“Wärtsilä renews its partnership with ONEE for the maintenance of two power plants in Morocco”, the Finnish multinational Wärtsilä announced in a press release on in June 2024 [or download]. 

But there is a problem: one of the two plants - the one in Dakhla - is not in Morocco at all. It's in occupied Western Sahara. 

Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) and the Finnish Peace Committee wrote to Wärtsilä on 11 December 2024 inquiring about the matter. Instead of answering the organisations' questions regarding the legal nature of operating on the occupied territory, the company responded with highly political - and unusual - arguments. 

Rather than addressing questions based on the rulings of the EU's highest court, the company responds that its team “has reviewed the recent declarations by certain countries and concluded that progress is being made as regards the geopolitical situation.” It also, peculiarly, states that “Dakhla is in a territory fully controlled and administered by Moroccan authorities, far away from any potential conflict zone.” The company does not clarify what it means by “controlled and administered,” nor does it explain the relevance of geopolitical developments - especially considering that the Saharawi people's right to self-determination remains unchanged. 

Both the International and the European Court of Justice have concluded that Morocco has no sovereignty or administering mandate over the territory. Western Sahara is the only non-self-governing territory that does not have an administering power appointed to it. The cease-fire between Morocco and the Frente Polisario, the UN-recognised representative of the people of Western Sahara, was ended by Morocco's manoeuvres in late 2020. Western Sahara considered to be one of the most unfree territories/countries in the world, in terms of civil liberties and political rights.

“We are baffled to read Wärtsilä’s response”, the two associations wrote to Wärtsilä on 22 April 2025. 

“It seems that your company ignores the existence of international law, the existence of the people of Western Sahara and the international court rulings on the matter. Your answer seems to be solely based on your company’s political opinions that the aggressor party in Western Sahara now exercises some sort of legitimacy to operate there, and that it is therefore safe or unproblematic to undertake business in the territory”, the letter reads. 

This is not the first time Wärtsilä has operated in the illegally occupied territory. The company has previously undertaken assignments for the Moroccan government. In both 2010 and 2017, Wärtsilä signed agreements with the Moroccan authorities to establish diesel-powered plants in Western Sahara. In 2010, WSRW and the Finnish Peace Committee contacted the company, which responded that it saw no issues with its involvement.

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