Public consultation announced on updated proposals for Xlinks’ Morocco-UK Power Project

• Xlinks 1 Limited (Xlinks) will seek views on its proposals for the UK element of the Morocco-UK Power Project (the “Project”) between Thursday, 16 May 2024 and Thursday, 27 June 2024.
• Members of the local community and the public will be able to find out more by attending a series of public exhibitions, webinars or reading consultation documents online.
• Feedback from the consultation will inform updated proposals before Xlinks submits a Development Consent Order application to the Secretary of State later this year.

Xlinks announced today a statutory consultation on the updated proposals for the UK element of the Morocco-UK Power Project. The Project is expected to generate 11.5 GW of zero-carbon electricity from the sun and wind in Morocco, complemented by energy storage, which will be connected to the National Grid at Alverdiscott, Devon, via subsea HVDC cables to provide 3.6GW of affordable, reliable and renewable power to the UK.

The consultation will run for six weeks, allowing members of the local community and public to share their feedback from Thursday, 16 May 2024 to 23:59 on Thursday, 27 June 2024.

During the consultation, members of the public and the local community will be able to find out more about the proposals by attending a series of public exhibitions in the local area, visit www.xlinks.co/devon, or reading the consultation material about the proposals.

This latest statutory consultation is an important step in what has been an evolving process over several years working with the local community and stakeholders. It is expected to be the final round of consultation before Xlinks submits an application for a Development Consent Order for the parts of the project located in the UK to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero later this year. Feedback from this stage of consultation will be used to inform the proposals before the application is submitted.

James Humfrey, CEO, Morocco-UK Power Project, said:

“We have made substantial progress in developing our proposals, which would provide enough clean, reliable electricity to supply 8% of the country’s needs within a decade. Our consultation process includes speaking with the community in Devon to ensure that our proposals have been shaped by local views and expertise.

“Before we submit our application for development consent to the Secretary of State – we are asking for feedback on our updated proposals. We encourage members of the local community and public to get in touch, meet with us and share their views during the consultation period.”

A series of public exhibitions will take place as part of the consultation process:

• Monday 20 May 2024, 4pm – 8pm – Abbotsham Village Hall Abbotsham, Bideford EX39 5AP
• Tuesday 21 May 2024, 4pm – 8pm – Alverdiscott Village Hall, Stoney Cross, Bideford EX39 4PZ
• Friday 31 May 2024, 1pm – 5pm – Pollyfield Community Centre, Avon Rd, Bideford EX39 4BL
• Saturday 1 June 2024, 11am – 3pm – Huntshaw Parish Hall, Huntshaw, Torrington EX38 7HH

The exhibitions will offer members of the public and the local community an opportunity to view information about the updated proposals, meet with the team behind the Morocco-UK Power Project and ask any questions they may have. There will also be webinars for those who are unable to attend in person.

Further information on the different ways to take part in the consultation is available from www.xlinks.co/devon or by contacting the team behind the project on 0800 038 3486 or at [email protected].