Leila Benali, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, highlighted on Monday in Rabat the significant efforts her department is making to accelerate the implementation of various projects in the fields of gas exploration and its connection to international markets.
Responding to an oral question in the House of Representatives regarding the results of gas and oil exploration operations conducted in different regions of Morocco, Benali noted that these efforts have led to the discovery of gas deposits in the Gharb Basin, Essaouira, Tendrara, and offshore Larache.
In the Gharb Basin, small but productive gas deposits have been discovered, facilitated by a substantial network of pipelines connecting these deposits to factories in Kénitra, which are supplied with this gas, according to the minister.
Regarding the Essaouira Basin, she mentioned that gas production, which began in the 1980s under the “Meskala” concession license, continues. This gas is transported to the Youssoufia mining site of OCP (Office Chérifien des Phosphates) to meet the energy needs of phosphate drying and calcination units.
As for the offshore zone of Larache, Benali assured that studies are ongoing to develop this gas field, especially following the completion of geological and geophysical studies, which revealed the presence of gas during the drilling process.
In the Tendrara region (Oriental), ten exploration wells have been drilled, and the exploration and processing work has confirmed the presence of natural gas in two of these wells, she reported.
Based on these “encouraging” results, the Tendrara exploitation concession was granted in 2018 to develop this gas field. Benali emphasized that this project aims to supply natural gas to the electricity production plants of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) as soon as the connection between the Tendrara production site and the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline is completed.
