THE CAPACITY OF THE AFRICA-ATLANTIC GAS PIPELINE WILL BE 30 BILLION CUBIC METERS PER YEAR

The project to build the Afro-Atlantic gas pipeline from Nigeria to Morocco, through which gas will be exported to the European Union, aims to ensure real prosperity for Africa and its people. This was announced on Friday in Abuja (Nigeria) by the Moroccan Minister for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali.

She spoke at a meeting of energy ministers of the Economic Community of West African Countries, where the implementation of the gas pipeline project was discussed, the Maghreb Arabe Press news agency reported.

According to the minister, “the strategic project of the Africa-Atlantic gas pipeline aims to enable real prosperity for Africa and its people through the local exploitation of African resources, the development of industrial infrastructure and the creation of jobs.” “This is more than just a gas pipeline, it is a highly political project, the idea of which is supported by King Mohammed VI [of Morocco] and the President of Nigeria,” Benali added.

The minister also said that “the pipeline’s transport capacity will be between 15 and 30 billion cubic meters. million per year,” while “it will provide access to energy to nearly 400 million people in 13 African countries.” “The project is a response to global recognition, especially in Europe, that the last reservoir of production capacity for the coming decades will be Africa,” the Moroccan minister stressed.

Previously, Rabat's official representatives had repeatedly stated that the Africa-Atlantic pipeline "will allow the export of gas to EU countries and, therefore, will provide an opportunity to reduce Europe's dependence on other natural gas suppliers and diversify sources of supply."

The initiators of the construction of the world's longest undersea gas pipeline, with a length of about 5,660 km, were the King of Morocco Mohammed VI and the former President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari in 2016. It is planned that the pipeline will be laid along the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, along the coast of West Africa. It is expected that the project will also be used in the future to ensure gas exports to the EU through Moroccan territory.

At the end of 2023, Mohammed VI, in one of his speeches, called the pipeline a project that would become “a reliable source of energy supply for European countries”.