Xlinks
Sam Mercer is a seasoned professional in project management and procurement, currently serving as a Senior Project Manager at Xlinks since December 2022. Previously, Sam held senior project management roles at Thames Water, overseeing major capital projects and developing commercial and procurement strategies for complex infrastructure initiatives from August 2017 to December 2022. Prior experience includes managing contracts for National Grid, with responsibilities that encompassed overseeing the NSN Link Interconnector and facilitating business development for HVDC interconnectors. Sam's earlier career includes significant roles in automotive supply, from Senior Buyer at Jaguar Land Rover to Sales Engineer positions in automotive technology firms. Sam holds a Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Newcastle University and has additional qualifications in purchasing and supply chain management as well as health and safety.
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Xlinks
The Xlinks' Morocco - UK Power Project will provide reliable sustainable energy to the UK at a subsidy-free price. Locating solar generation in the Sahara produces high levels of energy throughout the year, which when combined with battery energy storage offers dispatchable clean energy. 4,000km of sub-sea HVDC cable will connect the power to the UK's Transmission Network where it will flow to consumers across the country. As the cost of Wind and Solar in the UK continues to decreases more energy will come from sustainable sources. This is vital to the UK achieving the ambitious carbon reduction targets that are enshrined in our law. However, Wind and Solar generation in the UK is intermittent, not just on a daily basis which can be balanced with storage, but also on a weekly and seasonal basis. This issue will become exacerbated over the next 15 years as more of the dirty fossil fuel power stations are decommissioned. Not only will the Xlinks' Morocco - UK Power Project provide affordable, clean energy it will also enable more Wind and Solar generation to be built in the UK, moving us close to a zero-carbon, low-cost energy network. Once complete, the Project’s wind and solar generation, combined with flexible battery storage, is expected to supply 3.6 gigawatts (GW) of affordable, reliable, and clean power and deliver approximately 8% of Britain’s current electricity needs – or the equivalent electricity of seven million homes.