Sila Atlantik: New momentum for the direct electricity cable project between Morocco and Germany

A new milestone has been reached in the Sila Atlantik project. In a letter addressed to Morocco’s Minister of Investment, Karim Zidane, Germany’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs, Frank Wetzel, expressed Germany’s interest in this initiative and its willingness to continue discussions on the subject. He highlighted the project’s “ambitions and potential” and recalled the existence of the Moroccan-German Energy Partnership, launched in 2012.

The Sila Atlantik project aims to transmit renewable electricity produced in Morocco to Germany through two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine cables, approximately 4,800 km long, with a total capacity of up to 3.6 GW. It also includes the development of solar and wind facilities with an installed capacity of around 15 GW, for an estimated export volume of 26 TWh per year, nearly 5% of Germany’s electricity consumption. Production conditions in Morocco, particularly in terms of sunshine and wind resources, are especially favorable for this type of development and allow for high energy yields.

At the European level, the connections planned under the Sila Atlantik project have been included in ENTSO-E’s Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), reflecting their consideration at an exploratory stage in European electricity transmission network planning.

Beyond electricity production, the project’s promoters mention a possible industrial dimension linked to the development of additional high-voltage cable manufacturing capacity in Germany, which is currently under discussion.

Moreover, interest from German energy and industrial stakeholders, including Deutsche Bahn, has recently materialized, particularly as an option for renewable electricity supply. These recent developments help strengthen the visibility and scope of the Sila Atlantik project within Moroccan-German energy cooperation.