- The Dh80 billion project will become the world’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable pathway and herald a new generation of long-distance renewable energy supply.
- The project is scheduled for completion by 2030 and has been supported by a Dh113 million investment from Taqa and Dh22 million from Octopus Energy.
Giant solar parks are fast becoming a feature of remote landscapes across China and India. Still, the latest plan to transform southern Morocco into a power superstation is set to dwarf them all. Subsea cables pinned up to 700 metres deep on the sea bed will carry almost 4 gigawatts of energy daily, nearly 3,800 kilometres from the coast of Morocco, through Spain and Portugal and into more than seven million UK homes. Power generated from 12 million solar panels and 530 wind farms, stretched across 1,000 square kilometres of desert in the Guelmim-Oued Noun area of the North African kingdom, has the potential to supply almost five times the amount of green energy currently provided by the world’s largest solar farm in Rajasthan, India.
Morocco is trying to develop quickly. The people of this country are thirsty for sustainable economic growth. The 10.5GW project was founded by Xlinks First Limited in partnership with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, better known as Taqa, and investors Octopus Energy Group, and promises to transform Africa’s energy supply. Dr Samir Rachidi, Chief Executive of the Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies in Morocco, “Xlinks is a symbol of lots of development happening across the African continent; what is different with this project is the size.”
The project is scheduled for completion by 2030 and has been supported by a Dh113 million investment from Taqa and Dh22 million from Octopus Energy. The Dh80 billion project will become the world’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable pathway and herald a new generation of long-distance renewable energy supply. In a recent statement, Simon Morrish, chief executive of Xlinks, said the company hoped the project would supply British households with year-round secure, affordable, and green energy. He said It would also help accelerate the UK’s long-term plan to move its energy supply to more renewable solutions. He added, “Problems in the past have been the variability of supply, so we are looking for options with the most potential, and we have that with solar.”