Revitalizing the Electric Interconnection Project
Morocco and Portugal have reached an agreement to revive the electric interconnection project that has been on hold since 2022. This strategic initiative aims to secure support from the European Union to aid in financing the project. Leïla Benali, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development in Morocco, announced this development following discussions in Lisbon with Maria da Graça Carvalho, the Portuguese Minister of Environment and Energy. The two nations aspire to utilize this project as a means to "reduce costs, particularly by ensuring affordable energy prices," benefiting citizens and various economic sectors in both countries.
Collaborative Efforts for Energy Security
In a statement to the press, Minister Benali emphasized that both Morocco and Portugal are committed to improving energy affordability for their populations and multiple economic sectors. To achieve this, the two countries have agreed to simultaneously work on mobilizing European funds while exploring the potential involvement of the private sector in the implementation of the electric interconnection project. This initiative is anticipated to enhance energy security and foster cooperation between Europe and Africa. Furthermore, the Portuguese Minister announced plans for Lisbon and Rabat to approach the European Commission to consider classifying the project as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) within the EU framework, which could unlock European funding mechanisms.
Both parties will present this project to Teresa Ribera, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission responsible for a clean, just, and competitive transition, to gauge the EU's interest in prioritizing it among European projects. Minister Carvalho noted that a new electric interconnection between Europe and Africa would significantly bolster energy security and strengthen ties between the two continents. As part of their strategy, Morocco and Portugal will initiate consultations with the European Commission to assess its willingness to support the project and recognize it as a strategic European initiative.
The two nations are also planning to address two complementary aspects: the first involves leveraging the European funding mechanism known as "Connecting Europe," while the second entails gauging private investor interest through an invitation to express interest directed at electricity network managers and utility companies. Minister Carvalho stressed the importance of realizing the project at the lowest possible cost to avoid imposing any additional financial burden on taxpayers or energy consumers.
However, she noted that it is still early to decide on the technical solution that will be adopted, whether it will involve a direct subsea cable between Portugal and Morocco or utilize existing infrastructure through Spain, which is already connected to the Moroccan electricity grid. This renewed focus on the electric interconnection project comes in the wake of a significant power outage that affected Spain and Portugal in April 2025, highlighting the limited interconnection of the Iberian Peninsula with the wider European grid.
The current electric interconnection rate of the Iberian Peninsula with European networks stands at approximately 3%, which falls short of the EU's target of 15% by 2030. According to both parties, this project will enhance Portugal's energy supply security, which is currently reliant on a single network, that of Spain, by providing an additional source of electricity in emergencies or supply disruptions. The meeting, attended by Morocco's ambassador to Portugal, Othmane Bahnini, also aimed to explore ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations in the energy sector and identify financing mechanisms for the interconnection project with European support and private investment mobilization.
As reported by h24info.ma.
