Massive Underwater Cable to Deliver Moroccan Solar Power to UK by 2030

The British company Xlinks, specialized in renewable energies, is the initiator of this energy project between Morocco and the United Kingdom. The project plans the construction of four 1.8 GW high-voltage cables that will be installed over about 3,800 kilometers underwater and will provide 8% of the energy needed in the United Kingdom.

With this project, the two countries will connect their networks to strengthen their potential for green electricity supply and organize the energy transition. The solar and wind power plant that should be operational by 2030 will be installed on about 1,500 square kilometers and should produce 7 GW of solar and 3.5 GW of wind. It will be connected exclusively to the United Kingdom, but 20 GWh / 5 GW batteries will be installed in Morocco to store the energy. According to Xlinks’ estimates, this project will power 7 million British households by 2030.

To read: Massive UK-Morocco Subsea Power Cable Project Advances, Promising Renewable Energy Boost

For Morocco, the construction of these underwater power cables remains a priority, the objective being to "make renewable and sustainable energy sources more accessible to a wide range of individuals, thus reducing the cost of electricity and ensuring a more reliable system." Xlinks chose Morocco to host this project because there is more sun than in Spain and twice as much as in the United Kingdom. According to the British company, southern Morocco has the third highest horizontal irradiation (IGH) in North Africa.

In total, the realization of this project will cost Xlinks around 20 billion euros. According to projections, the first cable should be completed by 2027 and the other three, two years later. The submarine cable runs along the Moroccan coast up north, off the coast of Huelva and Portugal, then borders all of Portugal to Galicia, before connecting to the United Kingdom.