Europe turns to Africa to strengthen its power grid as Portugal and Morocco revive electricity link

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Europe is looking south to strengthen its electricity network, with Portugal and Morocco reviving plans for a new cross-border power interconnector following the blackout that exposed vulnerabilities in the Iberian Peninsula’s energy system last year.

The two countries said they will jointly ask the European Commission to recognise the proposed electricity link as an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), a designation that could unlock European Union funding while helping attract private investment.

If approved, the project would deepen electricity cooperation between Europe and Africa, improve energy security on both sides of the Mediterranean and reinforce Morocco’s growing role as one of Europe’s most important clean energy partners.

Portugal’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, and Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, announced the plan after meeting in Lisbon on Monday.

The proposal comes more than a year after the widespread blackout that affected Spain and Portugal in April 2025, disrupting transport networks, telecommunications and essential services while exposing how isolated the Iberian Peninsula remains from the rest of Europe’s electricity grid.

Source: Wikipedia