Photo by Maria Klenner.

Construction Management Services (CMS), a Moroccan engineering and construction company closely connected to the royal business sphere, has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with China XD Electric for electrical equipment destined for a project in Boujdour, Western Sahara.

The agreement comes as Morocco is rapidly expanding the electricity transmission network in the occupied territory, partly to accommodate growing wind-power production around Boujdour, Dakhla and Bir Anzarane. The new infrastructure will help transmit electricity generated in the territory into Morocco's wider electricity grid.

CMS is not a newcomer to the occupied territory. The company has previously worked on Morocco's wind-power infrastructure in Boujdour. Africa Intelligence has described CMS as a favoured contractor of Morocco's royal business network. The company is controlled by Zouhair Fassi Fehri, a former royal steward and former head of Primarios - a subsidiary of Siger, the private holding company that manages the King's personal business interests. CMS has also secured contracts from companies belonging to Al Mada, the broader commercial royal conglomerate controlled by Siger.

China XD itself announced on 30 August that it had signed a strategic cooperation agreement with CMS and a supply contract for 400 kV reactors and 225 kV transformers for a project in Boujdour. Neither the contract value nor the final project owner has been disclosed. The firm has reportedly identified further opportunities in high-voltage electricity infrastructure, pumped-storage power and data centres.

China XD Electric is part of China Electrical Equipment Group, a Chinese state-owned industrial group. China XD describes itself as one of China's major manufacturers of high- and ultra-high-voltage transmission and distribution equipment.

“This is yet another example of how the Moroccan royal business network is becoming directly involved in the economic development of occupied Western Sahara,” says Erik Hagen of Western Sahara Resource Watch. “Infrastructure built to connect and expand energy production in the occupied territory cannot be separated from Morocco's attempt to economically integrate the territory it occupies.”

The involvement of CMS and China XD raises the same fundamental question that WSRW has repeatedly raised with companies operating in Western Sahara: how can companies conduct business in the territory while respecting the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination?

Western Sahara remains a Non-Self-Governing Territory, and Morocco's sovereignty over the territory is not recognised by the United Nations. WSRW considers business activities that support Morocco's integration and exploitation of the occupied territory to be incompatible with the Saharawi people's right to self-determination.

Since you're here....
WSRW’s work is being read and used more than ever. We work totally independently and to a large extent voluntarily. Our work takes time, dedication and diligence. But we do it because we believe it matters – and we hope you do too. We look for more monthly donors to support our work. If you'd like to contribute to our work – 3€, 5€, 8€ monthly… what you can spare – the future of WSRW would be much more secure. You can set up a monthly donation to WSRW quickly here.