How can energy modelling help turn Morocco’s clean energy ambitions into practical policy choices? This question was at the centre of the EMERGE Policy Lab held at Mohammed First University in Oujda on 24 June 2026.

The workshop brought together policymakers, researchers, utilities, industry representatives and international organisations to examine Morocco’s energy transition priorities and discuss how evidence generated through EMERGE can support future policy and investment decisions.

Morocco is one of the EMERGE pilot regions and provides an important setting for testing integrated approaches to energy planning. Within the project, stakeholders are exploring future scenarios involving renewable energy deployment, green hydrogen, electric mobility and energy sovereignty, with the aim of identifying robust policy and investment options adapted to national and regional priorities.

Bringing modelling into the policy conversation

During the Policy Lab, participants explored the latest development of the EMERGE Toolbox and its application to the Moroccan energy system.

The discussion looked beyond individual technologies to consider how modelling can support strategic planning across technical, economic, environmental and social dimensions.

The workshop also connected this modelling work with Morocco’s current energy policy context. Discussions focused on national energy transition priorities, challenges and ongoing reforms, followed by stakeholder exchanges on plausible scenarios for accelerating the transition.

Testing priorities with stakeholders

Rather than treating policy recommendations as a finished result, the Policy Lab used stakeholder participation to test and strengthen them.

Interactive sessions invited participants to assess possible energy transition scenarios and identify recommendations that could reinforce public policies in Morocco. Live validation exercises provided an additional opportunity to compare perspectives and capture feedback directly from participants.

This participatory approach is central to EMERGE. The project combines energy system modelling with stakeholder knowledge so that recommendations are not developed only from technical results, but also reflect the realities, priorities and constraints of the regions where they could ultimately be applied.

From modelling results to a locally grounded transition

The Morocco Policy Lab contributes to the broader EMERGE objective of translating scientific knowledge into practical support for decision-makers.

The discussions in Oujda will help refine both the project’s modelling work and the policy recommendations emerging from it, while contributing to a more participatory approach to energy planning grounded in local realities.

By connecting analytical tools with stakeholder experience, the Policy Lab demonstrated how modelling can become more than a research exercise: a way to explore choices, test priorities and support evidence-based decisions for the clean energy transition.