Can Spain really “switch off” Morocco’s economy?
A Spanish newspaper presents the electrical cables linking the two countries as Morocco’s “umbilical cord” and claims they could “switch off” its economy. The reality of this dependence is nevertheless more complex.
Infrastructure that is rarely discussed runs beneath the Strait of Gibraltar. Three 29-kilometre submarine cables each make up an electrical circuit linking Tarifa, in Spain, to Fardioua, in Morocco. They descend to a depth of 620 metres below the surface. Red Eléctrica confirms these technical characteristics.
On Bladi.net : Morocco France Direct Electricity Cable Mediterranean Connection
It is this connection that the Spanish daily El Mundo uses as the basis for a particularly aggressive article. Its headline claims that these 29 kilometres of cable can “switch off” the Moroccan economy and presents them as the kingdom’s “umbilical cord”. According to the newspaper, Rabat needs them to stabilise the electrical system on which its industrial policy depends.
The interconnection is indeed important. The first circuit entered service in 1997 and the second in 2006. The latter brought the total technical capacity to 1,400 MW. Red Eléctrica explained at the time that this reinforcement was intended to guarantee the security and reliability of supply and provide greater stability to the electrical systems.
An “umbilical cord” that works both ways
But presenting this infrastructure as a simple Spanish switch capable of bringing Morocco to its knees conceals an essential characteristic: the interconnection works both ways. Madrid and Rabat have moreover decided to further increase its capacity with a third 700 MW link. The project is still included in Spanish planning for 2030.
Above all, Spain itself saw its usefulness on 28 April 2025. During the historic blackout that plunged the Iberian Peninsula into darkness, the connection with Morocco was reactivated during the first stages of the grid’s restoration. Before the Spanish Congress, Pedro Sánchez had cited the interconnections with France and Morocco, along with hydroelectric power plants and combined-cycle plants, among the means that enabled the system to recover quickly.
Bladi had in fact reported at the time on Morocco’s helping hand to Spain. The episode now provides an unexpected response to El Mundo’s wording: the cables beneath the strait are indeed strategic infrastructure for Morocco, but Spain also regards this connection with its southern neighbour as useful to the security and integration of its own electricity grid.
On Bladi.net : Morocco electricity project Germany bidirectional cable demands
And this link is set to become even more strategic. In 2019, Red Eléctrica explained that the third interconnection was intended in particular to enable more Moroccan renewable electricity to be integrated into the European system. In other words, the 29 kilometres presented today as Morocco’s “umbilical cord” could tomorrow carry ever more electricity in the other direction.
