Bypassing the Iberian Peninsula
Historically, electricity flowing from North Africa to Europe has relied on Spain as the natural transit corridor. Morocco currently operates a 1,400 MW alternating current (AC) link with Spain that was commissioned in 1997, with a further 700 MW connection planned. However, this newly proposed high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable would run directly from the Nador region in northern Morocco to Fos-sur-Mer near Marseille in southern France.
According to analyses by the French energy firm Selectra, highlighted by outlets like Hespress, this route “breaks with the historical logic of European electricity networks” by entirely circumventing the geographic and political bottlenecks of the Pyrenees. Stretching approximately 1,300 kilometers and plunging to depths of nearly 2,800 meters, the cable could feature a theoretical capacity of up to 2,000 megawatts.
The concept actually emerged from the remnants of a scuttled British mega-project. British developer Xlinks had originally proposed a 3,800 km, €29 billion cable to link Morocco with the UK, but was forced to pivot its focus to continental Europe through its French subsidiary, Elemental Power, after the UK government declined to support the scheme in 2025.
Statistical Realities and Renewable Ambitions
The economic scale of the undertaking is vast. French grid operator RTE previously estimated the project’s average cost at roughly €6.2 billion, with potential variances falling between €4.4 billion and €9.4 billion depending on material pricing and seabed complexities.
Morocco’s burgeoning renewable energy infrastructure serves as the essential backbone of this vision. The Kingdom aims to achieve a 52% share of renewable energy in its installed electrical capacity by 2030. As detailed by Businessfront, Morocco generated 45.9 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in 2025. Renewable sources accounted for roughly a quarter of that output (11.5 TWh), with wind contributing 9.2 TWh, solar 1.9 TWh, and hydropower 0.4 TWh. While Morocco’s production costs for solar and wind energy are highly competitive and defy European norms, analysts caution that transitioning from domestic consumption to becoming a major exporter will require a massive, sustained expansion in its generation base and transmission infrastructure.
Geopolitical and Strategic Dimensions
The direct energy link is emblematic of a rapidly deepening strategic partnership between Paris and Rabat, catalyzed by France’s 2024 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory. Prime Minister Lecornu explicitly reaffirmed this stance during the Rabat meetings, declaring the position “unwavering”.
For France, the interconnector guarantees a new source of low-carbon electricity while granting Paris vital geopolitical independence. Selectra noted that the subsea cable would allow France to “directly control the valves” of its energy supply, freeing it from reliance on the pricing models and infrastructure constraints of the Spanish electrical grid. Lecornu framed the initiative as one of the most ambitious economic undertakings between the two nations, aiming to “further integrate Morocco and France into shared value chains” rather than relying on conventional trade exchanges.
Beyond energy, the Rabat summit yielded sweeping agreements spanning transport, defense, and civil aviation, culminating in the preparation of a comprehensive bilateral treaty. Lecornu noted that this will be the first such treaty France signs with a country outside the European Union, scheduled to be formalized during a forthcoming visit to France by King Mohammed VI.
While the “Pont de la Méditerranée” remains years away from final commissioning, its initial planning stages illustrate a profound recalibration of Mediterranean geopolitics—proving that tomorrow’s energy routes will be determined not just by geographic proximity, but by a drive for strategic sovereignty.
