Morocco announced on Tuesday, July 5, the return to service of two large power plants thanks to liquefied natural gas (LNG) transported from Spain via the Maghreb Europe (GME) gas pipeline, after Algiers’ decision to no longer supply the kingdom with gas.
“The Kingdom of Morocco ensures its natural gas supply by concluding LNG purchase contracts on the international market and by using the gas infrastructures of Spanish operators and the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline”according to a statement from the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) and the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM).
This LNG will be used in particular to restart the gas stations of Tahaddart and Aîn Béni Mathar, in northern Morocco, formerly supplied by Algerian gas.
From now on, the supply of the two power stations – which provide between 10% and 17% of national electricity production, according to local media – is “provided by the GME via the Morocco-Spain gas interconnection operating in reverse flow mode”the statement said.
“Good neighborly relations”
The delivery of gas to Morocco began on June 28 “on the basis of commercial relations and good neighbourliness”had told AFP sources from the Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition, assuring that it was not Algerian gas.
Algeria had threatened in April to break its contract to supply gas to Spain if Madrid were to ship Algerian gas “to a third destination”an implicit reference to Morocco.
At the end of October 2021, Algiers had decided not to renew the GME contract against the backdrop of escalating tensions between the two Maghreb neighbors around the thorny issue of Western Sahara. Since then, Rabat has sought to diversify avenues to cover its needs.
At the end of November, the British company Sound Energy and ONEE signed an agreement to supply natural gas from the Tendrara concession (east). Sound Energy is committed to producing and delivering to the country up to 350 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas per year, over a period of ten years.
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