Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali told Morocco’s Lower House during the weekly question time on Monday that the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project is a “catalyst for development and regional economic integration, as well as a key driver of connectivity between Africa and Europe.”
Benali gave an overview of the progress to date of the gas pipeline project initiated by King Mohammed VI and former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
She noted that “most of the feasibility studies and technical design have been completed, as well as identifying the optimal route for the pipeline to be connected to the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline.” “On-site evaluation studies and environmental and social impact assessments” are underway.
Benali said that the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project will have an annual capacity of 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas, with a total investment of USD 25 billion. “In 2022 and 2023, several memorandums of understanding were signed for this purpose,” she said.
After the feasibility studies are completed, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be created, and will be “responsible for the financing, construction, and operation of the pipeline,” the minister added.
She also noted that the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline will be constructed in three phases, the first being the “Senegal-Mauritania-Morocco” phase.
The minister also highlighted that a strategic cooperation agreement between Morocco’s ministries of the interior, economy and finance, equipment and water, energy transition, and sustainable development had been signed last March to launch the roadmap for the massive gas infrastructure.