The Mediterranean Solar Plan is one of six projects of the Union For the Mediterranean (UPM – Union Pour la Méditerranée). The UPM, launched with 43 Member States, by the President of the French Republic under the French Presidency of the European Union on July 13th, 2008, aims at implementing common projects with the countries of the two shores of the Mediterranean. To this end, the UPM wants to foster a new cooperation and development policy in the whole region of the Mediterranean basin. Its presidency will at first be held jointly by the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, and by the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Mediterranean Solar Plan (PSM – Plan Solaire Méditerranéen) is the flagship project of the UPM. Its goals are the development of new energy production capacities using renewable energy, in particular solar technologies, on the southern side of the Mediterranean, in order to satisfy demand at local level and to export part of the production towards Europe, as well as the implementation of major progress in reducing energy demand and increasing energy efficiency in the whole region. The concrete target is the construction, by 2020, of 20 GW of new electricity production capacities using low carbon technologies.

A conference regarding the implementation of the Mediterranean Solar Plan took place on November 22, 2008 in Paris. This conference gathered high level actors interested in a direct involvement in the Mediterranean Solar Plan, these included: policy makers, private operators and industrial companies, potential investors (companies, private and public  funds), financial organizations, specialized agencies and multilateral organizations.

In participating to this conference, Sahara Wind Inc. contributed to highlight the potentialities of this particular framework which will enable over 43 Member States from both sides of the Mediterranean to jointly address the most critical energy and environmental challenges of the 21st Century.

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