- Morocco is building a €40 billion undersea cable project, Sila Atlantik, to export renewable electricity and supply up to 5% of Germany’s power demand.
- Industry veterans back the venture, but developers must still secure financing, permits, and submarine cables.
Morocco is moving ahead with plans to export renewable electricity to Germany through a €40 billion undersea cable project that, according to project developers, could deliver up to five per cent of German power demand.
The venture, Sila Atlantik, will run 4,800 km along the coasts of Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands before connecting to Germany’s grid. It will use two parallel high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables with a combined capacity of 3.6 gigawatts, potentially expanding to 15 GW.
X-Links Germany GmbH will own and operate the project, which industry veterans from EnBW and Ørsted back. German utilities, including E.ON, Uniper and Octopus Energy, have shown interest, according to people familiar with the matter.
Morocco has invested heavily in renewables over the past 15 years to cut reliance on imported fossil fuels. The country generates about a quarter of its electricity from renewables, including the 510-megawatt Ouarzazate Solar Power Station, the world’s largest concentrated solar facility. Morocco targets 50% renewable power by 2030 and 80% by 2050.
Sila Atlantik’s backers say cheaper renewable costs and advances in HVDC cable technology make the project viable, unlike the €400 billion Desertec initiative, which collapsed a decade ago. The system could begin partial operations in 2034 and reach full capacity before 2040.
Supporters say the project will cut German electricity costs, reduce emissions, and strengthen supply to southern industrial regions. Critics warn it risks replicating historic patterns of resource exploitation, with Africa supplying cheap energy to Europe.
The project still faces hurdles, including government guarantees, complex permitting across five countries and a global shortage of specialised submarine cables. Developers are considering building a dedicated cable factory in Morocco to meet demand.