Morocco and Portugal to build an undersea electricity cable

Morocco and Portugal are planning to launch bids to create an undersea electricity cable between the two countries, reports Reuters quoting a Portuguese official.

The project is at the heart of a technical and financial feasibility study, expected to be concluded in 2019.

«Both governments are strongly committed to this project», Portuguese Secretary of State for Energy Joao Galamba told Reuters during a press conference held Monday in Skhirat. The senior official indicated that invitations to bids will be launched once the feasibility study is published.

The construction of the undersea electricity cable will rely on an investment of around 700 million euros, said Galamba. «The flows will go in both directions depending on our needs. In the beginning Portugal will export a little bit more than Morocco but after a few years it will be the opposite», he explained.

The 250 km cable will be the second one to link Morocco to Europe. The first electricity cable to ever link the Kingdom to the continent was constructed in 1997 by Spain.