Algeria stops gas exports to Spain via Morocco

Algiers, Algeria | Xinhua | Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune decided on Sunday to stop natural gas exports to Spain through Morocco, the official APS news agency reported.

The presidency announced in a statement that Tebboune ordered the state-owned energy company Sonatrach to stop commercial relationship with Morocco and not to renew the gas pipeline contract with Morocco, which ends at midnight of Oct. 31, 2021.

The statement stressed that the president made the decision due to Morocco’s “hostile” practices towards Algeria that affect national unity.

Algeria has used the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline through Morocco to transfer natural gas to Spain.

Algerian Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab affirmed on Oct. 11 that his country will remain “the faithful and guaranteed” gas supplier to Europe.

He said the Medgaz gas pipeline, linking Algeria and Spain by sea, guarantees an annual supply of 8 billion cubic meters of gas, noting that the pipeline capacity is due to increase to 10.6 billion cubic meters by December.

Algeria, producing 1.2 million oil barrels per day and 130 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually, is Africa’s biggest natural gas exporter. It has been using pipelines and tankers to provide natural gas to European countries.

Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco in August, citing what it described as the latter’s “hostile” policies.

Morocco later expressed regret over Algeria’s “completely unjustified” decision to sever diplomatic ties between the two countries.