Moroccan Minister of Energy Transition, Leila Benali, said that the expected budget for the Morocco-Nigeria African Atlantic gas pipeline project exceeds $25 billion.
The Minister said, in a speech in the House of Representatives (the first chamber of Parliament) in the capital, Rabat, that this project is “a catalyst for regional development and the creation of economic integration among the countries concerned with this strategic project, as well as its contribution to linking the African and European continents.”
The Moroccan minister explained that the capacity of the pipeline is 30 billion cubic meters annually, and its budget is more than 25 billion dollars. She pointed to the signing of a group of memorandums of understanding between the countries concerned during the past two years.
According to the Minister, most of the engineering design studies have been completed, as well as determining the route, and the evaluation and field studies and study of the environmental impact of the pipeline remain.
She explained that the project will be in 3 phases, the first of which will connect her country to Mauritania and Senegal, without details about the remaining two phases.
She added, “Most of the feasibility studies and engineering design studies have been completed and we have worked on determining the optimal route for the pipeline. What remains is to continue the evaluation and field studies and study the environmental and social impact.”
Senegalese post
Yesterday, Monday, Senegal announced its involvement in the gas pipeline project, following discussions between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Senegalese counterpart, Yacine Vall, in the capital, Rabat, according to a joint statement.
The gas pipeline will extend over a length of approximately 5,660 kilometers, and will be constructed in several stages to respond to the growing need of the countries from which it will cross to Europe.
It was agreed to establish a gas pipeline project linking Morocco and Nigeria during the state visit of Moroccan King Mohammed VI to Nigeria in December 2016.
The pipeline is scheduled to pass through Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, in addition to Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania.
