Morocco and Nigeria are to create a joint venture company to manage a $25 bill pipeline, which will transport gas to Europe, a Moroccan Minister has confirmed.
Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, told the Moroccon parliament that a floating gas storage terminal would also be built at the Mediterranean port of Nador.
She claimed that the project has “made considerable progress” and had entered the execution stage, adding that feasibility and engineering studies have been completed.
In her comments, published on Facebook and in Morocco’s press this week, Benali said the 5,300 km pipeline’s route had been determined and that bids would be invited shortly to develop an FSRU project at Nador.
This project, part of an agreement signed by Morocco and Nigeria in 2017, will transport nearly 30 bill cu m of natural gas per year to Morocco and then onto Europe via Spain.
The Nador terminal will tap into an existing pipeline that Morocco uses to import 0.5 bill cu m of gas from Spanish terminals, she said.
It will also be linked to industrial zones near the northwestern Atlantic cities of Kenitra and Mohammedia.
The FSRU will be moored in the currently under-construction deepwater Nador West Med port.
Around 5,300 km will be built from Nigeria to Dhakia in Morocco and 1,700 km from Dhakia to northern Morocco.
It will cross several African countries, including the Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Senegal and terminate in Morocco with a spur to Spain.
Morocco’s Arabic language daily Hespress quoted local officials as saying in late 2024 that the country and Nigeria could turn to oil-rich Middle East Gulf countries to fund the gas pipeline project after it failed to garner enough interest from Europe.
Morocco is looking to natural gas to diversify energy sources away from coal, and is also pushing ahead with its renewable energy plan aiming to reach 52% of total installed capacity before 2030, from 45% currently.
Morocco's natural gas needs are expected to increase to 8 bill cu m in 2027 from 1bill currently, according to Ministry estimates, Reuters had reported. (April 24, 2025, Source: https://lngjournal.com/index.php/latest-news-mainmenu-47/item/113436-gas-pipeline-to-connect-nigeria-with-europe-via-an-fsru)
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