Faced with the uncertainty surrounding the renewal of the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME) contract, Morocco is active in the construction of a station to transform liquefied gas into natural gas. In this sense, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development has extended the duration of the call for tenders launched on March 23, 2021.
José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, says that Algeria did not reassure him about the renewal of the contract on the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline during his official visit to Algeria at the end of September.
Spain is in difficulty following the Algerian decision not to renew the contract on the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline crossing Morocco. The latter has already anticipated all scenarios regarding the future of the GME.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Thursday that Algeria had assured him of the "continuity of supply" of gas, despite the rupture of relations with Morocco.
Morocco risks encountering difficulties in securing gas supplies on October 31, the date on which the concession contract for the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline expires. The kingdom is already looking for an alternative with Spain.
Algeria remains Spain’s main supplier of natural gas, with 50% of imports as of the end of July 2021. But this Algerian hegemony would be threatened by the political tensions between Algiers and Rabat, and especially by the non-renewal of the concession contract for the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME) which expires at the end of October.
The Algerian decision not to renew the contract on the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline crossing Morocco and connecting Algeria to Spain will not have a significant impact on Rabat. This is at least what a diplomatic source claims, assuring that the kingdom had prepared for all eventualities concerning the future of the GME.
Algeria has decided not to renew the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline through which Spain is supplied with natural gas. For its part, [Morocco had previously stated that it would not block the GME file. The non-renewal of this contract, which expires on October 31, could benefit Israel.
Spain is concerned about Algeria’s intention to renounce the gas pipeline that has been supplying it for twenty years via Morocco. Moreover, the Iberian peninsula fears the huge loss that the three countries would suffer if the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline is not renewed after October 31, the date of its expiration.
Following the severance of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Algeria , José Manuel Albares, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed his country’s desire to contribute to a climate of calm, tranquility and good neighborliness in the western Mediterranean.
The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, assured on Monday that his country’s gas supply "is guaranteed" despite the breakdown of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Algeria.
Algeria, which has severed its relations with Morocco , has opted to end the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline. During a meeting with Spanish ambassador Fernando Moran at the headquarters of his ministerial department, Algerian Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab reiterated his country’s "total commitment" to "cover all of Spain’s natural gas supplies through Medgaz".