The energy transition minister, Leila Benali, was passing through parliament on Monday. She announced the signing “in a few days, at the latest next week”, of the first contract for the purchase of natural gas on the international market.
In response to an oral question from the USFP group, Benali said that Morocco is preparing to receive the first deliveries of natural gas from the international market.
The call for tenders launched with a view to securing the supply of the thermal power stations (Tahaddart and Ain Beni Mathar) has aroused considerable interest, she noted.
And to explain: “We received dozens of responses. Following an accelerated procedure, the first contract will be signed in the coming days, next week at the latest”.
She also recalled that Morocco’s need for natural gas is around 500 million m3 per year, and this in the short term.
The Minister also affirmed that the interruption of the transport of Algerian gas to Morocco, due to the non-renewal of the contracts of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME), did not affect the production of electricity in the Kingdom.
The gas imported from Algeria was allocated to the production of electricity, and the stoppage of its delivery led to the suspension of the Tihadart and Ain Beni Mathar power stations, without necessarily causing any shortage or insufficiency in meeting the needs in Moroccan electricity.
As a reminder, since last November, Morocco has opened consultations, either with supplier countries or with portfolio managers, to gain access to the international market and secure the Kingdom’s supply of natural gas.
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