Spain started shipping gas to Morocco

Spain, for the first time, began transporting gas to The Kingdom of Morocco Through the Maghreb-European gas pipeline (GME), ensuring that it is not Algerian gas, while Algeria has no longer supplied GME to Spain since the end of October 2021 against the background of a diplomatic crisis.

“On the basis of working relations and good neighborliness, yesterday [mardi] The first shipment of LNG was made via the Maghreb gas pipeline [gaz naturel liquéfié] It was previously acquired by Morocco in international markets and landed in a Spanish gas-to-gas regasification plant”Sources from the Spanish Ministry of Environmental Transformation told AFP.

Spain had announced in February that it would re-export gas to Morocco through the greater Middle East region, which Algeria has no longer supplied to Spain through Moroccan territory since the end of October 2021 due to a diplomatic crisis over Western Sahara. “The certification process ensures that this gas [acheminé d’Espagne vers le Maroc] not of Algerian originThe same source told AFP.

Algeria had threatened in April to terminate its contract to supply gas to Spain if Madrid were to supply Algeria with gas to a third destinationin an implicit reference to Morocco.

A year of diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Rabat

Enagás, director of the Spanish gas network, has a mission “Check the origin of the LNG carrier carrying gas” It was purchased by Morocco and after its discharge it issues a certificate with “Relevant data, thus avoiding the export of gas that has not been discharged for this purpose”identified the sources of the Ministry of Environmental Transformation.

But the fact that Spain transported gas through this gas pipeline is only a trifle in the context of the very complex relations with Algeria and Morocco. So Algeria’s reaction will be watched with interest in Madrid.

The Algerian government has been deeply upset with Spain since Socialist Executive Director Pedro Sanchez decided in March to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in order to end nearly a year of diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Rabat.

In response to this shift, Algeria recalled its ambassador to Spain and Sonatrach, the Algerian oil and gas giant, did not rule out raising the prices of gas delivered to Spain.

Algerian authorities also suspended a cooperation treaty with Spain in early June, while a major banking body in Algeria announced restrictions on commercial transactions with Madrid.

Spain’s dependence on Algerian gas has decreased significantly since the GME shutdown, but nearly a quarter of the gas imported by Spain still came from Algeria in the first quarter, compared to more than 40% in 2021, according to the director of the GME. Spanish gas network. This gas is delivered to Spain by the Algerian oil and gas giant Sonatrach via the Medgaz undersea gas pipeline that connects the two countries directly.