27-06-2025
R600bn Morocco-UK subsea power project rejected
Britain has rejected a £25bn (R613.76bn) Moroccan renewable energy project that would have used solar and wind power from the Sahara to supply up to 7-million UK homes.
The British government, which is aiming to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030, said on Thursday it believed domestic projects could offer better economic benefits.
"The government has concluded that it is not in the UK national interest at this time to continue further consideration of support for the Morocco-UK Power Project," energy department minister Michael Shanks said in a written statement to parliament.
He also said the project did not clearly align strategically with the government's mission to build homegrown power in the UK.
Xlinks' Morocco-UK power project would have tapped Moroccan renewable energy via what would have been the world's longest subsea power cable.
The plan involved building 3,800km of high-voltage direct current subsea cables from Morocco to southwest England.
