News from the Xlinks project, which aims to provide the UK with green electricity produced and stored in Morocco, thanks to the installation of a gigantic solar and wind farm in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region.
Indeed, English cable manufacturer XLCC is preparing to build a factory in Hunterston, Scotland, and the first production will be for the Xlinks Morocco-UK project, we learn from US media specializing in renewable energy. electric pull†
XLCC will supply four 3,800 km submarine cables. The first cable should be laid in 2025 for an online launch in 2027, the other three cables should be launched in 2029. The first phase of the project, planned between 2025 and 2027, will connect the wind and solar energy produced in Morocco at Alverdiscott, North Devon, South West England.
This initiative will nearly double the current global output of HVDC cable production. The longest submarine cables in the world will thus require 90,000 tons of steel, specifies electric pull†
The design of the cable vessel that will be used in the laying, lifting and maintenance of submarine cables for the future transport of electrical energy between Morocco and the United Kingdom has also been completed.
In collaboration with Salt Ship Design, the XLCC team is working on the selection of a suitable shipyard for the construction of the ship, the tender procedure has already started with the aim of selecting the chosen shipyard before the end of the second quarter. of 2022, XLCC reports.
The British start-up Xlinks, which is preparing to build a solar power plant of more than 10 GW in the south of Morocco, has already received Morocco’s commitment to provide the country with a 150,000 hectare reserve to house the photovoltaic solar park, the wind turbines as well as the 5 GW battery intended to store the energy produced on the site.
The Xlinks project is presented by the designers “as a new energy generation facility powered entirely by solar and wind energy, combined with a battery storage. Located in the Moroccan region rich in renewable energy sources of Guelmim-Oued Noun, it will cover an area covering approximately 1,500 km2 and will be exclusively connected to Great Britain via 3,800 km of HVDC submarine cables”.
According to Xlinks forecasts, this project, which is expected to generate a total investment of $22 billion, will generate 10.5 GW of carbon-free electricity from solar and wind to provide 3.6 GW of reliable energy for an average of more than 20 hours per year. . day.
This production will power more than 7 million British homes by 2030. When completed, the project will be able to supply 8% of UK electricity needs.
