[jodrellblank]

UK is currently generating 30GW from all sources[1], so 10GW is a third of the national power requirement. Germany has just had a hard lesson in having significant energy dependency on Russia. Morocco is UK's 61st largest trading partner[2].

Morocco isn't Russia, but handing your life support to a distant and culturally different country in a less stable world region with limited history of partnership (European colonisation until the 1950s) seems daft. I mean, compared to building nuclear power inside UK territory and wind farms off shore of the UK. For national security reasons if not environmental ones.

[1] https://www.energydashboard.co.uk/live

[2] https://abmec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-02-Moro...

[Grimburger]

> handing your life support to a distant and culturally different country

As horrible as it sounds, Morocco isn't a nuclear power and would be crushed in an afternoon by UK armed forces while western media across the planet creates a hundred different justifications and the world's diplomats send their congratulations for neutralising the energy terrorists because they couldn't care less what happens to them.

This is a completely different situation wrt to Germany <-> Russia

[recuter]

Morocco is surprisingly well armed due to the ongoing conflict with their nemesis Algeria.

> Morocco isn't a nuclear power and would be crushed in an afternoon by UK

> This is a completely different situation wrt to Germany <-> Russia

The irony is palpable. Yes, the UK would probably get a "win" but not in an afternoon and this energy project would be destroyed - rather pointless.

You could just have coal reserves on standby and contingency energy deals with France.

[jodrellblank]

Realistically though is the UK going to invade Morocco if Morocco gets into a war with {nearby country} and the solar plants are disabled in the fighting? Would the UK be forced to send peacekeeper forces into a former French and Spanish colony, and how would that play out? Is the UK going to invade Morocco over a 10% price hike? A 20% one?

[sudosysgen]

That is not true. The UK doesn't have the force projection capability to do that to Morocco, which is a US ally. The UK would get hammered in an attempt to terrorise Morocco.

The only remotely conceivable way that the UK would have of projecting significant power onto the Moroccan mainland is by trying to foment a civil war. Otherwise they would not get anything out of it.

If the US even allowed the UK to do such a foolish thing, it would be disastrous long-term for the whole of Europe. Completely alienating and breaking off with North Africa means that Europe is now completely surrounded with unfriendly countries.

[axg11]

This is false. Not that it matters to the wider argument but UK has plenty of power projection capabilities to mount an offensive in Morocco.

Morocco is even within reasonable distance for the UK to run sorties from UK air bases, let alone including aircraft carriers, cruise missile attacks from submarines, etc.

[sudosysgen]

It really isn't. The UK has very little in the way of power projection. Sure they could lob a few bombs and fire a few cruise missiles, that's not going to make the Moroccan government turn on solar power. All it will do is make them and the Moroccan people very, very angry.

If you want to take a country's resources by force, there is no option short of a ground campaign. Without a civil war in Morocco (that the UK couldn't make happen even if they tried), there is no way for them to put boots on the ground. The only way would be to cut a deal with Algeria or Mauritania for a ground invasion (not happening!), or to stage some kind of amphibious landing.

I thought that by now people would have understood that you can't win a war through air power only.

[gnfargbl]

I don't think we will actually be getting 10GW net from this. The article itself claims that the project will

> deliver 3.6GW of reliable energy

and

> be capable of supplying 8 percent of Great Britain’s electricity needs

...from which I assume they're projecting a total energy consumption of about 3.6/0.08 = 45GW in 2030.

[nyokodo]

> Morocco isn't Russia, but handing your life support to a distant and culturally different country… seems daft.

Perhaps, but making yourself a vital part of keeping the lights on for a country with a brutal colonial history within living memory, a much more capable military, and a military base 36 miles from Tangier… seems even more daft.

[wewxjfq]

> Germany has just had a hard lesson in having significant energy dependency on Russia.

The UK can't quit Russian oil, coal, and gas any faster than Germany - that should teach you a lesson.

[gizajob]

The UK isn't dependent on Russian gas though and isn't connected to it. It's reliance on Russian oil is very limited outside of a source of Diesel. Can't imagine it takes a great deal of Russian coal either, given its large coal fields it doesn't bother to use.