Energy plans20 Sep 2023 22:06
Morocco is seeking partners to develop its gas network to feed the country’s industrial hubs and to one day potentially carry green hydrogen both home and abroad.
The state will soon tender to select at least one private partner to help develop and manage the infrastructure, which could include terminals and pipelines, according to Energy Transition Minister Leila Benali. The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation is helping with the process, she said.
Both gas and green hydrogen have become a focus of Morocco’s energy plans. It’s one of Africa’s top fossil fuel importers, but onshore and offshore gas finds could help cut coal needs. There’s also growing interest to build a clean hydrogen sector, especially given Morocco’s geographical proximity to the European Union, and its free trade agreement with the bloc and US.
“We have many players asking us about that infrastructure,” Benali said on the sidelines of a conference in Marrakech on Tuesday, referring to gas. “Our gas development plans seek to bring flexibility to the country’s energy system.” That infrastructure will be connected to the Maghreb-Europe pipeline through which Morocco imports gas from Europe. It could be injected with green hydrogen at later stage, she said, without giving details.