The Economist | Why don’t more countries import their electricity?

[Illustration by Nick Little]

A recent deep-dive in The Economist asks the question: why don’t more countries import their electricity?

The article looks at the many factors that hold back power trading in some parts of the world, despite ever-pressing Net Zero goals.

One key statistic shows that in 2023, “only 2.8% of the world’s electricity was traded internationally”.

However, the article also states that some efforts are being made to improve on this – including the Morocco – UK Power Project.

It reads: “Since Europe has shown the potential for long-distance connections, more ambitious projects are being started.

“A cable is being laid from Greece to Cyprus, a daunting task given the 900km distance and the depth of the Mediterranean.

“Other models offer one-way transmission, such as a proposed cable from Morocco to Britain.

“Xlinks, the firm behind it, argues that the combination of wind at night, sun during the day and batteries as needed means it can provide both baseload and peaking power.

“Sun Cable, the firm hoping to connect Australia and Singapore, offers a similar mix over an even greater distance.”

The Economist article can be found here: https://lnkd.in/dGfaN-69