In less than two years, Morocco has outlined the framework of a next-generation industrial sector. Driven by the major shifts in global mobility, the Kingdom is betting on establishing itself in the electric battery value chain—a strategic link in the energy transition. After a wave of announcements, the time has come for tangible results, with two key projects nearing completion.
On one side, Cobco—a Moroccan-Chinese joint venture between Al Mada and CNGR—aims to deploy a full ecosystem in Jorf Lasfar dedicated to the production of battery components. On the other, Chinese giant BTR New Material Group is building two specialized units in Tangier focused on anodes and cathodes, critical elements of electrochemical storage.
First deliveries
“What we’ve accomplished this year is only the beginning, but it lays the foundation”
The first deliveries have begun. In this month of May 2025, Cobco’s battery precursor production line is finally moving from concept to reality. Less than two years after construction began, the plant is officially coming online. This was confirmed by Zineb Zeryouhi, Deputy General Director of the project, during her speech at the International Chemistry Forum on Wednesday, May 21, in Rabat.
« What we’ve accomplished this year is only the beginning, but it lays the foundation, » she said, announcing the gradual commissioning of the plant, with 40,000 tons of NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) precursors already delivered to clients during the month of May. These materials, essential for producing cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, mark the site’s first commercial output.
Next step: LFP
The site, which spans 200 hectares near the OCP complex, is ultimately set to host three complementary industrial units. This includes a second unit dedicated to LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cathodes—scheduled to launch in the coming months, as announced by the project’s Deputy General Director—and a third unit for recycling black mass, the metal-rich material recovered from used batteries.
The plant’s ramp-up is already accompanied by commercial breakthroughs. In 2025, Cobco signed its first strategic supply contract with Belgian group Umicore. Deliveries under this agreement are expected to begin in January 2026, Zineb Zeryouhi announced, further integrating Morocco into European supply chains.
Ultimately, the project aims to cover 25% of the Western market outside China, with a combined annual capacity of 70 GWh—enough to power up to one million electric vehicles.
BTR: Commissioning in 2026
Five hundred kilometers north of Jorf Lasfar, another industrial hub is taking shape. Chinese giant BTR New Material Group is developing two industrial units within the Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City, focused on battery materials, with an investment exceeding 6.9 billion dirhams and an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons of cathodes and 60,000 tons of anodes—key components in electrochemical storage.
According to Pingzhou Yang, the group’s president, the two factories—whose construction is “progressing on schedule”—will be operational by the second quarter of 2026. They are expected to supply around 500,000 electric vehicles per year, generate estimated revenues of $1.18 billion, and create over 2,500 jobs.
This project, the first of its kind to receive an investment agreement in Morocco’s battery sector, was officially launched during a ceremony presided over by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch on March 29, 2024. It represents both the Kingdom’s industrial rise and the strengthening of its strategic partnership with China in high-tech sectors.
By choosing Tangier Tech, BTR is leveraging a rapidly developing industrial ecosystem, world-class logistics infrastructure, and a prime geographic location at the crossroads of European and African markets. For Morocco, it marks a critical step toward building a complete, integrated, and export-oriented battery industry.
The tip of the iceberg
The Cobco and BTR projects are just the tip of the iceberg: an entire battery industry is taking shape, fueled by a wave of international investment in active materials. Since the official launch of the Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City in February 2023, no fewer than fourteen manufacturers have confirmed their presence at the site—twelve of them Chinese.
Among the most advanced projects is that of Zhongke Shinzoom, a specialist in anodes for lithium-ion batteries, which plans to invest 4.6 billion dirhams in a 20-hectare plant expected to create 2,000 jobs. The company, which already supplies industry giants like BYD and CATL, is set to begin production by the end of 2025. Alongside it, the Hailiang Group—a global leader in copper components for the automotive industry—is investing 4.5 billion dirhams in a 30-hectare facility, expected to create 1,800 jobs. These two players help complete the electrode material value chain, further strengthening the industrial coherence of the hub.
The challenge now is to deliver on the promise. While ambitions are high and projects well underway, the sector’s consolidation will depend on the ability to build talent pipelines, secure supplies of strategic raw materials, and become firmly embedded in global value chains. By betting on green industrialization and technological advancement, Morocco is aligning itself with a global movement in which the electrification of mobility is reshaping economic power dynamics.
Written in French by Safae Hadri, edited in English by Eric Nielson
