Once complete, the Project will provide 8% of Great Britain’s current electricity needs (3.6GW of reliable energy), enough to power 7m homes.  This transformational surge in supply will be crucial given the fast-growing demand for electricity.

It will stabilise and bring down wholesale prices by 9.3% by displacing expensive, volatile imported gas, as well as reduce the UK’s sector CO2 emissions by 9.9%, in its first year of operation.

This will go a long way toward supporting the 81% carbon reduction target – set out by the Prime Minister – by 2035, whilst also helping to meet the 19% increase in demand from 2030 to 2035.

Unlike alternative methods of renewable generation, the Morocco – UK Power Project is dispatchable. It can increase or decrease supply in sub-second response times, which is necessary to balance the grid and will help Britain to avoid balancing costs associated with, for example, having to use Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGTs).

The Project will not replace or dismiss existing and future projects in the UK – solar and wind generated here is exceptionally valuable – and will instead complement these measures, firming up Great Britain’s supply.

This is necessary because the sun and wind is intermittent, with long periods – sometimes weeks at a time – when they generate almost no electricity.

The UK and most of northern Europe suffers from Dunkelflaute – regular periods of very low wind and a lack of sunshine, making it difficult to generate energy from solar and wind power.

The Project will also help create a clean power export opportunity for the UK; generate £17.3bn in socio-economic value for the UK over 25 years, and a £5bn injection into the UK supply chain through local procurement; and importantly, it requires no government investment.

Morocco has become, over the last 10 years, an international leader in the renewable energy. The country has been a forerunner in the development of large, innovative renewable energy projects worldwide, such as the Noor Ouarzazate Complex, which hold the largest concentrated solar power (CSP) project globally, or its wind integrated program.

The strong trading relationship between Morocco and the UK goes back more than 200 years, and Xlinks will strengthen that even further.

The Project is aligned with Morocco’s plan to become a global green hub, unlocking renewable energy export potential to create huge economic and social value. Morocco recognises the value of the country’s wind and solar resources and have great ambition to export such renewable power to Europe.

The Project will realise this ambition and open an energy export relationship with Europe, at scale and at pace.

It will unlock income from the site lease for the Moroccan government; incremental export tax revenues; thousands of jobs, both permanent and temporary during the construction phase; and substantial industrial development through local procurement.

The facility will be located in the Province of Tan-Tan at a site that is completely unpopulated.  The Province is an area of Morocco that is comparatively under-developed.  It will benefit from significant inward investment and social investment plan.