Spain Boosts Gas Exports to Morocco, Defying Algerian Pressure

Spain is in crisis with Algeria, one of its main suppliers of natural gas, since it expressed its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara. Algeria had already unilaterally closed the Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline connecting it to Spain via Morocco.

In search of alternatives to this situation, Morocco has agreed with Spain to transport gas via the GME in the reverse direction. Concretely, Morocco buys liquefied natural gas on international markets, has it transformed in the regasification plants in Spain before shipping it to its territory, recalls Libre Mercado.

Algeria had threatened Spain to break its gas contracts if it sent a molecule of its gas to Morocco. Spain had then reassured Algeria that its gas would not go to Morocco. More than a year after the launch of these shipments, Spain has multiplied by seven the volume of natural gas sent to Morocco, which now represents 10% of the gas it imports from Algeria via the Medgaz, the pipeline that directly connects it to Algeria.

According to official data, the volume of natural gas transported to Morocco reached 880 GWh/month in September 2023, compared to 123 GWh/month in September 2022. During this time, Spain imported 8,009 GWh/month from Algeria. In other words, gas shipments to Morocco account for more than a tenth of Spain’s gas imports from Algeria.