The production of natural gas in Morocco is expected to increase from 98 million cubic meters in 2020, to more than 110 million cubic meters in 2021, the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Ms. Laila Benali said in a speech to Parliament, adding that “this is a low level, compared to the annual national consumption that now exceeds one billion cubic meters.”
The minister revealed new data on oil and gas exploration activities in Morocco. She said that research activities, conducted by international companies in partnership with ONHYM (Office national des hydrocarbures et des mines), cover a total area of 233,600 square km, divided into nine operating licenses and 53 exploration licenses, including 26 offshore.
She went on to explain that between 2005 and 2020, the amount of investment in the sector had reached more than 27 billion dirhams. In recent years, several gas fields have been discovered, she declared, including in Gharb, “in moderate quantities,” and off Larache, in the North, where offshore drilling has given “encouraging” results.
In addition, production in the Meskala field, near Essaouira, which supplies the OCP industrial complex, continues and in the Tendrara area, in the east of the Kingdom, an operating license was issued in 2018.
According to the Minister, “despite the efforts made, hydrocarbon deposits in the Kingdom remain insufficiently explored.” Currently, she said, the density of drilling in Morocco is on average four wells per 10 square km, while the global average is 1,000 wells per 10 square km.
HA/fss/abj/APA