The Euro-African Energy Bridge: How Subsea Cables Are Rewiring the Mediterranean

Deep beneath the Mediterranean Sea, a quiet revolution in global energy infrastructure is taking shape. For decades, the relationship between Europe and North Africa was defined by the northbound flow of fossil fuels—primarily Algerian and Libyan natural gas. Today, a new generation of infrastructure is being deployed to capture a different resource: the relentless sun and wind of the Sahara and the North African coast.[7]

The mechanism driving this shift is the subsea interconnector—massive, heavily armored cables capable of transmitting electricity across hundreds of miles of ocean floor. According to forecasts by Rystad Energy, North Africa could deliver up to 24 gigawatts (GW) of clean power to Europe via these subsea links by 2035. That is enough electricity to power tens of millions of homes, fundamentally altering the energy security calculus of the European Union.[1]

The most advanced of these initiatives is the ELMED project, a €1 billion joint venture between Italy's grid operator Terna and Tunisia's state-owned STEG. Spanning 200 kilometers across the Strait of Sicily, the cable will connect the Partanna substation in Sicily to the Mlaabi substation near Cape Bon in Tunisia. It marks the first direct electrical link between the European mainland and North Africa.[2][7]

ELMED has rapidly moved from concept to construction. In late 2025, Italian cable manufacturer Prysmian was awarded a €460 million ($532 million) contract to build the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine cable. With specialized vessels like the Monna Lisa preparing to lay the line at depths of up to 800 meters, the 600-megawatt bidirectional link is scheduled for completion by 2028 or 2029.[2][3]

The engineering behind these projects relies entirely on HVDC technology. Traditional alternating current (AC) grids lose significant amounts of power over long distances, especially underwater. HVDC systems solve this by converting AC power to direct current at a massive onshore converter station, shooting it through the subsea cable with minimal loss, and then converting it back to AC at the destination. While the converter stations are immensely expensive to build, they make trans-continental power sharing physically possible.[7]

Further east, an even larger conduit is gaining momentum. The GREGY interconnector aims to link Egypt's sprawling renewable energy parks directly to mainland Greece. Promoted by the Copelouzos Group, GREGY is designed to carry a staggering 3,000 megawatts (3 GW) of power. If a final investment decision is reached as expected, the link could be operational by 2031, effectively turning Greece into a primary green energy gateway for the rest of the Balkans and Central Europe.[4]

Egypt is aggressively positioning itself as a regional energy hub to support this export model. The Egyptian government plans to boost its total regional electricity interconnection capacity to 3.9 GW by the end of 2026, upgrading links with Jordan, Iraq, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. By acting as a central node, Egypt can pool renewable generation from across the Middle East and funnel the surplus northward through the GREGY cable.[5]

The economic logic of the Euro-African bridge is rooted in geographic complementarity. Wind power in Europe typically peaks during the dark winter months, while solar generation plummets. Conversely, North Africa enjoys intense, year-round solar irradiance. By linking the two, European grid operators can balance supply fluctuations and mitigate the risk of "Dunkelflaute"—extended periods of dark, still weather where domestic renewables fail to meet demand.[1][7]

Furthermore, importing this power is projected to be highly cost-effective. Studies commissioned for the GREGY project estimate that Egyptian renewable electricity could arrive in Greece at €55 to €62 per megawatt-hour. This is roughly €20 per MWh cheaper than Greece's current domestic wholesale market prices, offering a substantial competitive advantage to European industries struggling with high energy costs.[4]

However, the path to a Mediterranean mega-grid is not without friction. The sheer scale of these projects introduces significant financial and political risks. The most prominent cautionary tale is the Xlinks Morocco-UK Power Project, an audacious plan to lay 4,000 kilometers of twin cables from the Moroccan desert all the way to Devon, England, bypassing mainland Europe entirely to deliver 3.6 GW of power.[6][7]

Despite being labeled a project of national significance, Xlinks hit a major roadblock in mid-2025. The UK government, citing budgetary constraints and the technical risks of the unprecedented cable length, declined to sign a 25-year "Contract for Difference"—a mechanism that would have guaranteed a fixed price for the imported electricity. Without that state-backed revenue certainty, Xlinks was forced to pause its planning application and seek alternative financing models.[6]

The Xlinks setback highlights the central vulnerability of trans-continental grid projects: they require immense upfront capital—often exceeding $20 billion for the largest iterations—and rely on the shifting political winds of multiple sovereign governments. Furthermore, the global supply chain for HVDC cables is severely constrained. Rystad Energy warns that global demand for subsea cables could exceed 75,000 kilometers by 2030, vastly outstripping the current manufacturing capacity of European firms.[1][6]

Despite these hurdles, the momentum heavily favors integration. The European Union has designated both ELMED and GREGY as "Projects of Common Interest," unlocking hundreds of millions of euros in grants from the Connecting Europe Facility. The World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have also stepped in with substantial loan packages, viewing the infrastructure as vital for both European decarbonization and African economic development.[2][4]

For North African nations, the cables represent a lucrative new export industry that doesn't rely on depleting finite resources. Tunisia, which currently generates 94% of its electricity from gas, is using the ELMED project as a catalyst to attract foreign investment into its own nascent solar sector, aiming for 35% domestic renewable generation by 2030.[2][7]

Ultimately, the Mediterranean is transitioning from a barrier into a bridge. As the first specialized vessels begin laying the ELMED cable, they are proving that the technical and diplomatic challenges of linking continents can be overcome. The resulting grid will be larger, more resilient, and fundamentally greener than anything that has existed before.[2][7]