Spain commissions studies on Morocco-Europe undersea tunnel; completion unlikely before 2040

Spain’s Transport Ministry has commissioned new technical and financial studies for the long-discussed undersea tunnel linking Morocco and Spain, though experts caution the project is unlikely to be operational before 2040, Spanish media reported.

The state-owned company EniCo has been tasked with conducting a financial feasibility study to assess passenger and freight flows, identify possible terminal locations in Algeciras or Tarifa, and explore private-sector funding options similar to the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France. The €350,000 study will be financed through the European Union’s NextGenerationEU program.

According to La Razón, the project, on hold for more than 14 years, was officially relaunched in April 2023, when Spain and Morocco revived talks that had been stalled for over a decade.

Funding for Secegsa, the Spanish public company overseeing feasibility studies, has since increased from just €100,000 in 2022 to more than €4.7 million in 2024, with support from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Engineers have selected the so-called “Camarinal Sill” route, which runs about 300 meters beneath the seabed, as a technically less complex option compared with deeper alternatives.

Two major studies are now underway: a geotechnical analysis of the Camarinal Sill by Herrenknecht Ibérica, the Spanish arm of the German tunnel-boring machine manufacturer, and a seismic risk assessment by Tekpam Ingeniería to examine how the area would respond to tectonic activity. Work on these assessments is expected to conclude by September 2025.

The project’s final cost has yet to be determined, but estimates range between €15 billion and €30 billion. Analysts say sustained public and private investment will be crucial for its viability.

Meanwhile, AS reported that British telecom giant Vodafone has secured a two-year, €24,000 annual contract to provide voice and data services for the joint Spanish-Moroccan planning team.

The deal includes high-speed gigabit connectivity, secure VPN infrastructure, enterprise services, and round-the-clock monitoring with capacity for a 50% expansion in network demand.

Even under the most optimistic scenario, however, Spanish outlets caution that the tunnel will not be operational before 2040. La Razón described the project timeline as “ambitious but cautious.”