Afourer Pumped Storage Station

The Afourer Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric scheme located in the hills above Afourer of Azilal Province, Morocco. The scheme consists of two power stations with a combined installed capacity of. Construction on the project began in 2001 and was complete in 2004. It was funded by the Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development at a cost of US$220 million.Design and operationWater for the scheme is derived from the Aït Ouarda Dam on the El Abid River at, just downstream of the Bin el Ouidane Dam. Water from the dam is pumped up 600m in elevation via Step 1 to the Upper Afourer Reservoir at which has a capacity of 1260000m3 and lies at an elevation of 1280m above sea level. Step 1's power and pumping station contains 2 x 172.5 MW reversible Francis turbines. From the upper reservoir, water can be released back to Step 1 for power generation or released 800m down in elevation to the Lower Afourer Reservoir at which lies at an elevation of 480m and also has a capacity of 1260000m3. The power station at the lower reservoir, Step 2, contains 2 x reversible Francis turbines From the lower reservoir, water can be pumped back into the upper reservoir or released into a canal near Afourer for use in irrigation.