French oil and gas company TotalEnergies has acquired a minority stake worth USD 25 mn in the Xlinks Morocco-UK interconnector project, according to a statement. The company joins Britain's Octopus Energy Group and the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) in helping fund the project to “support the development of such a pioneering and ambitious endeavor,” the statement notes.

Who’s paying what: Xlinks secured GBP 25 mn in funding from the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and GBP 5 mn from UK-based energy supplier and renewables investor Octopus Energy for the project back in April.

The latest in a string of support: State-owned development agency Scottish Enterprise also pledged GBP 9 mn in funds to help connect Morocco and Britain’s energy grids for the project this month, while German energy consultancy Conenergy also invested an undisclosed sum in the project under a “financial and strategic partnership” last year.

REFRESHER- The Xlinks interconnector project will lay 3.8k km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable to eventually transport 3.6 GW of renewable energy — nearly 8% of the UK’s current requirements — from a 10.5 GW solar and wind farm in Morocco’s Guelmim-Oued Noun region to Britain’s power grid in Devon.

This should help the project’s timetable stay on track: The project was expected to be fully operational at its complete 10.5 GW capacity in 2030, but has seen much delay raising the question of whether the company will stick to the initial timeline set last year.