Morocco and Shell sign LNG deal; regasified cargoes to move by pipe initially

The deal was signed by electricity and water utility ONEE and Shell, a ministry statement said without disclosing financial terms of the transaction.

The gas will be transported from Spanish ports initially using a gas pipeline that links the two countries, until Morocco builds its own LNG terminals, the ministry said.

The LNG will help ONEE operate two power stations in northern and eastern Morocco that used to operate on Algerian gas sent through the same pipeline.

Algeria unilaterally decided in 2021 to halt gas flows to Spain via Morocco through the pipeline. Rabat said it would reverse the flow in 2021 by importing LNG from Spanish terminals.

ONEE is aiming to increase the share of gas in Morocco's electricity mix to meet low-carbon goals, the ministry said.

Renewables represented 18% of Morocco's total electricity production last year while gas accounted for only 1.6% and coal 72%, official figures show.

By March 2023 renewable energy represented 40% of the country's installed capacity, with Morocco planning to increase that to 52% by 2030.

Read the latest issue of World Pipelines magazine for pipeline news, project stories, industry insight and technical articles.

World Pipelines’ July 2023 issue

Here’s a preview of the July 2023 issue of World Pipelines: the keynote article focuses on pipeline activity in South America; technical articles cover compressors, pipeline mapping and welding; and there’s insight into CO2 transport and HDD best practice.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/contracts-and-tenders/28072023/morocco-and-shell-sign-lng-deal-regasified-cargoes-to-move-by-pipe-initially/