Inspenet, July 20, 2023.
The oil company Shell has signed an agreement with Morocco to supply 500 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) over the next twelve years. In the first years, the LNG will be transported from Spanish ports to Morocco through the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (GME). Subsequently, regasification plants will be established in Morocco that will allow the direct transport of LNG.
[post_relacionado]Previously, the GME was used to transport Algerian natural gas to Spain through Moroccan territory, but it was closed in 2021 due to the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Algeria and Morocco. The pipeline was then used in reverse to transport gas from Spain to Morocco. Now, with this new agreement, the GME will once again play an important role in the supply of LNG to Morocco from Spanish ports.
Agreement for the supply of liquefied natural gas
Shell and the National Office of Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE) have signed an agreement, according to the statement, in which Morocco embarks on a decarbonization process in various sectors, including electricity.
The Moroccan Minister of Energy, Leila Benali, mentions in a statement quoted in the statement that in 2022 her country entered the international LNG market for the first time and adds that this contract “will strengthen the energy security” of Morocco.
“The agreement will allow us to respond to part of our needs and guarantee the supply of natural gas for our plants. Natural gas today is a major component of our electricity mix and supposes the necessary flexibility to compensate for the massive introduction of renewable energies in our electricity system”, says Abderrahim el Hafidi, general director of ONEE, in a statement collected for the note.