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80,000 t/yr port export cold hub — Morocco
Public-private consortium built a port-adjacent multi-temp cold hub to consolidate seafood, citrus and berry exports to EU and GCC markets, replacing fragmented on-farm cooling.
Agadir port, Morocco 24,000 m² · 32,000 pallet positions 0 °C chill, −25 °C freeze, −40 °C blast
Challenge
- Fragmented pre-cooling on-farm caused 12–18% quality downgrade at EU arrival.
- Port berth-to-container dwell time averaged 36h — vs 8h EU benchmark.
- Financing required blended DFI + commercial stack with export-linked covenants.
ColdMatch solution
- Turnkey multi-temp cold hub with dedicated citrus, berry, seafood and pharma zones.
- 8 blast freezers (−40 °C), 3 reefer plug yards (240 reefer containers), rail-served dock.
- NH₃ central plant with CO₂ secondary loop; 2.4 MWp PV + 6 MWh BESS for tariff arbitrage.
- ColdMatch structured DFI (AfDB + IFC) + commercial senior + sponsor equity tranches.
Project scope
- Civil: 24,000 m² insulated envelope, dock levellers ×42, rail spur, reefer plug yard.
- Mechanical: 4.8 MW NH₃/CO₂ plant, 8 blast tunnels, ozone-friendly IQF tunnel line.
- Electrical: 8 MVA grid + 2.4 MWp PV + 6 MWh BESS, medium-voltage ring main.
- Digital: reefer telematics, GDP/HACCP monitoring, port TOS integration.
- Financing: 60% DFI senior, 20% commercial, 20% sponsor equity — 12-yr tenor.
Key engineering metrics
- Cooling load
- 4.8 MW
- Blast capacity
- 180 t/day @ −40 °C
- Specific energy
- 28 kWh/m³·yr
- Refrigerant charge
- 1,800 kg NH₃ · 2,200 kg CO₂
- Dwell time (berth-to-container)
- 7.5 h
- PV self-consumption
- 78%
vs 36h pre-project
ROI & financial performance
- Capex
- US$ 48M
- Annual savings
- US$ 11.2M/yr (quality uplift + energy + dwell)
- Payback
- 4.9 yrs
- IRR
- 21.4% (12-yr)
- NPV
- US$ 42M @ 9% WACC
- Energy reduction
- −34% vs BAU baseline
- CO₂ reduction
- −6,200 t CO₂e/yr
“The blended DFI stack closed in nine months. ColdMatch's tender kept the EPC price 14% below our internal budget.”
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