Marruecos destaca el descubrimiento de gas natural de la empresa Repsol frente a las costas de Larache

In recent years, Morocco has been noted for its significant natural gas discoveries on its territory. Since 2000, there has been intense activity in this regard and of the 67 wells opened by 11 companies in the North African country to extract natural gas, 40 have large quantities of this energy source and their forthcoming start-up does not require other relevant developments and investments as they are close to the gas pipeline that passes through the north of Moroccan territory and also because they are located close to other industrial infrastructures. 

Among these companies working on the ground is the Spanish energy company Repsol, with a major gas discovery off the coast of Larache. 

Amina Benkhadra, director general of the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), appeared before the Infrastructure, Energy, Mines and Environment Committee of the House of Representatives to explain these important developments in the gas sector in the Alawi kingdom, as reported by Al-Akhbar, and which was also reported by Le360.

Among other things, Benkhadra explained that Repsol has recently discovered large gas reserves in the sea, off the coast of Larache, a discovery ratified by the drilling of wells by the British company Chariot Oil and Gas, between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. Potential clients have already been identified. 

The British company has already completed work on the Anchovy-2 well. This is a gas breccia more than 100 metres long. The field was shut in to investigate the gas shows present and its viability. 

Exploration of the project was completed after only one week after the field was discovered. This new well is part of the UK brand's Lixus licence, in which it already has a long-discovered Anchovy-1 well. The discovery is located in Larache, a coastal area in northwest Morocco.  Experts working on the dig said it could be a very important gas discovery in the Kingdom: "Preliminary interpretation of the data confirms the presence of significant gas accumulations in the appraisal and exploration targets of the Anchovy-2 well, with an estimated net gas layer of more than 100 metres, compared to the previous year's gas layer. 

Another area such as Essaouira also holds significant gas reserves, discovered some time ago and others that have emerged more recently, which require reports for analysis and feasibility. 

Another British company, Sound Energy, has been working in the Tendrara area since 2016 for the imminent start-up of gas activity. The oil company Sound Energy signed a gas sales agreement with the Moroccan National Office of Electricity and Water (ONEE), for when the project was in the second phase of development and could access the gas. The process was accelerated and the first payments were announced to install an infrastructure in the area that will be able to collect the energy resource. 

According to the report presented, seven wells have been drilled off the Atlantic coast from Agadir to Tarfaya, three of them in shallow water. Two of these wells confirmed the presence of oil off Tarfaya and Sidi Ifni, while four other wells in the same offshore area showed significant levels of oil and gas.

Amina Benkhadra also noted in this report that natural gas in Morocco would be concentrated mainly in two locations, in Gharb and Essaouira, with particular reference also to Tendrara. In Gharb, gas fields are developed through a partnership between ONHYM (25%) and the company SDX Energy (75%). There, 150,000 cubic metres are exploited and delivered daily through pipelines to seven customers operating in the free zone and industrial zone of Kenitra, as reported by Al-Akhbar.

As for the natural gas exploited in the Essaouira-Meskala region, it is sold and largely absorbed for certain energy needs of the National Office of Phosphates of El Youssoufia, and supplied through a 125-kilometre pipeline. 

Finally, Benkhadra recalled that ONHYM and ONEE initialled, last November, a contract for the sale and supply of natural gas through a connection to the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline, currently managed by the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines.