How can it be wrong to develop renewable energy, in a world that is in desperate need for a green transition? In Western Sahara, the problems are numerous.
Saharawis in Bilbao, Spain, demonstrated as a cargo vessel is arriving to pick up more controversial windmill components for occupied Western Sahara.
By 2030, half of Morocco's wind energy production could be generated illegally in occupied Western Sahara. Yet, Morocco presents itself as best-in-class on the energy transition.
The Italian company Enel is one of the firms that have taken the exact same approach as the EU when carrying out ‘stakeholder consultations' in Western Sahara - a procedure now found invalid by the EU Court of Justice.
For the second time in two weeks, windmill products might be exported from Bilbao to occupied Western Sahara.
WSRW has received images of equipment strapped into the hold of a ship that is en route from Bilbao to occupied Western Sahara.
For the third time in a week, Siemens Gamesa is now shipping windmill masts from Spain to occupied Western Sahara.
In a press release of 6 July, Western Sahara's liberation movement “condemns in the strongest possible terms” Siemens Gamesa’s involvement and this week's exports into the occupied territory.
Today, Siemens Gamesa is loading large masts onboard a vessel in Motril, Spain, to be exported to occupied Western Sahara.
19 Members of the EU Parliament today urged the EU to warn the two companies Enel and Siemens about the legal and ethical risk that they run in partnering with Morocco for operations on occupied land.
The 300 MW farm is the first of the two wind farms that Italian company Enel Green Power and Germany's Siemens will build together on occupied land. Construction starts in 2021.
The Italian renewable energy corporation Enel Green Energy evades questions by civil society about its operations on occupied land.
A spokesman for UNFCCC told media that it has requested answer from the organisers of COP22 on why they kicked out the vice-president of the PanAfrican-Parliament.
The vice-president of the Panafrican Parliament, Suelma Beirouk, was to attend COP22, but is now being held by Moroccan police. Morocco has occupied her homeland Western Sahara - and illegally built windmills on it.
Today, refugees from Western Sahara organised a demonstration against the energy companies Siemens and Enel. The two companies refuse to follow UN demands of seeking Saharawi consent as they are building windmills for Morocco on their occupied homeland.
Nareva, the wind company of the King of Morocco, fails to answer questions on human rights by the international Business and Human Rights Center, in a study published yesterday.
At COP22, beware of what you read about Morocco’s renewable energy efforts. An increasing part of the projects take place in the occupied territory of Western Sahara and is used for mineral plunder, new WSRW report documents.
On 10 December 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the EU-Morocco agricultural agreement in so far as it applies to Western Sahara. The entire text of the judgment is now also available in English on the website of the Court.
Danish-German Siemens Wind Power and Italian Enel Green Power have won the tender to construct five wind farms in Morocco. Only, two of planned farms are located outside of Morocco, and inside occupied Western Sahara. WSRW had warned them from taking part in the tender.