In London, the future of the ambitious electrical connection project between Morocco and the United Kingdom is being played out behind the scenes. On one side, Australian industrialist Andrew Forrest is holding strategic meetings with British authorities. On the other, Leïla Benali, Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition, is ardently defending Morocco’s central role in this emerging energy corridor. But behind the speeches, the industrial equation remains uncertain.
During a recent trip to the British capital, Andrew Forrest, head of the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) conglomerate, held a series of discussions, notably with Energy Minister Ed Miliband. The aim: a potential underwater connection linking Morocco’s solar resources to the UK’s electrical grid. According to local press, Leïla Benali participated in some of these consultations, illustrating the mutual interest of both nations in this initiative.
This mega energy project, named Xlinks, plans to establish a 4,000-kilometer underwater cable capable of transporting green electricity produced in the Moroccan Sahara to southern England. Led by former Tesco chief Dave Lewis, Xlinks has already received the status of “nationally significant project” from the British government, granting it some priority in administrative processes, especially in light of local delays.
However, several hurdles remain. In addition to financing challenges and negotiations over long-term tariffs, the project still needs to obtain passage permits in French and Spanish waters. Its cost, estimated between £20 billion and £22 billion (approximately 254 to 279 billion dirhams), makes it one of the most ambitious infrastructures of its kind.
It is in this context that Andrew Forrest’s position intrigues. Known for his desire to shift FMG towards a low-carbon industry, he is also engaged with OCP in the development of green hydrogen and decarbonized ammonia solutions. But in London, there is still no indication of whether he intends to support Xlinks or if he is preparing a competing alternative. Several analysts even foresee the emergence of a second project under a distinct industrial banner.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan minister took advantage of her presence at the Energy Security Future Summit, held in late April in London, to advocate for a restructuring of global energy production and distribution networks. According to her, only a new international architecture, based on the complementarities between producing Southern countries and consuming countries, will be able to meet tomorrow’s challenges.
At the heart of these negotiations, Andrew Forrest plays a multi-level role. An influential figure on the international economic scene — recently ranked by Time Magazine among the hundred most influential people of the year — he aims to position FMG as a global leader in clean metals and energy. His personal fortune, estimated at nearly 147 billion dirhams, strengthens his weight in negotiations. Despite the announcement of his separation from his wife Nicola Forrest, both assure that this will not change the governance of their companies, including the Minderoo Foundation and the Tattarang Capital fund.
Thus, the Xlinks project could, depending on future alliances and industrial directions, either crystallize an unprecedented transcontinental consensus or pave the way for competition among major players in the energy transition.