Europe wants to rely on sustainable energy from Africa
In order to escape dependence on Russian gas imports, Europe intends to purchase more energy from Africa in the future. Undersea cables should make it possible. The backgrounds.
Since Russia launched its war of aggression against Ukraine last year, the energy market in Europe has changed drastically. Many countries, including Germany, have developed a certain dependency on Russian energy imports. But with the beginning of the Ukraine war, it was clear that things couldn’t go on like this.
A year later, a lot has happened. Despite this, a large proportion of Europe’s energy sources still come from Russian gas deposits. According to a report by Washington Post EU policy is now considering putting a stronger focus on Africa.
Europe could get more sustainable energy from Africa in the future
Because there is a climatic peculiarity in the Mediterranean region. Although the southernmost coast of Europe and the north coast of Africa are close together, the African continent enjoys a significantly higher number of hours of sunshine. As a result, solar systems also work more efficiently there.
Also worth mentioning: the available floor space. While in Europe we need open areas for agriculture and more and more living space is being built, there are huge desert landscapes in Africa. These are mostly not used and offer a gigantic potential for solar farms.
Energy imports: Undersea cable to Morocco already in place
The greatest interest is in Morocco. Because there is already an undersea cable through the Strait of Gibraltar. At the same time, the country sees its own potential as an energy supplier and could become an important producer for us.
Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Union, recently spoke to Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. Part of the conversation was the insight that Europe cannot easily build up the required dimensions in the field of renewable energies. So maybe we will soon be purchasing electricity “Made in Morocco”.
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