ONEE Launches Geotechnical Studies for New HVDC Corridor

Morocco's National Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE) has launched geotechnical studies for its planned Sud-Centre HVDC link, a 1,440km high-voltage direct current corridor that will connect Oued Lakraa in the south of the country to Médiouna, near Casablanca. The line is designed to carry up to 3 gigawatts (GW) of electricity and ranks among the most ambitious projects on Morocco's national transmission network.

The study programme, overseen by ONEE's Directorate of DC Links and International Interconnections, is being carried out in two phases. The first covers the two planned converter stations at Oued Lakraa and Médiouna, each occupying around 18 hectares, and is scheduled for completion within one month.

The second phase covers the full transmission corridor, split into three sections: Oued Lakraa–Tan-Tan (550km), Tan-Tan–Marrakech (576km) and Marrakech–Médiouna (312km). Geotechnical investigations along these sections are expected to take four months.

Engineering teams will carry out a detailed review of existing topographic and geological data before conducting a borehole survey campaign along the route. The investigations will measure soil cohesion, mechanical resistance, internal friction angle and electrical resistivity, with additional boreholes planned in areas with particular geological characteristics. The results will be used to identify risks of settlement, erosion, landslides and scour, informing the foundation design for the transmission towers and converter stations.

The Sud-Centre link is intended to transport electricity generated by wind and solar projects in Morocco's southern provinces to the country's main demand centres, supporting grid stability and the integration of renewable energy. It forms part of the wider development of Morocco's transmission network to meet the country's energy transition targets.

The project has previously been structured as a public-private partnership. In May 2025, ONEE signed a memorandum of understanding with the Moroccan government and a consortium comprising Taqa Morocco, Nareva and the Mohammed VI Investment Fund (FM6I), under which the consortium will finance and oversee construction of the line while ONEE operates it as part of the national grid. Under associated power purchase agreements, ONEE has also committed to buying electricity from an additional 1,200 MW of wind capacity to be developed by the consortium and fed into the national grid via the new HVDC line.