The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero of the United Kingdom (UK) has granted the status of "Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project" to Xlinks' proposed power interconnection project between the UK and Morocco. With this new status, the project will need to be approved by the government, instead of local authorities; it will need to carry out further consultation with local authorities, statutory bodies and the community before applying to the government for planning permission.
Xlinks’ project aims to transmit the power generated in the Guelmim Oued Noun region of Morocco by a 10.5 GW solar and wind complex supported by 5 GW/20 GWh of battery storage capacity to Devon, in south-western England (UK), through two 1.8 GW HVDC cable systems over 3,800 km. The project will be able to supply the UK with 3.6 GW of renewable energy electricity, amounting to nearly 8% of the country’s current requirements and enough to power 7 million British households. In April 2023, Xlinks closed a funding round for the project, which is expected to be completed by 2030.