The United States Trade and Development Agency has placed energy, critical minerals, digital infrastructure and transportation at the center of its Morocco portfolio. Regional director Gretchen Krantz-Evans said the agency's grants for projects in the country are approaching $25 million, reflecting a wider effort to prepare investments for private financing.
Energy cooperation includes a Moroccan delegation scheduled to visit the United States in September to study liquefied natural gas production and transport. Morocco expects commercial LNG output from Tendrara this year and is also advancing the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, Nador West Med facilities, renewable electricity and green-hydrogen plans.
USTDA previously supported studies connected with Nador in 2015 and 2018, illustrating its focus on early technical work rather than direct construction finance. Feasibility and engineering grants are intended to reduce uncertainty, shape bankable projects and attract American technology and capital into later stages.
Critical minerals form the second strategic pillar as governments seek alternatives to concentrated global supply chains. Morocco holds an estimated 70 to 75 percent of global phosphate reserves and also has cobalt, copper and nickel, assets that have drawn battery and electric-vehicle investment benefiting from the country's trade access.
The fertilizer relationship has expanded alongside the minerals agenda. A June 29 United States emergency measure temporarily suspended countervailing duties, and a shipment of 54,000 tonnes of Moroccan triple superphosphate was expected in New Orleans during August, strengthening near-term supply for American agriculture.
OCP North America and CHS have separately announced a $450 million fertilizer plant in Waggaman, Louisiana. The facility is designed for annual capacity above one million tonnes and would be the first new American plant of its kind since 1984, potentially reducing import dependence by more than 48 percent.
Washington and Rabat signed a critical-minerals memorandum on February 4, one of 11 such United States arrangements, during a meeting hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attended by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The agreement supplies a policy framework for deeper commercial and technical coordination.
A $5.7 million USTDA grant announced on July 28 will fund early engineering work for ORNX's green-ammonia project near Laayoune, in Western Sahara. Its first phase targets 560,000 tonnes annually within an investment estimated near $4.5 billion, marking a politically notable extension of American federal project support in the southern provinces.
