In a press release from Xlinks,
the developer of the Morocco-UK Power Project the developer explained how
the UK Government is working to progress the granting of a CfD by assessing
and advancing the project through a Business Case process

The
the Morocco-UK Power Project will be a new electricity generation facility
entirely powered by solar and wind energy combined with a battery storage
facility. Located in Morocco’s renewable energy rich region of Guelmim
Oued Noun, it will be connected exclusively to Great Britain via 3,800km
HVDC sub-sea cables.

In
a statement from the Concern is reported to
be growing from the scientific community about the seemingly accelerating
climate crisis following a series of freak weather events around the world
in recent weeks.

Several
climate records have been broken so far this summer and the ongoing heatwave
in Europe indicates there may be more to come. Southern Europe has been
breaking heat records daily and the world experienced its hottest day ever
recorded in July, with the average global temperature topping 17C for the
first time, breaking the global average temperature record set in 2016.

In
June, temperatures off the west coast of Ireland were between 4C and 5C
above average, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
classified as a category 5 heatwave, or “beyond extreme”. More widely,
the average global ocean temperature has smashed records for May, June
and July. It is approaching the highest sea surface temperature ever recorded.
The area covered by sea-ice in the Antarctic is also at record lows for
July. There is an area around 10 times the size of the UK missing, compared
with the 1981-2010 average.

Studies
are underway to unpick the exact link between these events and climate
change, but scientists already fear some worst-case climate change scenarios
are unfolding.

Imperial
College London climate science lecturer, Dr Paulo Ceppi, told the BBC:
“The Earth is in uncharted territory now due to global warming from burning
fossil fuels, as well as heat from the first El Niño – a warming natural
weather system – since 2018.”

The
need for clean power has not gone unnoticed by the public, with opinion
polling placing renewable power sources as the most supported way of meeting
our electricity needs. In government too, attention has turned to promoting
the energy transition and its potential for economic growth, lower prices
and reduced emissions.

Xlinks
is working with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ)
to assess the viability and merits of the proposed Morocco – UK Power
Project as part of the solution to the climate emergency.

Upon
completion, the Project will supply 8% (3.6 GW) of the UK’s electricity
needs from onshore renewable sources in Morocco via the world’s longest
high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable. This first-of-its-kind
venture will provide enough clean power for seven million homes as part
of the UK’s leading role globally in the fight against climate change.

Simon
Morrish, CEO of Xlinks, said: “The support of the UK Government is crucial
in realising our ambition to supply British households with secure, affordable,
and green energy in the face of the growing climate crisis.

The
dedicated team at DESNZ have been working hard to progress the granting
of a CfD for Xlinks and have invested more than 9,500 hours in the first
6 months of this year assessing and advancing the project through a Business
Case process that is ongoing. We are very grateful for the time and dedication
the UK Government is committing to this project which provides a key solution
in accelerating the country’s transition to clean sources of power.”