Morocco has begun to build its stretch of the Nigeria-Charuecos gas pipeline (NMGP), a megaproject of 25,000 million dollars that stands out not only for its scale, but for its geopolitical implications. The energy map of Africa and its connections with Europe will change.
A 6,000 km corridor. Moroccan Energy Transition Minister Leila Benali, announced the start of the works. The stretch of Morocco will cost about 6,000 million dollars, and will serve as the future dorsal spine of the Kingdom Gasist Network. This initial segment will connect the port of Nador, on the Mediterranean coast, with the city of Dajla, to the south of the country.
The entire Transaphrican gas pipeline will be extended through the Atlantic coast to connect Nigeria’s vast gas reserves with Morocco. From there, it will be exported to the European market, confirming Rabat as a first level energy hub.
A pharaonic project. The infrastructure is designed to transport up to 30,000 million cubic meters of natural gas per year and guarantee the supply of 13 African countries. The gas pipeline will leave from Nigeria, crossing the coasts of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bisáu, Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco.
In addition to promoting industrial development and access to the energy of 400 million people, NMGP foresees Extend the supply to the European Gasist Network Already African countries without coast: Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali. Engineering studies They ended in 2024the environmental and social impact analysis of the southern section are missing.
And the Algeria gas pipeline? The project directly rivals the Transaharan gas pipeline (TSGP), The initiative backed by Algeria to bring the same Nigerian gas to Europe through Niger.
However, political instability in Sahel, especially after the coup d’etat in Niger, has put the viability of the Algerian corridor in serious trouble, granting a strategic advantage to the Atlantic route of Morocco.
Where 25,000 million will come from. For Nigeria, the gas pipeline is the cornerstone of its “Gas Decade” initiativea strategy to monetize national reserves of six billion cubic meters of natural gas. For Morocco, the project is the spearhead of its “Atlantic Initiative”, which seeks to turn the country into a strategic corridor between Europe, Africa and the Atlantic.
Ensuring 25,000 million dollars is the main obstacle. The project will make a final decision on the investment at the end of 2025 that will be the fire test, although it has already aroused the interest of entities such as the Islamic Development Bank and the European Investment Bank.
How to protect thousands of kilometers of pipes that will cross 13 nations, some with unstable political environments and doubtful security, will be one of the great discussion points. The fact that investing in fossil fuel infrastructure In full green transition it is the elephant in the room.
Image | NNPC
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