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DUBAI, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Morocco expects to shortlist threecompanies for its new long-term contracts to import liquefiednatural gas (LNG) within the next two weeks, its energy ministersaid on Tuesday.
Morocco is evaluating offers from Royal Dutch Shell as well as French, Spanish and American companies, and plans toimport 2 million tonnes of LNG a year starting in 2020 as partof the first phase of its LNG import plan, Abdelkader Amara toldreporters in Dubai.
"In the first phase it will be 2 million tonnes, and thesecond step will be from 3.5 to 4 million tonnes," Amara said.
"Yes Shell made an offer and there are also (companies) fromFrance, from Britain, from Spain and the U.S.... in two weeks wewill evaluate the offers and take a decision. It is likely wewill have three suppliers," he said.
Morocco has launched an international tender seekingadvisers for its LNG imports plan, worth up to $4.6 billion andincluding the import of up to 7 billion cubic meters (bcm) ofgas by 2025, the construction of a jetty, terminal, pipelinesand gas-fired power plants.
Morocco, a net energy importer, aims to diversify energysupplies and reduce its dependence on oil and coal imports. Itis also developing a plan to build 4 gigawatts of renewableenergy.
It has started negotiations to secure its imports withexporting countries --including Qatar and Russia -- and privatecompanies, Amara told Reuters earlier this year.
The kingdom is already burning 1 bcm of gas annually,including around 70 million produced locally. Gas is still only5 percent of the country's energy bill. (Reporting by Maha El Dahan; writing by Rania El Gamal, editingby Adrian Croft and William Hardy)
