Morocco - UK Power Project:
At a time when the energy transition is a global priority, the development of submarine cables to transport carbon-free energy, produced in areas with high renewable energy potential, around the world represents a vital solution to meet the increasing demand for reliable and affordable energy, reduce our carbon footprint and achieve the climate objectives set by the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Xlinks launched its first project in 2019, the Morocco-UK Energy Project (PEMR) to create the conditions for a constant and affordable supply of renewable energy. The PEMR would allow the UK to meet its decarbonisation commitments for 2035.
Once operational, the project would generate up to 11.5 gigawatts (GW) of zero-carbon electricity from the sun and wind, with battery storage. The PEMR would provide 3.6 GW of affordable and reliable electricity for more than 19 hours a day, via a 4,000 km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine cable, buried in the seabed.
The PEMR would cover 8% of the UK’s electricity needs, the equivalent of 7 million homes in the early 2030s.
The cable route would run along the coasts of Morocco, Portugal, Spain and France before being directly connected to the British national grid. The PEMR would cross French territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over a total length of approximately 787 km. The PEMR would not involve any onshore work in France.
The overall start of construction would begin in 2027. In France, the preparation of the offshore route would be in 2028 and the installation of the cables would begin in 2029.
Where will the offshore cables go?
The route in France is indicated by the solid red line shown in the image above. The majority of the cable route in French waters would be in the EEZ and 155 km of the route in the territorial waters off the coast of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The cables would be closest to the French coast near Capbreton (8 km offshore). The average depth of water along the cable route in France would be about 130 m with a minimum depth of about 50 m.
The submarine cables have a diameter of 177.5 mm. They would be laid in pairs (bipole) on the majority of the route and buried along the entire line, up to 1.5 m deep. The installation requires the construction of a narrow trench (approximately 1 m wide) for the deposit of the cable, which is then closed by the burial tool.
What are the benefits for France?
The project can have significant environmental and economic benefits for France. France is aiming for net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The PEMR could contribute indirectly to this objective by supporting the sharing of renewable energy via the existing and future electricity interconnector between the two countries. The PEMR could contribute to a 0.8% reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions in France.
Modelling carried out by AFRY* suggests that the project would lead to a 5.9% reduction in wholesale electricity prices in France in its first year of operation. The total benefit of the project for French consumers between the early 2030s and 2055 is estimated at around €11.7 billion. We believe that the French maritime industry would benefit from the construction phase. French ports would be used by installation and maintenance vessels. Ongoing calls for tenders for the main construction contracts may make it possible to involve French companies in the project.
*AFRY research
What has happened so far in France and what happens next?
In December 2024, a study for a potential cable route was carried out using geophysical, geotechnical and environmental instruments. The information from this study is currently being analysed in order to refine the technical design for cable installation and also inform the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and permitting.
Consultation
Following unforeseen circumstances relating to the Morocco-United Kingdom Energy Project (PEMR) and after consultation with the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP), the prior consultation on the PEMR, as enacted by the CNDP in its decision No. 2024/140/PEMR/1, is suspended. Following a decision by the CNDP, the guarantors of the consultation, appointed by the CNDP, will publish an interim report of the consultation which will be available on the website of the project and the CNDP.
You can contact the guarantors at the following email addresses:
Walter Acchiardi: [email protected]
Jean-Yves Albert: [email protected]
Bernard Pacory : [email protected]
Further information is available on the CNDP website here: https://www.debatpublic.fr/liaison-electrique-sous-marine-entre-le-maroc-et-le-royaume-uni-pemr-6701.
How to find out more and have your say.
Prior consultation on the Energy project between Morocco and the United Kingdom is suspended.
Information regarding this suspension will be updated on the project website. Pending the resumption of consultation, public participation opportunities (public meetings, workshops, T-cards, and online participation) are cancelled.
Public meetings
There are public meetings being organised in Bayonne, La Rochelle, Lorient and online. To take part in these meetings, please register in advance (up to 48 hours before the meeting) via the registration links below (a maximum capacity of 80 to 100 people is planned for the various in person events).
Public meeting n°1 : Opening meeting of the consultation process to present the project and open the debate on environmental issues.
Tuesday 25 March 2025
18:00 – 20:00
Salle Amestoya, 14 Av. Benjamin Gomez, 64100 Bayonne
Download the minutes of the public meeting by clicking here.
