Submarine cable with Morocco: the United Kingdom excluded from the project?

Xlinks denies the information published by Bloomberg according to which it would exclude the United Kingdom from the submarine cable project to connect it to Morocco. Morocco and the United Kingdom remain the "main target" of the project "and the group’s priority", a Xlinks spokesperson told Recharge. The British company remains "committed" alongside the United Kingdom, he added, stating that it is only evaluating the feasibility of other links with markets, including Germany. "It’s not either/or, but in addition to," the spokesperson assured.

Xlinks had "always had the vision" that the project "would serve as a model for other links supporting the transition to clean and sustainable energy. [...] It is in this context that we are studying the feasibility of additional routes with markets including Germany," the spokesperson continued. Last year, Xlinks founder Simon Morrish had told the same media that his group was already working on another project that would soon be announced for a long-distance interconnection not involving the United Kingdom.

With a total cost of £16 billion ($21.9 billion), the project to build the 3,800 km submarine power 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 United Kingdom with 8% of its electricity needs. According to the British company’s calculations, this facility will provide 3.6 GW of reliable and clean electricity to the British for an average of 20 hours a day.