Morocco’s Natural Gas Reserves Attract Global Energy Giants for Exploration

Morocco is attracting international companies specializing in gas exploration due to its strong potential in natural gas distributed across several sedimentary basins, both onshore and offshore, and its potential in the Atlantic offshore. This is evidenced by Chariot’s discoveries in northern Morocco; the interest of giants like Exxon Mobil, Hunt Oil, and NewMed, in addition to Chariot Oil & Gas, for Moroccan offshore in the south of the kingdom; the significant gas discovery in Gharb, the first gas site discovered in North Africa; the strong potential of the historic Essaouira basin active since the 1980s; and the campaigns conducted by ONHYM and Sound Energy in the Tendrara basin located in the northeast of the kingdom and considered the new gas eldorado.

The national territory is also full of other basins on active standby, specifies the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) in an interview given to Le Matin. These include the basins of Zag, Boudenib, Missour, Doukkala, Tadla, and Guercif. In Guercif, it is the Predator company that is piloting exploration drilling. "The mapping of resources is being refined, awaiting commercial confirmations," it is indicated. While the national gas sector is capital-intensive and high-risk, it is crucial for energy sovereignty, ONHYM estimates.

What about partnerships? As part of the strategic partnership between Taqa Morocco and Nareva, in consortium with the Mohammed VI Investment Fund, 130 billion dirhams will be used to develop water and electricity transport infrastructures, in collaboration with the Moroccan government and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE). On May 19, the signing of three partnerships was effective during a ceremony. And the projects? We can mention, among others, the development of desalination stations powered exclusively by renewable energies and a 1,400 km high-voltage power line connecting the south and the center of the kingdom.