Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- Morocco has witnessed a record surge in its gas imports from Spain, accumulating a staggering 88 million cubic feet per day (cfd) in May 2023. This draws the imports nearer to the pivotal threshold of 100-110 million cfd, a volume that formerly the Tahaddart and Aïn Béni Mathar plants in Morocco procured from Algeria, prior to its decision to cease exports to the kingdom in November 2021.
According to Moroccan officials, gas imports from Spain will surpass in the near future previous Algerian supply levels.
Spain commenced its gas delivery scheme to Morocco in late June 2022, a move facilitated by the flow reversal in the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (GME). This pipeline, since its inception in 1996 until it was suspended in October 2021, had been instrumental in transporting Algerian gas to Europe through Morocco.
This strategic shift in gas routing was influenced by the prevailing geopolitical situation in the region. After Algiers severed its diplomatic ties with Rabat in August 2021, Spain seized the opportunity and crafted a historic alliance with Morocco in March 2022. The move triggered the wrath of the Algerian administration, and in retaliation, Algeria drastically curtailed its gas exports to Spain.
The Moroccan Times.
