North Africa power interconnectors emerge as new energy link to Europe

As Europe looks to diversify energy supplies and reduce carbon intensity, electricity interconnections and grid development across North Africa are gaining traction alongside traditional oil and gas trade.

For decades, Europe’s energy relationship with North Africa has centered on hydrocarbons, including Algerian pipeline gas, Libyan oil and LNG exports from across the Mediterranean. Increasingly, however, electricity is emerging as a complementary link, driven by expanding renewable capacity, grid upgrades and new cross-border infrastructure.

A key project is the ELMED interconnector, a planned subsea cable linking Tunisia and Sicily. The 220-km, high-voltage line is expected to transmit up to 600 MW of power in both directions, supporting integration between North African and European electricity markets and enabling exports during periods of surplus generation.

Libya is also drawing attention as a potential contributor to a broader regional power corridor. While its electricity sector remains largely domestic, discussions with neighboring Algeria and Tunisia have explored linking national grids as part of a wider North African transmission network that could ultimately connect to Europe.

With significant natural gas resources and gas-fired generation capacity, Libya could supply stable baseload power, complemented by growing renewable development. Targeted investment in grid modernization and transmission infrastructure would be required to support cross-border exports.

Rather than replacing LNG exports, electricity trade is expected to complement them. Gas developments across Africa, including projects in Mozambique, Senegal-Mauritania and Nigeria, continue to strengthen the continent’s role in global LNG markets, while power interconnections offer an additional pathway for energy delivery.

For European buyers navigating volatile markets and geopolitical risk, this combination of LNG supply and electricity imports provides diversification across both fuels and delivery systems.

The emerging opportunity is expected to be a focus at the upcoming Invest in African Energy Forum in Paris, where policymakers, utilities and investors will assess new cross-border infrastructure and generation projects.

While electricity trade between North Africa and Europe remains in an early stage, momentum is building. If current interconnector and grid initiatives progress as planned, the Mediterranean energy corridor could expand beyond pipelines and LNG shipping routes to include large-scale power transmission.

Photo: Divers work to lay an electrical cable on the seabed. Image courtesy of the ELMED Project.