The world's largest solar power plant will enter its first stage Thursday, making history for the African nation of Morocco, according to the Guardian. The miraculous solar power plant will not be completed until 2018, however, it is entering the first phase towards its completion, Noor 1.

Noor 1 is the first part of the plant to be completed, which will provide up to 160 megawatts of power to 650,000 people locally, saving the country tons in emissions and energy expenditure.

The Moroccan king, King Mohammed VI, will do the honors. "At around 2 pm, the king will press a button, the parabolic mirrors will start turning, the heat will begin to turn the turbines and the plant will come to life," said Maha el-Kadiri, spokesperson for the country's renewable energy agency, Masen.

After switching on Noor 1, a ground breaking ceremony was held for Noor 2, which is the second phase of the planned solar powered plant, according to EcoWatch.

When completed, the massive facility will be the size of its capital city, Rabat, and provide clean energy for 1.1. million people.

"Between now and [the next conference], many projects will have come to light and we will prove that we can match our energy demands with renewables," said energy minister Abdelkader Amara.

The $9 billion project is an effort to help the country shy away from costly fossil fuel imports, according to Climate Change News.

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