The Spanish and Moroccan governments have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the construction of a third power interconnection line between the two countries. The capacity and cost of the project were not disclosed but the project should be commissioned by 2026. The two parties will now mandate their respective transmission system operators (TSOs), i.e. REE (Red Eléctrica de España) and ONE (Office National de l'Électricité), to conduct feasibility studies on the project.
The two countries already have two subsea power links with a combined interconnection capacity of 1,400 MW. The first one was commissioned in 1997 in the straits of Gibraltar and had an interconnection capacity of 700 MW. The second one (700 MW too) was brought online in 2006.
In the years to come, Morocco plans to boost its interconnection capacity with European countries. In November 2018, Moroccan and Portuguese authorities announced that they would invite bidders for the construction of a 1,000 MW undersea power interconnection project immediately after the completion of the preliminary technical studies in the course of 2019.