Minister: Algeria Pipeline Deal Termination Not to Affect Morocco’s Power Output

The termination of the Maghreb Europe gas pipeline has no impact on the production of electricity in Morocco, the spokesperson of the Moroccan government Mustapha Baitas said on Thursday. On October 31, Algeria’s presidency announced the termination of the gas pipeline, which supplied Spain with gas through Morocco.

The Algerian government cited recent tension and feud with Morocco as the main reason behind the decision to not renew the contract. In an official response to Algeria’s decision, Baitas said that the gas pipeline was not for the use of citizens. "Its closure has no impact presently on the production of electricity in the kingdom,” Baitas told the press after the government council.

The official also reassured citizens that the price of electricity will not experience “any increase of any kind, as the impact of the closure of the pipeline is insignificant or even non-existent.” The National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) echoed the same remark last Sunday in response to the Algerian decision.

The two offices emphasized that Morocco is taking the necessary measures to ensure the continuity of the country’s electricity supply. The pipeline has supplied Spain with gas through Morocco since 1996. Algeria reassured Spain that the supply of gas will continue through Medgaz, a pipeline that has less than 60% capacity than the now defunct Maghreb Europe gas pipeline.