X-Links has expressed frustration over delays in receiving UK government backing for its Morocco-to-UK solar and wind power project, threatening to move the initiative to another country. The project aims to provide electricity for 9 million homes, reduce carbon emissions, and create thousands of jobs in Morocco, but prolonged bureaucracy is risking investor confidence. X-Links, the company proposing to carry solar and wind-generated electricity from Morocco to the United Kingdom, has warned that if it is not backed by the UK government, it will move the project to another country. The reason behind this frustration is the «time it is taking to get the green light from the Government», the company's chairman told The Telegraph on March 30. Sir Dave Lewis, who is heading X-Links' plan to power millions of UK homes with affordable solar and wind power from Morocco, warned that prolonged bureaucracy could alter the company's direction. «International investors won't wait forever», he said. The plan involves transporting solar and wind power via 4,000 km underwater cables at hyper-speed, providing electricity for 9 million UK homes and reducing carbon emissions by 10%. While a new factory in Scotland is being built to produce cables for the project, X-Links is considering reproducing the same set-up to Germany if the UK version continues to face delays. X-Links seeks UK government rapid backing Despite being designated a project of national significance, X-Links is still waiting for a long-term contract to secure a fixed price for electricity, Sir Dave complained. The cost of offshore wind farms, located off the coast of the UK, is comparable, but Sir Dave noted, «The weather means they are not always reliable. That is unlike weather patterns in Morocco, which can enable electricity generation for 19 hours a day». Morocco's abundant sunshine and trade winds are key factors in the project's viability. However, delays and political red tape in the UK are causing increasing frustration among investors. Sir Dave expressed this frustration: «The people who have invested in this project want it to go ahead in the UK. We think that's by far and away the best use of this energy, but there comes a point where you go, 'OK, we're four years in. We've done everything that you asked us to do, but this process is taking an enormous amount of time.'» Morocco's involvement is needed X-Links' use of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables has inspired similar projects, and the company risks losing investment if approval remains elusive. «The worry is that some of your investors and sources of financing have their heads turned and go off and do other stuff, and at some point, you're struggling to sort of keep them on board», Sir Dave said. The project could cost up to £24 billion. Sir Dave also stressed the importance of Morocco's involvement in the initiative, which will create «10,000 jobs in the country», he caimed. «It's strategic for them, and the amount of investment that comes to Morocco as a result of this is enormous». He further rejected the notion that exploiting Morocco's resources to decarbonize Western nations is morally questionable: «This is Morocco driving this». X-Links' chairman has been pushing hard for this ambitious project to come to fruition. In January, he told Bloomberg that the project was seeking political backing to become a reality. He revealed that X-Links was in discussions with the UK government to secure a contract to sell power at fixed prices. Since then, the company is still waiting for a response.
