The 380-mile-long cable will power seven million homes in Great Britain – from the Sahara. Plans for a cable laying factory have now been approved.
The cable will be the longest in the world. It runs from the Sahara Desert in Morocco to Alvertiscod in southwest Great Britain. It will be located at the bottom of the sea off the European west coast. The project is called the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project.
The name of the company that manufactures the cable is XLCC. During the summer, the company received planning permission for a factory to be built in Hunderston, Ayrshire, Scotland. The site also houses a deep-sea port and two decommissioned nuclear reactors. The factory will be the first in the UK to manufacture high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables.
180 meter high tower
The factory will manufacture four cables of 3,800 kilometers each, which is estimated to create 900 jobs. The impact the approximately 180 meter tall tower has on the surrounding area has sparked local debate. In the tower, cable insulation is used. The application takes place vertically in a tower so that the process is cooled. Cable manufacturer NKT has a similar tower in Karlskrona in Pleking. It is 150 meters high.
The electricity transmitted on the cable is generated by a 7 GW solar farm and a 3.5 GW wind farm in Morocco. The project, estimated to cost 17 billion pounds equivalent to 213 billion kroner, also includes 20 GWh/5 GW of battery storage.
Photo: Jonas Askergren
Construction of the factory is targeted to begin early next year. A construction inspector reports. The entire project is due to be completed by 2030 and will power seven million British homes.
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