Morocco: British company Xlinks to build 10.5 GW solar and wind power plant in Guelmim-Oued Noun region

British company Xlinks will build its 10.5 GW solar and wind power plant in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region in Morocco. The electricity produced by this plant will be transported to the United Kingdom by a 3,800 km long submarine cable. The company plans to install the cable in 2025 and commission it in the first half of 2027.

According to Xlinks, this project will require an investment of $ 22 billion. The financial close of the project will take place in 2023. “This project will generate 10.5 GW of zero carbon electricity from the sun and wind. That’s enough to deliver clean, low-cost energy to more than 7 million UK homes by 2030. When completed, the project will be able to supply 8% of Britain’s electricity needs, ”estimates Xlinks.

Xlinks had indicated that the Morocco-United Kingdom power project would be associated with a battery storage facility. It “will cover an area of ​​approximately 1,500 km2 and will be connected exclusively to Britain via 3,800 km HVDC submarine cables,” Xlinks said on its website.

The British company plans to build at least two cable manufacturing plants in the UK to manufacture the cables needed for the project. This move “will be faster than waiting for an existing company to manufacture them,” said Simon Morrish, CEO of Xlinks, as quoted by Bloomberg.