Xlinks Scraps £25 Billion Morocco-UK Green Energy Plan

Xlinks 1 Limited has officially withdrawn its application for the ambitious £25 billion Morocco–UK green energy project, which aimed to supply renewable electricity from the Moroccan Sahara to up to seven million British homes via a subsea cable spanning more than 3,800 kilometers.

In a letter submitted to the UK Planning Inspectorate in July 2025, the company announced the formal withdrawal of its Development Consent Order (DCO) application, originally filed in November 2024 and accepted for examination in December of the same year.

The move comes after the UK’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero declined to negotiate a Contract for Difference (CfD) for the project, effectively ending government support for the massive infrastructure plan. Energy Minister Michael Shanks told Parliament that the project “is not in the national interest,” citing concerns about alignment with the UK’s strategic goal to prioritize domestic energy production.

Xlinks said it will now pursue “an alternative approach” to advance the project outside the current application framework, suggesting that modifications to the proposal would require extensive consultations and regulatory reassessments that are no longer feasible within the current timeline.

Despite the setback, the company underscored the project’s long-term benefits, including multibillion-pound green investment, job creation, increased energy resilience, and reduced carbon emissions. It also highlighted the reliability of solar and wind energy from Morocco, which would be unaffected by the UK’s variable weather conditions.

Dave Lewis, Chair of Xlinks and former CEO of Tesco, previously expressed disappointment over the government’s stance, noting that more than £100 million had already been invested and that lender interest in the project’s construction phase exceeded expectations.

The Morocco–UK Power Project, once classified as a nationally significant infrastructure project under the previous Conservative government, faced ongoing financial, regulatory, and logistical challenges. It envisioned harnessing solar and wind energy from Morocco’s sun-drenched Tantan region and transmitting it via high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables to the UK’s southwestern coast.

While the project promised to cut UK carbon emissions by 10% and contribute to energy cost reductions, it struggled to secure full government backing amid shifting energy policy priorities.

Xlinks has not disclosed specific details about its revised strategy but affirmed its commitment to delivering clean energy solutions that can benefit both Morocco and the UK.