Morocco was the third largest buyer of natural gas from Spain in January, according to new data from Spain’s central body that tracks oil and gas reserves.
Spain exported about 3,789 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of natural gas during the month. That is 24% more than in January last year.
Morocco bought around 822 GWh, which made up 21.7% of Spain’s gas exports for the month.
Portugal bought the most gas from Spain, followed by Turkey. Morocco ranked third. The figures show that Spanish gas has become an important source of energy for Morocco.
Morocco began importing gas through its link with Spain in June 2022, after the flow in the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline was reversed.
For many years the pipeline carried gas from Algeria to Spain through Morocco. But after Algeria stopped the deal in October 2021, Morocco started using the same pipeline to bring gas the other way.
Morocco now buys liquefied natural gas on the global market. The gas is unloaded at terminals in Spain, where it is turned back into gas and then sent through the pipeline to Morocco.
It is mainly used to run power stations such as Tahaddart and Ain Beni Mathar, which help supply electricity to the national grid.
Spain’s data also showed that the country’s net gas imports fell by 5.9% in January compared with the same month last year, reaching about 30,525 GWh.
Total gas imports were 34,314 GWh, down 3.3% from a year earlier.
The United States was Spain’s biggest gas supplier, providing 44.5% of total imports. Shipments reached 15,284 GWh, up 46.2% from last year.
Algeria was second with 29.4% of Spain’s imports, mainly through the Medgaz pipeline that links Algeria directly to Spain. Russia ranked third with 12.7%.
Gas imports to Spain through pipelines rose 21.9% compared with last year, while imports of liquefied natural gas fell 16.6%.
Morocco has been increasing its use of natural gas as part of plans to reduce its reliance on coal. Gas produces fewer emissions and helps support renewable energy such as wind and solar when their output changes.
