Morocco, Nigeria ink deal to pipe gas to West Africa, Europe

A memorandum of understanding has been signed for the development of a project to pump gas from Nigeria to Morocco via West Africa and then to Europe, both African countries said.

The agreement to go ahead with the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project was inked in Rabat by the two countries and the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), a joint statement said on Thursday.

The 5,600-km pipeline would traverse 13 African countries along the Atlantic coast.

Once completed, it would be connected to the Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline in order to reach the European gas network, said the Moroccan National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM).

"This memorandum of understanding confirms the commitment of ECOWAS and the involvement of all the crossed countries to contribute to the feasibility of this important project, which will supply gas to all West African countries and will enable a new export route to Europe," it added.

'Significant step'

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said the MoU signing was a "significant step in fulfilling the federal government's drive towards harnessing Nigeria's abundant gas resources.

"The project will supply about three billion standard cubic feet of gas per day along the West African coast... to Morocco," the NNPC said in a statement posted on Twitter.

The pipeline would take gas from Nigeria's Brass island to northern Morocco, where it would be connected to the Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline that goes from Algeria to Spain, via Morocco, NNPC added.

The project, whose completion date was not announced, was agreed upon at a time of strong international demand for oil and gas and a surge in prices following Russia's offensive on Ukraine.

As a result of the assault, several countries, especially in Europe, have been seeking to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.

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