2023-07-14 22:29:16
Morocco takes an important step in its energy supply by signing a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply agreement with Shell International Trading Middle East Limited FZE.
This agreement will be spread over a period of twelve years and provides for the delivery of an annual quantity of 0.5 billion cubic meters of LNG to Morocco.
According to the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, this agreement provides for initial supply through Spanish ports and the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline, before considering delivery via future Moroccan LNG terminals. The Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, underlines that this signature marks Morocco’s entry into the international LNG market in 2022, thanks to exemplary cooperation with neighboring countries. She also claims that this agreement will strengthen the Kingdom’s energy security and support Morocco’s decarbonization strategy.
De facto, Morocco is committed to the decarbonization of its energy sectors, in particular that of electricity. Increasing the share of renewables in the national electricity mix requires greater flexibility and access to competitive, low-carbon fuels, such as natural gas. ONEE, the National Office for Electricity and Drinking Water, thus forecasts more than 2 GW of gas-fired power plants under development.
In this sense, the Director General of ONEE, Abderrahim El Hafidi, welcomed the signing of this agreement, stressing that it is ONEE’s first medium-term purchase contract on the market. international LNG. He said, in this sense, that this agreement will meet part of Morocco’s needs and guarantee the supply of natural gas for the country’s power plants. Natural gas plays an essential role in Morocco’s energy mix by providing the flexibility needed to compensate for the massive integration of renewable energies into the electricity system.
Mehdi Chennoufi, Director of Global Origination at Shell LNG Marketing and Trading, expressed his satisfaction at working with ONEE to supply LNG to Morocco and meet the country’s growing gas demand. He also underlined that LNG offers a flexible and reliable source of energy, playing a crucial role in the energy transition.
This twelve-year LNG supply agreement marks a significant step forward for Morocco in its quest to diversify and secure its energy supply. It paves the way for enhanced cooperation between Morocco and Shell, thus contributing to the transition to a more sustainable energy economy.
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