Madrid assures that the Maghreb Europe (GME) gas pipeline does not transport Algerian gas to Rabat.
Le Monde with AFP
Spain began, for the very first time, to transport gas to Morocco through the Maghreb Europe (GME) gas pipeline, ensuring that it was not Algerian gas, while Algeria No longer fuel the GME for Spain since the end of October 2021 against the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis.
“On the basis of commercial relations and good neighborhood, yesterday [Tuesday] took place the first shipment by the Maghreb GNL [Liquefied natural gas] gas pipeline previously acquired by Morocco on the international markets and landed in a Spanish regazéification factory, “Sources of the Spanish Ministry of the Ecological Transition told AFP.
Spain had announced in February that it was going to re -export gas to Morocco via GME, that Algeria is no longer moving towards Spain through Moroccan territory since the end of October 2021 due to a diplomatic crisis around Western Sahara. “A certification process ensures that this gas [transported from Spain to Morocco] is not of Algerian origin,” it was said from the same source to AFP.
Algiers had threatened in April to break his gas supply contract to Spain if Madrid came to transport Algerian gas “to a third -party destination”, an implicit reference in Morocco.
a year diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Rabat
Enagás, manager of the Spanish gas network, has the task of “checking the origin of the Lnown carrying the gas” bought by Morocco and, after unloading, issues a certificate with “relevant data, avoiding as is exported to gas which has not been discharged for this purpose, “said the sources of the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
But the fact for Spain to transport gas through this gas pipeline is anything but trivial in the context of very complicated relations with Algeria and Morocco. Algiers’ reaction will therefore be careful with Madrid.
The Algerian government has been highly reassembled against Spain since the executive of the socialist Pedro Sánchez decided, in March, to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in order to put an end almost a year of diplomatic crisis between Madrid and Rabat.
In reaction to this flip-flop, Algiers had recalled his ambassador to Spain and Sonatrach, the Algerian giant of hydrocarbons, had not excluded the prices of the gas delivered to Spain.
The Algerian authorities also suspended a cooperation treaty with Spain in early June, while a key banking body in Algeria has announced restrictions on commercial transactions with Madrid.
Spain’s dependence on Algerian gas has been clearly reduced since the GME stop, but almost a quarter of the gas imported by Spain still came from Algeria in the first quarter, Against more than 40 % in 2021, according to the manager of the Spanish gas network. This gas is delivered to Spain by the Algerian giant of hydrocarbons Sonatrach through the Submarin Medgaz gas pipeline which directly connects the two countries.