FG, Morocco to expedite gas pipeline project
The Federal Government has begun talks with the Kingdom of Morocco to fast-track the process of achieving the Final Investment Decision on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline,
The discussion was held on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a meeting between Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo and Leila Benali, the Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development.
This is contained in a statement signed by Olufemi Soneye, chief corporate communications officer of Nigeria’s oil company.
It said that the discussion focused on how to drive the partnership between the two countries to accelerate the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project, in line with the Memorandums of Understanding they signed in Abuja in 2022.
The Cooperation Agreement for the 48” x 5,300Km pipeline from Nigeria to Dhakia in Morocco and 1,700km from Dhakia to Northern Morocco, was signed in 2017.
It has the capacity of providing 30 billion cubic meter per year, equivalent of 3.0 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day.
The pipeline will go through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and terminate in Morocco, with a spur to Spain.
“Due to the international nature of the project, the ECOWAS Commission is saddled with the responsibility to, among other things, facilitate inter-governmental treaty and host government agreements, establishment of Pipeline Higher Authority, and alignment with AU, UN and other relevant international bodies.
“The project, among other things, will help drive the monetisation of Nigeria’s gas resources, maintain NNPC Ltd.’s energy leadership in Africa, and promote economic and regional cooperation among African Countries,” the statement added.
The meeting was anchored by Olalekan Ogunleye, NNPC Ltd.’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power and New Energy, and Mme Amina Benkhadra, Director General of Morocco National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines.
