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UK to build world's largest energy bridge to Morocco
The UK will build solar and wind power plants with a capacity of 7 GW and 3.5 GW in Morocco. The generated electricity will be transmitted to the British Isles via 1.8 GW dual submarine high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables. It will be the longest high-voltage underwater power bridge in the world with a length of 3.8 thousand km. The project cost is $ 21.9 billion.
The generating stations will occupy an area of 1.5 thousand square kilometers. The length of submarine cables, which will be laid along the shallow water route from Morocco through Spain, Portugal and France to Great Britain, will reach 3.8 thousand km. The cables are designed for a capacity of 1.8 GW. The underwater branch consists of four cables. The first cable will be launched in early 2027, the other three in two years.
The project will create 8,000 temporary and 2,000 permanent jobs in Morocco. The Morocco-UK Power Project was developed by the British company Xlinks, which specializes in generating electricity from renewable sources.
Xlinks estimates that the project will cover 8% of the UK's electricity needs by 2030, or it will be able to provide energy to 7 million households year-round.
Morocco was chosen based on the large number of sunny days and sufficient strong and constant sea winds. Even in winter, the minimum daylight hours in the country reach 10 hours. In terms of global horizontal illumination, this country ranks third in North Africa.
It is estimated that solar panels in Morocco generate at least three times more energy in summer alone than in the UK. In winter, this difference is fivefold.
Under what conditions Morocco provides its territory for the power generation project is not disclosed.
