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Rabat – Spanish news outlet El Mundo reported on Sunday that Algeria’s regime is prohibiting Spain from reselling its gas to Morocco amid growing crisis between Rabat and Algiers.
“The crisis between Algeria and Morocco is growing and Spain’s strong dependence on gas in this phase of the energy transition has opened a new front to the already very weakened coalition government of Pedro Sanchez,” El Mundo wrote.
After terminating the contract of the Europe-Maghreb pipeline with which it exported gas to Spain via Morocco, Algeria is now imposing new conditions to expand the only gas pipeline it maintains with Spain, noted the Spanish newspaper.
Prior to its decision to terminate the contract of the Europe-Maghreb pipeline that had been operational since 1996, Algeria reassured Spain that it would continue supplying it with gas through the Medgaz pipeline.
As Europe prepares for what is projected to be one the harshest winters in years, authorities in the EU and Spain, in particular, expected and urged Algeria to maintain the regional pipeline. But the North African dismissed the calls, citing Morocco’s alleged “hostile acts” against Algerian interests as the reason for its decision to end the contract.
The decision came amid growing bilateral tensions following Algeria’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Rabat in August.
Algeria’s decision raised concerns among EU countries, and several members of the European Parliament described the move decision as “gas blackmail” aimed at Morocco but with far-reaching consequences for Europe ahead of the winter season.
In Morocco, meanwhile, the much-expected Algerian move provoked little to no frustration. Immediately following Algeria’s announcement of the end of the long-running pipeline agreement, the Moroccan government emphasized that the decision would not have an immediate impact on Moroccans’ energy consumption.
“Its closure has no impact presently on the production of electricity in the kingdom,” Morocco’s government Mustapha Baitas.
Baitas also emphasized that the price of electricity will not experience “any increase of any kind, as the impact of the closure of the pipeline is insignificant or even non-existent.”
Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) also reassured Moroccans that the country was taking the necessary measures to ensure a sufficient supply of gas and electricity.
Echoing the reassuring discourse of the Moroccan government, the Paris-based think tank Institute for European perspective and security (IPSE) emphasized that Algeria’s termination of the Europe-Maghreb pipeline will not have an impact on Morocco due to the country’s power surplus and strategy to diversify the energy mix to ensure steady electricity supply.
