Applied Chemical Engineering

Inclusive energy governance in Morocco: Strategic stakeholder dynamics in the advanced metering infrastructure project

Nissrine Majit

Laboratory of Mediation, Information, Knowledge and Society- MIKS: School of Information Sciences, Avenue AllalAl Fassi, Madinat AL Irfane, BP 6204, Rabat Institute, Morocco

Naila Amrous

Laboratory of Mediation, Information, Knowledge and Society- MIKS: School of Information Sciences, Avenue AllalAl Fassi, Madinat AL Irfane, BP 6204, Rabat Institute, Morocco

Jamal Mabrouki

Laboratory of Spectroscopy, Molecular Modeling, Materials, Nanomaterials, Water and Environment, (CERNE2D), Mohammed V University in Rabat, Faculty of Science, AV Ibn Battouta, BP1014, Agdal, Rabat, Morocco

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i2.5939

Keywords: energy governance; strategic stakeholder analysis; advanced metering; stakeholder mapping; Morocco

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Abstract

This study conducts a strategic stakeholder analysis of Morocco’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) within the country’s broader energy-transition reforms. It employs a qualitative triangulation design, combining semi-structured interviews, deep documentary analysis, and relational mapping. Results highlight a centralised governance pattern in which public institutions, international donors, and local authorities play a dominant role, while civil society organisations, innovation clusters, and universities remain weakly integrated. The analysis identifies structural power asymmetries, zones of uncertainty, and dependency relations that affect policy coordination. The resulting stakeholder map provides a decision-support tool for identifying coordination bottlenecks, clarifying institutional dependencies, and designing more inclusive consultation mechanisms between regulators, operators, territorial actors, innovation institutions, and civil-society representatives. The study contributes to the literature on socio-technical transitions in emerging contexts, where institutional design is as critical as technological innovation. As the study adopts a cross-sectional design, it captures stakeholder relations at a specific stage of AMI deployment rather than their longitudinal evolution. Moreover, because several international stakeholders could not be interviewed directly, part of the analysis of the international cluster relies on secondary institutional reports. Future research should therefore examine how governance arrangements, inter-institutional dependencies, and stakeholder influence patterns evolve throughout the later phases of AMI deployment.

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