Morocco and Portugal signed a joint declaration on Saturday on the sidelines of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28) in the United Arab Emirates to establish an electric transmission interconnection between the two countries.
The joint declaration, signed by Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali and Spain’s Minister of Environment and Climate Action of Portugal, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, aims to enhance strategies for the development of renewable energies between the two countries, in addition to the potential for energy exchange between the African and European continents.
It will enhance dialogue for a flexible and comprehensive energy transition that aligns with global sustainable development and climate change objectives, such as promoting the use of renewable energies and expediting key joint projects, such as the electricity interconnection initiative between Morocco and Portugal.
Given their strategic geographical position as links between Europe and Africa, both countries seek to collaboratively tackle the challenges of energy transition by strengthening the integration of electrical markets within an international landscape marked by market volatility and energy supply chains.
Morocco has already inked a bold initiative under the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project, a “first of a kind” project under which Morocco will generate 11.5 GW of zero-carbon electricity from the sun and wind to deliver 3.6GW of reliable energy for an average of 19+ hours a day to the United Kingdom.
During COP28, the EU allocated €50 million to Morocco to promote clean energy and decarbonization.