-September 27, 2021 at 11:38 AM Pacific Time
A 10.5 gigawatt (GW) solar and wind farm will be built in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region of Morocco, and the UK will be provided with clean energy through submarine cables. The dual 1.8 GW high voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine cable will be the longest in the world.
Xlinks, a renewable energy company based in the United Kingdom, is the developer of the project. As we all know, the Xlinks Morocco-UK power project will cover an area of approximately 579 square miles (1,500 square kilometers) in Morocco and will be specifically connected to the United Kingdom through 2,361 miles (3,800 kilometers) of HVDC submarine cables. They will follow a shallow water route from Morocco to England, passing through Spain, Portugal and France.
The project will cost US$21.9 billion. Xlinks will build 7 GW of solar energy and 3.5 GW of wind energy in Morocco, as well as on-site 20GWh/5GW battery storage. The transmission cable will consist of four cables. The first cable will be put into use in early 2027, and the other three cables are scheduled to open in 2029. An agreement has been reached with National Grid for two 1.8GW connections in Alverdiscott, Devon.
Xlinks stated that by 2030, the Moroccan-UK power project will be able to power up to 7 million British homes. Once completed, the project will be able to meet 8% of the UK's electricity demand.
Why go all the way to North Africa to fight for British power? In a word, resilience. Xlinks explained:
Morocco benefits from ideal solar and wind energy resources and needs to develop renewable projects that can ensure proper power generation throughout the year. It has the third highest global level of irradiance (GHI) in North Africa, 20% higher than Spain's GHI and more than twice that of the United Kingdom. In addition, the shortest winter day still provides more than 10 hours of sunlight. This helps provide a production profile that meets the needs of the UK electricity market, especially during periods of low offshore wind power production.
Remote power generation and interconnection between remote geographic areas with anti-correlation weather systems will more effectively solve the problem of supply and demand imbalances over a longer period of time.
Xlinks pointed out that the electricity generated by solar panels in Morocco is approximately three times that of the United Kingdom. In addition, Morocco’s solar panels will generate five times as much electricity from the United Kingdom from January to March.
The project is expected to create nearly 10,000 jobs in Morocco, 2,000 of which will be permanent.
Read more: Morocco gets Africa's first fully solar-powered village
Photo: "Fort Bou-Jerif – Aroussi, Guelmim-Oued Noun, Marruecos" by Antonio Marín Segovia Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
FTC: We use car affiliate links that earn revenue. more.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube to get exclusive videos and subscribe to podcasts.
Michelle Lewis is the writer and editor of Electrek and the editor of DroneDJ, 9to5Mac and 9to5Google. She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida. She previously worked in companies such as "Fast Company", "Guardian", "Depth News", and "Time". Leave a message for Michelle on Twitter or via michelle@9to5mac.com. Check out her personal blog.
Ford announces 2022 Mustang Mach-E price and features
2023 Electric Mini Cooper S
Volkswagen confirms plans for ID California electric camper
Tesla has now approved 7 electric vehicles in India