Morocco has been connected to the European electricity grid with the completion of a submarine interconnection across the Straits of Gibraltar.
The 700 MW link comprises four 400 kV cables, joining the Spanish village of Tarifa and the Moroccan village of Ferdioua. A further 400 kV line links the substation in northern Morocco with the capital Rabat, while another link connects Rabat to the Algerian border.
The 27 km cable has been financed by the Spanish company Red Electrica de Espana (60 per cent), together with the National Moroccan Electricity Office (40 per cent). The cost to Morocco was $242 million.
Red Electrica has already signed an agreement with the Moroccan Electricity Office to supply 90 MW over a five year period. The company will be able to supply 300 MW in the event of a power plant failure.
Morocco is trying to become self-sufficient in electricity. It has recently built a 750 MW gas-fired power station in the north of the country. However the import of cheap Spanish power will lower electricity prices to industrial users by 20 per cent, the Moroccan Electricity Office believes.