Member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) signed an intergovernmental agreement on Sunday in Freetown backing the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic gas pipeline, according to a Moroccan and Nigerian statement.
The pipeline is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas a year from Nigeria and west Africa through 13 West African countries to Morocco, according to a joint statement by Morocco’s hydrocarbons and mining agency ONHYM and Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC.
Of that capacity, 15 bcm a year will be made available to Moroccan and European markets through an existing pipeline that links Morocco to Spain, the statement said.
Agreed a decade ago, between the Moroccan King and the Nigerian president, the pipeline would run 6,900 km on a hybrid offshore-onshore route and is estimated to cost $25 billion.
The project completed its feasibility study and front-end engineering design (FEED) stages.
In April, ONHYM told Reuters the pipeline was designed to spur economic integration across West Africa by expanding electricity generation and facilitating industrial and mining development, while helping Morocco position itself as an energy bridge between Africa and Europe.
The next step will be the signing of a deal between Morocco and gas-rich Mauritania at a later date in the presence of Nigeria’s president, the statement said.
REUTERS
