The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has officially designated the Morocco-UK Power Project as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).
The Morocco-UK Power Project, spearheaded by Xlinks, a UK-based private renewable energy company, seeks to connect 3.6GW of renewable power from Morocco to the British electricity grid.
The cable, spanning 2,360 miles in length, is poised to supply electricity to seven million households by 2030, contributing approximately 8% of the UK’s energy needs.
The project will now require a Development Consent Order (DCO) from the government, replacing the need for local authority planning permission.
NSIPs are major infrastructure endeavours that demand development consent via a DCO process, following specific legal procedures outlined in the Planning Act 2008.
Simon Morrish, Chief Executive Officer of Xlinks, said: “Our next step will be to consult further with the community to meet the requirements of the Planning Act 2008.
“We are looking forward to another opportunity to discuss our proposals with people living in the area and will share more details of this later in the year.”
