Morocco is planning to build a tender worth US$4.6bn for a natural gas project, which is in line with the country’s strategy to enhance its energy mix and autonomy
While announcing the project, Moroccan Energy Minister Aziz Rabbah said that the natural gas project will involve the construction of a gas processing plant. He further noted that the Moroccan government has already selected the financial and technical consultants for the undertaking.
The project is in line with the country’s initiative to reduce its dependency on imported fossil fuels. The proposed plant is set to generate more than 50 per cent of its energy from the renewable sources by 2030.
Approved in late 2014, the Moroccan LNG National Development Plan includes LNG onshore terminal in Jorf Lasfar. It is scheduled to be completed for a total cost of US$4bn. The terminal is expected to include a storage capacity of five billion cu/m of LNG per year, a fitted marine jetty, regasification plants and new high-pressure gas transmission pipes.
In December 2017, the government formed a draft bill to back up LNG projects in the country. The guidelines aim to establish a tariff system for a natural gas market in Morocco. The draft also focuses on encouraging foreign investors to set up LNG infrastructures, particularly in transmission and distribution networks.
