Medgrid also contemplates the development of a strategic plan to construct electricity lines under the sea in order to connect both sides of the Mediterranean. Currently, there is only one electricity line in operation between Europe and North Africa (Spain-Morocco).
According to Medgrid partner, Abengoa, the signing of the agreement represents the realisation of a project that began at the start of the year and which has attracted leading international companies to generate, transport and distribute electricity, and to design, construct and to operate networks.
During a recent speech, the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfMS), Ahmad Masa’deh, welcomed the establishment of MedGrid and considered it a “very interesting” project that will positively impact the climate change challenges.
In the next three years the partners have agreed to carry out various feasibility studies in order to be able to import electricity into Europe by 2020. The signatories have all agreed that the agreement marks a “very important step” in achieving 20 GW of electricity production from renewable sources by 2020, especially from solar energy in North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, of which one quarter will be exported to Europe.
The signatories to the agreement are Alstom Grid; Areva; Atos WorldGrid; CDC Infraestructuras; EDF; Ineo; Nemo; Nexans; Nur Energie; ONE; Pan Med Trading and Investment; Prysmian; Red Electrica; RTE; Siemens; Soitec; Taqa Arabia; Terna and Salid Elias Establishment, and Abengoa.
Among the principal projects announced by the partners, which will each initially contribute €200,000, is the laying of five high-voltage cables that will allow the transmission of 5,000 megawatts of power and will require an investment of €6 billion.
Medgrid is essentially a new version of the Transgreen project established as part of the Mediterranean Solar Plan, which was launched in 2008 as a project to tackle the expected increase in energy demand in the Euro-Mediterranean region in a sustainable way and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Mediterranean Solar Plan is particularly interesting in the context of the work of the UfMS for it will allow the export of green electricity from Mediterranean countries to Europe together with the implementation of article 9 of the EU renewable energy directive. The UfMS General Secretary recently revealed that energy, or more specifically the Mediterranean Solar Plan, is one of the UfMS’ main priorities and has been given a specific mandate to coordinate the elaboration of the MSP Master Plan. Medgrid also complements the Desertec Industrial Initiative’s plans to develop renewable energy capacity in North Africa to meet Europe’s energy needs.
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