Total Energies plans to invest £20 million in the XLinks project, roughly 23 million euros over several years, as a minority stake. In 2021, it announced the project with a high-voltage direct current export line directly from Morocco to the UK.
3.6 gigawatts of continuous power for the UK
It is intended to guarantee a stable supply of wind and solar power from the north-west African country with a volume of 3.6 gigawatts (GW) for an average of at least 19 or 20 hours a day. The grid connection in two 1.8 GW sections and four strong cables for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission has already been agreed with the grid operator.
See also: New report shows potential for photovoltaics in Africa
The cable is to be laid at shallow water depth and will be laid completely and winding along the coast of Morocco, then the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Spain again and France, before entering the southern headland in a short section through the Atlantic from the north-west. To this end, the initiative is planning to generate wind power and photovoltaics in the southernmost Moroccan region of Guelmim Oued Noun with a nominal capacity of 11.5 GW.
Large battery system to balance energy output
The cable length between the two regions, which are around 2,500 kilometres apart, will be around 3,800 kilometres. According to the concept, a battery storage unit at the site will also store surplus wind and solar power and store the electricity for the British at times of high demand in the British grid as well as during periods of low solar radiation or wind, for example in rare cloudy phases with little wind. The battery is planned to have an output and an electricity supply and storage capacity of 5 gigawatts and 22.5 gigawatt hours, respectively.
Also interesting: Pioneering green hydrogen project in the UK
According to the Managing Director of XLinks, the first electricity is expected to flow as early as 2027. From the beginning of the 2030s, the Moroccan-British lifeline would secure a stable eight per cent of the UK's electricity demand. The size of the planned renewable energy plants is illustrated by the area of the PV and wind farm projects. The solar power plants are to cover an area of 200 square kilometres, while the wind farm will actually cover an area of 1,500 square kilometres. (tw/mfo)
