Xlinks, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is planning to build a 10.5 GW renewable energy complex in Morocco, connected to a 5 GW/20 GWh energy storage device, and connected to the British power grid through a 3.6 GW submarine cable. This will include 7 GW of solar energy and 3.5 GW of wind energy. Simon Morrish, CEO of Xlinks, said that Xlinks is discussing the exact location of solar farms with Moroccan community leaders and the government, and is working with relevant authorities to approve.

Xlinks plans to conduct an international bidding for the construction of the project, and is expected to use the first 1.8 GW cable in early 2027, and deploy the second cable two years later. Morrish specifically stated that "The technical design of the power station uses photovoltaic modules and wind turbines currently on the market. However, as emerging technologies mature, plans may change."

This huge complex will be connected to the power grids of Alverdiscott in Devon, England and Pembroke in Wales via a 3,800 km high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line. According to the developer, this line will consist of four separate cables and become the longest submarine transmission line in the world.

The cable will cross international waters four times and enter the territorial waters of European countries such as Portugal, Spain and France. According to the developer, it should be easier to obtain planning permits. “In order to deploy the transmission line, we considered three different routes. The depth of the route that does not involve other countries’ territorial waters needs to reach 3000 meters, so we chose the shallowest route, which does not exceed 700 meters,” Morrish said. “This means We will pass through the territorial waters of Spain, Portugal and France, so we are now beginning to apply for relevant approvals."

The company is currently negotiating with the three major European cable manufacturers on the construction of transmission lines. The biggest constraint on project development may be the bottleneck in cable supply, because the offshore wind power industry has a huge demand for such components.

Xlinks plans to transmit electricity to the UK at a price of approximately £0.048 (US$0.67) CfD per kWh, which will be slightly higher than the current price of approximately £0.040 for offshore wind power tenders, but higher than the controversial Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant under construction. The 0.0925 GBP is much lower. He explained: “However, the base load of our electricity supply will be similar to nuclear power because it can provide at least 8 hours of electricity during any peak demand period over 363 days in a year.”

Xlinks expects to invest a total of approximately 18 billion pounds in the project. Morrish said, “From a technical point of view, we did not do anything special, but used a combination of various existing methods to provide valuable power supply to the British grid, and to help the further popularization of offshore wind power and promote the country’s Overall progress in decarbonization." Editor/Huang Lijun