UAE and UK firms invest in subsea power cable project

Xlinks announced on Wednesday that Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) and Octopus Energy Group, based in the UK, have invested a total of $37.36 million into a subsea power cable project. The project aims to connect Morocco and the UK, and TAQA committed 83% of the funding while Octopus the rest, in the development funding round.

The Xlinks company is planning to lay the world’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cables, which will run over 3,800 km (2,361 miles) below sea level between the UK and Morocco. The cable will pass through Portugal, Spain, and France. Xlinks stated that the cable could supply the UK with 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of renewable electricity, which is nearly 8% of its current demand, and it would be enough to power seven million British homes by the end of the decade.

Xlinks added that the electricity would be produced by a 10.5GW facility of solar and wind farms in the Guelmim Oued Noun region of Morocco, supported by 20GWh/5GW of battery storage. Simon Morrish, the CEO of Xlinks, stated that “The huge potential of the Morocco – UK Power Project will help the UK accelerate its transition to clean sources of power, increase energy security and reduce consumer bills.”

The project has government support from both Britain and Morocco, according to Xlinks.