The solar plant is based in the Sahara Desert and once completed, will be the largest on the planet. The event was presided over by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, and brought together political representatives and executives from the constructor companies involved in the project, with members of SENER, Acciona and TSK in attendance.

Although only the first phase of the solar plant has been completed, the structure is already visible from space. An estimated $3.9 billion was invested in this $9 billion project from a range of organisations including the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank and Climate Investment Funds.

Morocco plans to source nearly half of its total energy from a mix of solar, wind and hydropower by 2020. The complete solar plant is expected to have a total installed capacity of more than 500 MW, ultimately supplying power to 1.1 million Moroccans by 2018.

The remaining two stages of the project are expected to be completed by 2017.