco's water investment programme.
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Alignment: Adaptation Governance and Institutional Restructuring
Analyses Water Law 36-15, Law 83.21, Hydraulic Basin Agencies, and Sociétés Régionales Multiservices as the governance architecture for climate adaptation delivery.
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Capability Building: Energy-Water Integration and Renewable Desalination
Explores how ONEE's dual electricity-water mandate can support renewable-powered desalination and reduce long-run exposure to energy procurement risk.
Operational Excellence & Resilience
Office National de l'Électricité et de l'Eau Potable operates an integrated water network supported by national production, bulk supply, and electricity-water coordination. Performance is achieved through the Equipment Plan 2025-2030 and the National Water Plan 2020-2050. This is further supported by Law 83.21, Water Law 36-15, and results-based financing under the World Bank Program-for-Results. Key performance is reflected in approximately 37 million people served through 5.3 million water connections. This is reinforced by a national non-revenue water target of 20% by 2030.
National Water Plan 2020-2050 total investment envelope, with PNAEPI 2020-2027 at 143 billion MAD and ONEE's Equipment Plan 2025-2030 committing 220 billion MAD across electricity and water sectors.
About the Author
Expert Briefing: FAQs
ONEE is the national delivery institution for Morocco's shift toward climate-resilient water production. This is supported by approximately 37 million people served through 5.3 million water connections. This is delivered through the Equipment Plan 2025-2030 and the National Water Plan 2020-2050.
The report focuses on Morocco's move from rainfall-dependent conventional supply to climate-independent non-conventional water resources. This is supported by 80% of new planned water production capacity coming from seawater desalination. This is delivered through ONEE's Equipment Plan 2025-2030.
Governance reform shifts ONEE toward national production and bulk supply while regional entities assume distribution responsibilities. This is supported by 12 Sociétés Régionales Multiservices created under Law 83.21. This is delivered through the February 2024 implementing decrees.
The financing architecture shows how Morocco is converting climate exposure into a structured capital programme. This is supported by US$573 million in World Bank Program-for-Results financing over 2023-2028. This is delivered through results-based conditions tied to savings, reuse volumes, and reporting compliance.
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