Chinese Giant CCCC in Running for Morocco’s First Floating Regasification Unit

China Communications Construction Co (CCCC) participated in the Call for Expressions of Interest (AMI) launched by the Ministry of Energy as part of the project to build Morocco’s first floating regasification unit (FSRU, for Floating Storage and Regasification Unit), reports Africa Intelligence.

To read: Survey: Half of Moroccans Welcome Increased Chinese Investment

"Among the twenty or so candidates who responded to the call for expressions of interest closed on October 25 by the new Minister of Energy, Leila Benali, is a consortium led by one of CCCC’s subsidiaries, China Road & Bridge Corp (CRBC)," the same source adds, stating that this consortium is made up of CCCC Third Harbour, specialized in port infrastructure, and the Shanghai-based company Wison Engineering, specialized in the petrochemical industry.

The Energy Department, then led by Aziz Rabbah, had launched the AMI in April 2021 for the realization of this project which should allow Morocco to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) by sea and to regasify it before its distribution to industrial customers and to the power plants of the National Office of Electricity and Water (ONEE).

To read: Chinese Investors Visit Morocco to Finalize Tanger Tech City Project Financing

The construction of a floating regasification unit off the Moroccan coast is a response to the closure of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME) by Algeria on October 31, leading to the shutdown of the Ain Beni Mathar and Tahaddart power plants. Leila Benali’s department plans to launch the tender as early as next June. But in the meantime, it is working to "finalize the choice of the port that will host the FSRU floating unit, between Mohammedia, Nador West Med (under construction) and Kenitra".

It should be recalled that CCCC had already won an important project in Morocco in 2019. This is the Tanger Tech city development project.