Download the presentation of the public meeting by clicking here.
The aim of this first public meeting is to launch the consultation process close to the Spanish border and the Capbreton Gouf. The issues discussed will be the international dimension of the project and its environmental challenges. The purpose is to present and discuss the project, its challenges and the prior consultation process.
Public meeting no. 2: Maritime activities including marine renewable energies: what cohabitation with the PEMR?
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Espace Encan, Quai Louis Prunier, 17000
La Rochelle
Download the report of the public meeting here.
Download the presentation of the public meeting.
The aim of this second public meeting is to present the project as a whole and to address more specifically the issues related to the occupation of the seabed by different activities including marine renewable energies and their connection.
Public meeting n°3 : MUPP and others offshore activities, such as fishing: what coexistence? PEMR and economic activities including fishing: what interactions?
Tuesday, 22 April
18.00 – 20.00
Lorient
Public meeting cancelled.
Public Meeting n°4 : End of the consultation process.
Wednesday, 28 May
18.00 – 20.00
Online
Public meeting cancelled.
Workshops
Three workshops are being organised to work on the issue of crossing the Capbreton Abyss. To take part, register in advance (up to ten days before the workshop) via the registration links below (as capacity is limited, your registration can be confirmed up to one week before the workshop date).
Workshop n°1 : The challenges of crossing the Capbreton Abyss: presentation and work on possible scenarios.
Thursday, 24 April
17.00 – 19.30
Bayonne
Workshop cancelled.
Workshop n°2 : The challenges of crossing the Capbreton Gouf: a more in-depth analysis of the scenarios.
Tuesday, 6 May
17.00 – 19.30
Bayonne
Workshop cancelled.
Workshop n°3 : The challenges of crossing the Capbreton Gouf: what reduction and compensation measures for which scenarios?
Tuesday, 20 May
17.00 – 19.30
Bayonne
Workshop cancelled.
Frequently Asked Questions
The project is being developed by Xlinks 1 Limited, a British company. The PEMR has been financed to date to the tune of £100 million (approximately €120 million) by international investors: TAQA, Total Energies, Octopus, GE Vernova and AFC.
The solar and wind farms will be located in the Province of Tan-Tan in the south of Morocco.
Environmental issues, at a time of degradation of underwater ecosystems, are fundamental. Xlinks places the utmost importance on these issues. The environmental impacts will be further assessed as part of the impact statement.
The burial technique that would be used is similar to that used for laying the fiber optic cables that already crisscross the globe. Once the cables are buried, they would not interfere with the seabed ecosystem and would not limit fishing activities.
The scientific expertise will be used to assess the impacts of the cables on their environment. As part of the impact study, Avoidance, Reduction and Compensation (ERC) measures will be put in place.
The cable will travel on land from the generation site in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region of Morocco and enter the sea northwest of the city of Tan-Tan. It will then follow the Moroccan coastline up the Strait of Gibraltar and make its way up the coast of Portugal, Spain and France before going around The Isles of Scilly. The cable will then cross through UK territorial waters before landing in Devon, west of Bideford.
The connection agreement with the UK national grid would allow the energy project between Morocco and the UK to supply energy from the early 2030s.
The Gouf de Capbreton is an underwater canyon that cuts into the continental shelf south of the Bay of Biscay.
The project provides for the cable route to cross the Gouf de Capbreton, about 8 km from the coast, in French territorial waters. The method of installing the cables in the canyon is being studied. The project will not install onshore cables in France, regardless of the solution chosen.
The Morocco-UK energy project is part of the Moroccan state’s strategy to accelerate the development of a new green energy industry, implement its national energy program and export part of its significant renewable energy resources.
The project would bring substantial economic benefits to Morocco, unlock revenue from the leasing of the site for the Moroccan government, create thousands of high-quality direct and indirect jobs during the construction phase, and stimulate substantial industrial development through the local procurement of different renewable energy technologies.
In addition, Xlinks has taken an inclusive approach towards the local population and will ensure, through local socio-economic development programmes, that local people benefit from the project during construction and beyond.
Archived documents
Find the archived documents from the prior consultation:
Click here to download the March 2025 consultation file.
Click here to download the summary of the March 2025 consultation file.
Click here to download the March 2025 public consultation notice.