The UK faces the growing threat of power cuts due to low winds and freezing temperatures. UK industry experts say boosting renewable energy sources could be the best defense against these energy crises.
At the heart of this strategy is the ambitious Xlinks project which will connect Morocco to the UK, supported by Greg Jackson, managing director of Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy supplier. This project involves the construction of vast solar and wind farms in the Moroccan Sahara desert. The electricity produced would then be transported to the United Kingdom via submarine cables, thus making it possible to compensate for energy deficits during periods of poor sunshine and weak winds in Great Britain.
“This project would partially solve the Dunkelflaute problem by providing 7% of our electricity”declared Greg Jackson, emphasizing the importance of this project in the British energy transition. Morocco, which is already positioned as a world pioneer in renewable energies, benefits from exceptional sunshine and considerable wind potential, particularly in its desert regions. These natural assets, combined with massive investments in infrastructure, such as the Noor solar park in Ouarzazate, make the kingdom a strategic partner in meeting Europe’s growing energy needs.
A project among other solutions considered
While the Xlinks project represents a promising solution, other technologies are also being considered to strengthen the UK’s energy resilience. Among these, large capacity batteries and “inertia” systems – giant flywheels capable of quickly restarting the network in the event of an outage – are being studied. However, these solutions remain largely experimental and have not yet been deployed on a large scale.
-The specter of power cuts has come closer in recent weeks, when a warning was issued by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) about a looming energy deficit. Sharply falling wind speeds, outages at three interconnectors and several out-of-service gas plants reduced generating capacity, while a cold snap drove record demand.
Faced with this situation, Neso would have been forced to implement localized outages to preserve the integrity of the network. Birmingham, some analysts say, could have been targeted for temporary outages to ensure power supplies to London and other major cities.
As the challenges linked to the energy transition become more and more pressing, Morocco is establishing itself as a key ally for the United Kingdom and Europe. By providing clean, reliable and abundant energy, the kingdom intends to play a central role in the global effort to achieve carbon neutrality goals and avoid catastrophic scenarios of power shortages.
