Morocco and Portugal are planning to build an undersea electricity cable connecting the two countries.
Rabat – The bid will be approved after technical and financial feasibility studies are completed in 2019.
According to Reuters, Portuguese Secretary of State for Energy Joao Galamba said that the two countries are planning to call for tenders to build the 250 kilometers cable after the completion of the study in early 2019.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a conference on renewable in Skhirat, near Rabat, the Portuguese minister said that Portugal and Morocco are “strongly committed to this project.”
The project is set to be operational before 2030. The two governments are planning to disburse a budget ranging from $686 million to $800 million, Reuters noted.
Through the project, Rabat and Lisbon l plan to enhance cooperation on renewable energy development.
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“The flow will go in both directions depending on our needs,” Galamba said.
He added that after the launch of the project, “Portugal will export a little bit more than Morocco but after a few years it will be the opposite.”
The electricity project between Portugal and Morocco is the second of its kind between a European country and the North African country after the launch of a subsea electricity project between Morocco and Spain since 1997.
In May, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Aziz Rabbah said that Morocco is committed to reinforcing relations with Spain to benefit from electricity supply to meet Morocco’s demands.
According to Spanish electricity company Red Electrica De Espana, electricity exchange with neighbouring countries “provides greater security of supply, increased efficiency and competition between neighbouring systems.”
The Spanish electric system is linked to the Portuguese system with North Africa, through Morocco, the company added.
Export.gov reported in late 2017 that Morocco’s total primary energy consumption registered a i 5 percent increase per year since 2004.
“Morocco produces 28,000 GWh of electricity and imports the rest from Spain.”
