Spain already sends gas to Morocco after both countries activate the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline in the middle of the NATO summit

MADRID, 29 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Spain is already sending gas to Morocco through the Strait, coinciding with the NATO summit in Madrid, after both countries activated the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline, closed by Algeria at the end of last year.

Specifically, according to the Enagás website, there are already gas flows to Morocco through Tarifa, with which the gas pipeline opens in reverse for the first time since yesterday.

According to industry sources consulted by Europa Press, there is an exhaustive procedure to guarantee that not one molecule of gas from Algeria passes to Morocco and that the connection will operate with European Union rules, just like the existing interconnections with France and Portugal.

Last week, Morocco reported that it was going to close in the next few days its first contract for the purchase of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) on the international market, which will then be regasified in Spain in accordance with the agreement reached between the two governments after the closing by Algeria of the gas pipeline that supplied the Iberian Peninsula through Alawite territory.

This was revealed in the Moroccan Parliament by the Minister of Energy Transition, Leila Benali, according to the local press. "We have received dozens of offers from international operators in the sector," said the minister, anticipating that "the agreement will be closed this week or the next."

The Spanish government announced in early February that it had agreed to Morocco's request to regasify LNG at existing plants in Spain and send it back to the neighboring country through the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline (GME), closed by Algeria in November.

At the end of April, Algeria threatened Spain with cutting off the natural gas supply contract if part of it ended up in Morocco, a country with which it broke off relations in August, after being officially informed by the Government that it was going to reverse the flow of the GME. The Executive then assured Algiers that Morocco will only receive the LNG that it regasifies in Spain, in no case gas of Algerian origin.