ONEE reassured that the incident did not impact the operation of connection in service to provide electrical connectivity between the Maghreb and European networks.
Rabat – Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) reported a slight leak of a biodegradable insulating liquid at reserve submarine cable number four, owned jointly by ONEE and Spanish company Red Electrica de Espana (REE).
The cable secures the electrical connection between Morocco and Spain.
A statement from ONEE said the incident had no impact on the normal operation of the first and second connections in service, which provide marine electrical connectivity between the Maghreb and European networks.
The statement said the damaged cable was an emergency link and was out of service since 2018 due to a collision caused by a fishing vessel.
A specialized company then implemented the first phase of repair, which sought to stop the leakage of liquid at a depth of approximately 500 meters.
ONEE and the Spanish company secured a specialized ship urgently equipped with the necessary equipment to monitor the leakage site on Monday at a depth of approximately 200 meters.
“Efforts are underway in complete coordination between the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water and the Spanish company for the final reform of this malfunction,” ONEE said.
According to Europa Sur, the electrical interconnection between Morocco and Spain is made up of two 400 kV (kilovolt) lines. They were put into service in 1997 and 2006, respectively.
The lines include seven cables, including three for each circuit and one reserve cable.
“The seven cables are run from the Tarifa terminal station, at the Spanish end, to the Furious terminal station, at the Moroccan end,” reported the news outlet.
Moroccan electricity exports to Spain exceeded 1,207 GWh in 2019, according to statistics from Red Electrica de Espana.
The number represents an increase of more than 570% between 2018 and 2019.
Morocco’s electricity exports to Spain in 2018 reached only 180 GWh.
