New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
‘First of a kind’ project to supply Moroccan renewable power to the UK
25/5/2022
News
Octopus Energy has announced a financial and strategic partnership with Xlinks, which is building a new electricity generation facility in Morocco that will be powered by solar and wind energy combined with a battery storage facility. The project will be connected to the UK by what is claimed will be the world’s largest subsea power cables.
The first of a kind project will see four 3,800 km-long subsea cables connecting a huge renewable energy farm in the Guelmim Oued Noun region of the Moroccan desert with Devon in south-west England. Helping speed up the UK’s transition to net zero, the project will also help diversify UK supply routes and boost energy security, says Octopus Energy.
The site will supply 3.6 GW of clean power to the UK for an average of 20 hours a day, enough green energy to power about 7mn homes all year round.
Currently in the development phase, with economic, environmental and archaeological impact assessments underway, the Xlinks project is scheduled to become operational in 2027. Once up and running, it is expected to deliver power at £48/MWh* (comparable with offshore wind), reports Octopus Energy.
Morocco is setting its sights on becoming a world leader in solar energy, already boasting some of the world’s largest solar arrays and meeting two-fifths of its electricity demand with renewables.
The partnership comes as the UK government is working on strengthening the country’s energy supply routes as outlined in its Energy Security Strategy, lowering its dependence on Russian gas imports and moving the country closer to net zero.
*Contract for Difference (CfD)‘strike price’ based on 2012 prices
