UK-Morocco Submarine Cable Project Advances with $1.25 Billion Power Station Tender

The Canadian company WSP is now the advisor to Xlinks, the British company in charge of building the submarine cable that will connect southern Morocco to the United Kingdom. This engineering firm will provide technical advisory services as part of the tender process for the purchase of the four conversion stations necessary to transmit electricity between the two continents, via four 3,800 km long HVDC submarine cables, Xlinks said in a statement. WSP will also provide advice on the connection to the British grid and the solar power plant in Morocco, as well as the interface that will connect the conversion stations and the HVDC cable systems.

"The HVDC conversion stations are an essential part of realizing the project to transfer electricity from Morocco to the UK. We are delighted to have WSP on board as technical advisors to support the tender process," said Martin Croucher, project manager at Xlinks. The Canadian firm also expressed its enthusiasm. "We are delighted to support Xlinks in this exceptional project that will allow the UK to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. A project of this scale will require a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach and we are delighted to play a key role in its realization," said Ben Jones, director of energy transmission and distribution at WSP.

With a total cost of £16 billion ($21.9 billion), the project to build the 3,800 km submarine electric cable will connect Morocco and the United Kingdom. Xlinks will build a 10.5 GW power plant (7 GW for solar and 3.5 GW for wind) in Morocco. The latter will be able to supply the UK with 8% of its electricity needs.