The Desertec project to export solar and wind energy produced in the Sahara Desert to Europe has been off the front pages for some time, but according to recent reports it has not been abandoned.
"This very good idea to produce electricity from sites where solar energy resources are abundant, was not abandoned but the project was not technically feasible and its cost was estimated very high (€400 billion), Adnan Amin, the director of the International Renewable Energy Agency told TAP news agency.
The delays in the implementation of the project, according to Annan, was due to the project being seen as more favorable to the EU market than to the countries who would be producing the wind and solar power.
One of the components of the project that is planned to be established in Tunisia provides for injecting $1.6 billion into the construction of 100 km of underwater power lines connecting the country to Malta. A second network of submarine cables will also connect the country to Italy and a third is currently being studied to export energy to France.