The man who successfully led one of the biggest supermarkets back to market leadership is now spearheading the solution to an even bigger challenge: establishing Great Britain as a clean energy superpower.
Sir Dave Lewis is chair of two separate UK-based organisations that will both play a critical role in the government’s net zero plans: Xlinks and XLCC.
The first, Xlinks, is behind the Morocco-UK Power Project, which will supply millions of homes with renewable energy generated in North Africa and transported via 4,000km of subsea cables.
Reliable, affordable and clean power from the province of Tan-Tan in Morocco will be delivered exclusively to Great Britain via a dedicated intercontinental cable route, in a similar fashion to how the fibre-optic network wraps around the globe. Once complete, the project will be capable of providing 8 per cent of Great Britain’s current electricity needs.
Research by AFRY – a world-leading supplier of engineering, design and advisory services – shows it will significantly reduce, as well as stabilise, wholesale electricity prices, by reducing reliance on imported gas.
“Why wouldn’t you?” is Sir Dave’s simple answer when asked why he has involved himself with the project. “Yes, it could be seen as ambitious because of the scale, but the fact of the matter is, we are using tried-and-tested solar, wind, battery and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable technology to unleash a massive clean energy opportunity. It’s important to realise we aren’t dismissing the renewable sources available in the UK. Solar and wind generated here is exceptionally valuable.”
Sir Dave added: “However, the sun and wind in the UK is intermittent, with long periods – sometimes weeks at a time – when they generate almost no electricity. That’s why we must think ‘one world, one grid’ – the sun is always shining and wind is always blowing somewhere.”
The project is consistent with Morocco’s energy export strategy. Both the Moroccan government and King Mohammed VI recognise the value of the country’s wind and solar resources and have great ambition to export such renewable power to Europe.
Xlinks will also create thousands of jobs in Morocco both during construction and once the project is in operation. “Hence the generation site is based in Morocco: the country has twice the solar intensity of the UK and 20 per cent more than Spain, alongside consistent trade winds, which come up as the sun sets,” said Sir Dave.
“Additionally, Morocco is already leading the world in renewable energy and the project builds on a trading relationship between Morocco and the UK that goes back centuries. We’re building on an incredibly strong foundation. “The project is essential to Great Britain’s net zero transition – complementing UK-generated clean power – both in terms of the 2030 mission and beyond, with demand for electricity set to grow massively here and globally in the decade ahead.”
XLCC, a separate entity chaired by Sir Dave, is on a mission to combat the severe global – and worsening – shortage of HVDC cable, with the construction of the world’s largest HVDC cable factory at Hunterston, a former industrial heartland in Scotland.
Full planning permission has been granted, and XLCC is in talks with operators to connect offshore wind projects and enable vital network reinforcement. Its strategic plan is closely aligned with the government’s agenda. It will drive better value into the supply chain; stimulate green industrial development; deliver around 900 highly skilled jobs; and attract significant private investment into the UK.
XLCC is also a potential supplier for the Morocco-UK Power Project. “There is a significant and increasing global supply bottleneck for HVDC cable, with demand expected to outstrip supply from next year,” said Sir Dave. “This is why XLCC is a critical enabler of the green energy transition, not just for Great Britain, but for the world.”
He added: “Such a bottleneck adds cost and time to the transition – this simply cannot continue, particularly as Great Britain’s electricity demand is predicted to increase by 20 per cent by 2030, and another 23 per cent by 2035… It is clear that net zero is not a static goal.”
This increase will be driven by electrification and fast-growing sectors like AI and EVs. The Economist predicts around 60 per cent of all vehicles will be electric by as soon as 2030. And while many renewable projects face significant barriers in their delivery process around grid connections and investment, Xlinks’ Morocco-UK Power Project does not.
It has two connections in North Devon agreed with National Grid; the project brings a strike price of £70-£80 per MWh, bringing not just reliable, but affordable clean power into the market; and best of all, it is market ready and requires no government investment.
Interest from across the industry has been plentiful. “The only way the UK can get to net zero emissions is to electrify as much as possible and to produce all our electricity in a zero-carbon fashion,” said Lord Adair Turner, chair of the Energy Transitions Commission. “Across the world, countries are thinking about the role of long-distance, high-capacity (HVDC) lines. Some of those will be within countries – like from the west of China over to the big sources of demand in the east. Some will be within the US, but some will be international.”
Lord Turner added: “The basic theme is that we will want to connect different parts of the world, different geographies, with HVDC lines – it’s something that is going to be a significant part of getting to net zero across the world, and Xlinks is one of the first projects pushing that as fast as possible.”
Xlinks, founded by Simon Morrish in 2019, has coalesced a world-class team that has a raft of experience delivering this kind of project, including Paddy Padmanathan (vice-chair, founder and CEO of ACWA Power), James Humfrey (CEO, Morocco-UK Power Project, ex-Shell and ADNOC) and Nigel Williams (project director, HVDC, ex-National Grid). Its board includes the great and the good from across the industry, such as Sir Ian Davis (Rolls-Royce, Johnson & Johnson, McKinsey) and Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus, one of Xlinks’ investors. Other investors include TAQA, TotalEnergies, GE Vernova and AFC.
XLCC is headed up by an exceptionally experienced and specialist team, including CEO Ian Douglas. His extensive career includes a decade-long tenure as CEO of Global Marine Group and, alongside his leadership roles, he has served on the boards of multiple prominent companies in the subsea-cable and marine space, including CWind, HMN Tech, SB Submarine Systems and NTT World Engineering Marine. With the desire to revolutionise the energy landscape, and leading the boards of two very able companies, it’s no wonder Sir Dave responds to any question over his involvement in the energy industry with: “Why wouldn’t you?”
This article first appeared in our print Spotlight report on Sustainability, first published on 8 November. Read it here.
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