In the wake of the widespread power outage that affected the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, Portugal is exploring the possibility of expanding its electrical grid connections with Morocco as a backup plan, should France continue to delay progress on developing interconnections with the Iberian region. Portuguese Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, stated that linking with France remains the most logical option. However, given ongoing delays in infrastructure development between the two countries, the government is now seriously considering a connection with Morocco, particularly as Spain already has an existing electrical link with the North African nation. The minister noted that Portugal's weak interconnection with France contributed to the slow restoration of power after the outage. She acknowledged that building a connection with Morocco would be expensive due to the long distance and the complexities of a maritime link, but emphasized that it remains a strategic alternative. Carvalho also pointed out that while previous agreements with Morocco have aimed to strengthen electrical cooperation, technical and financial challenges persist. These issues have led both Portugal and Spain to increase pressure on France to accelerate efforts toward an Iberian-French interconnection.
