British company Xlinks is planning to build a 10.5 GW wind-solar-storage hybrid energy plant in Morocco which will transmit energy to the United Kingdom via a 3,800 km high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable. The mega renewable energy facility will be linked to 5 GW/20 GWh energy storage system. This is set to be the largest utility scale energy storage system ever installed on the African continent.
Xlinks’ CEO, Simon Morrish, says the hybrid renewable energy facility will consist of 7 GW of solar energy capacity and 3.5 GW of wind energy capacity.
The mega renewable energy facility will fall in the same league with the 5GW planned solar plant by Botswana and Namibia, and the 10GW Australian solar facility set to transmit power to Asia.
Plans to develop a renewable energy plant to transmit energy to Europe are not new. As far back as 2003, an organization called Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Cooperation sought to produce renewable energy in the Sahara for export to European markets. The plan did not take off due to higher construction costs of renewable energy technology then.
The dramatic fall of renewable energy technology makes the development of a project of such nature much more plausible.
Xlinks CEO, Simon Morrish, says the company is in liaison with Moroccan communities and government to obtain land and the necessary authorisations to commence development of the facility. All the power produced by the renewable energy plant will be exported to the UK.
The submarine transmission cable will cross the territorial waters of France, Spain and Portugal, before reaching England, the company says.
There is a shortage of subsea transmission cables in the UK as the manufacturers battle to meet the burgeoning UK offshore wind industry demand. The company is negotiating with three major European cable manufacturers to ensure there is sufficient supply of cabling and components for the facility.
The mega project is expected to cost around $25 billion to construct. Xlinks is looking to negotiate a sell price of $0.67 per kWh for electricity generated on the facility. Construction of the first submarine cable is expected to commence in 2027. The facility anticipated to contribute 7.5% of the UK’s electricity demand and significantly help the UK achieve its decarbonisation objectives.
