Morocco-Nigeria Gas Pipeline Advances with Chinese Steel Deal, Feasibility Studies Complete

According to Vozpópuli, the Chinese steelmaker Jingye will be the supplier of steel for the pipes of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline. The Chinese industrial giant, which produces 15 million tons of steel per year, will build this complex infrastructure with funding from the Islamic Development Bank, the OPEC Fund, the United Arab Emirates, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Morocco hopes to start work on the transatlantic gas pipeline this year, starting from Dakhla.

With a length of about 5,660 kilometers, the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline is the longest in the world. It is expected to pass under the Atlantic Ocean and run along the coast of about fifteen West African countries. This project would allow the Canary Islands to source gas and green hydrogen from Nigeria, one of the archipelago’s main hydrocarbon suppliers.

Rabat wants to accelerate the construction of this gas infrastructure, which would position it as a key energy corridor connecting Europe, Africa, and the Atlantic basin. The construction of the transatlantic gas pipeline will take place in three phases. In the first announced phase, the gas infrastructure will connect Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. It will be connected to Nador where Morocco plans to create an "artificial island" to supply gas to Spain.

With the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline, Russia would see its ability to influence gas trade in the EU diminished. This project will contribute to strengthening cooperation between Morocco and the EU, analyzes Sergey Balmasov, a specialist at the Middle East Institute of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs, recalling that Brussels, in its 2022 European Neighborhood Policy report, affirmed that Morocco is one of its most reliable partners in North Africa in the fields of energy and security.