The Nigeria-Morocco $25 billion gas pipeline project has got to an advanced stage with the creation of a dedicated project company and expansion of its international financial backing. The pipeline, set to stretch nearly 6,000km across West Africa, is designed to enhance regional energy access and provide a secure link for Nigerian gas to get to Europe.
Director-general of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, Amina Benkhadra, who gave this update in a statement, said the formation of the project company was a crucial step for structuring the massive financing and overseeing implementation. “It is engineered to transport between 15 and 30 billion cubic metres of gas per year, serving 13 West African coastal states and reaching approximately 400 million people.
Internal domestic connections will also link landlocked countries like Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali to the main line, which will eventually connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe Pipeline, granting Nigerian gas access to the European market.
“Project governance will be layered, featuring a parent company that oversees regional entities managing specific pipeline segments. This framework has been approved by the Economic Community of West African States,” Benkhadra said.
It would be recalled that Togo was in July officially brought into the project as a public partner through an additional protocol signed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, ONHYM, and Togo’s gas company, it was said.
On the financing front, Morocco’s Energy Minister, Leïla Benali indicated that the United Arab Emirates will join a pool of existing major institutions, including the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the OPEC Fund.
“The project company currently being formed will be responsible for mobilising these funds, with a final investment decision expected by the end of 2025,” the statement said.
