Portugal has unveiled a US $462M plan aimed at strengthening the country’s energy grid, with authorities eyeing a potential interconnection with Morocco as part of the broader strategy to enhance energy security and prevent future blackouts.
Environment Minister Maria de Garça Carvalho announced the multi-million-euro initiative during a press briefing on Monday, emphasizing that the plan includes 31 targeted measures to reinforce the stability and operational reliability of the national electricity network.
“These measures are designed to improve the operational security of our system and prevent widespread disruptions like those we recently experienced,” said Minister Carvalho.
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Energy cooperation
As part of the plan, Lisbon is exploring energy cooperation with Morocco, including the possibility of connecting to existing infrastructure that links the North African country to the Iberian Peninsula.
“There have been contacts between the foreign ministers of both countries,” Carvalho confirmed. “We could consider joining one of the existing projects, as launching a new interconnection from scratch would be considerably more expensive.”
The announcement comes in the wake of a major power outage that recently disrupted electricity supply across Portugal and parts of Spain. During the crisis, Morocco played a crucial role in stabilizing the Iberian grid. According to Spanish media, the Moroccan National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) supplied Spain with electricity via two undersea interconnection lines beneath the Strait of Gibraltar, reportedly allocating up to 38% of its production capacity.
The proposed Portugal-Morocco link could strengthen regional energy cooperation and offer Lisbon access to Morocco’s expanding renewable energy portfolio, including solar and wind power, at a time when Europe is increasingly focused on building greener and more resilient energy systems.