A project that is considered one of the most ambitious initiatives in the global renewables sector could bring solar power from the edge of the Sahara Desert into European homes by way of the Mediterranean Sea.
An initiative of the Copelouzos Group, a Greek integrated business development company, the GREGY-Elica Interconnector project involves the placement of a submarine cable equipped with a bi-directional energy transmission capacity between Egypt and Greece. Once in place, the cable will bring electricity generated from a number of renewable energy sources in Egypt and several Saharan and sub-Saharan nations in Africa, primarily from solar facilities, and bring it to Greece, as well as several neighboring European nations, specifically Bulgaria and Italy
It is estimated that the 1,373 km-long cable will carry 3,000 megawatts of electricity into the European grid to provide reliable power to households and businesses.
For Copelouzos Group chief executive Ioannis Karydas, the placement of the GREGY-Elica Interconnector will enable much of the European continent to end its reliance on Russian fossil fuels and gas. Karydas added that the green energy carried into Europe by the cable will be delivered at considerably lower prices than those currently being paid by residents, thus becoming a great help to consumers in Greece and beyond.
Power to the UK
Meanwhile, a similar project is poised to deliver clean energy into the United Kingdom – but this time, from North Africa.
The Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project utilizes a 3,800km cable that will transport clean energy generated from wind and power facilities in Northern Africa to communities in the southern part of England.
At present, results from a related feasibility study are under consideration by experts who hope that the project will bring around 3,600 megawatts of sustainably generated power to nearly seven million homes in the United Kingdom, effectively supplying 8% of the country’s total electricity needs.
