Morroco searches for Gas and Oil offshore

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Noticias Fuerteventura

The Government of the Canary Islands affirms that it has the guarantee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the contract recently signed by Morocco with the Israeli company Ratio Petroleum Energy to explore the search for oil and gas on the Saharawi coast near Dakhla does not collide with the Canarian waters.

 

In this way, the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, pronounced this morning in plenary session, in response to a question from the spokesman of the Parliamentary Group of Nueva Canarias, Luis Campos, about the announcement of the granting of licenses by the Kingdom of Morocco to carry out prospecting in waters near the Canary Islands.

 
Torres said that once he became aware of these contracts, he immediately contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who told him that there is a report from the Ministry that initially concludes that there is no collision with the waters of Spanish and Canarian sovereignty and "that he was going to contact his Moroccan counterpart to clarify any doubts about it."

 

He also indicated that the Hydrographic Institute has also issued a more specific report, which also concludes what was initially transferred by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself, "that there is no collision with this contract, as there has not been with previous ones."

 

In any case, Ángel Víctor Torres said that they will be "very attentive and vigilant" as they have always done, and affirmed that any action carried out by the Kingdom of Morocco must be done respecting the resolutions of the United Nations and international legality.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Noticias:

Morocco authorizes new prospecting off Fuerteventura
Renews permits to a Qatari company to explore oil near Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

Morocco reinforces the Tarfaya Offshore Shallow oil agreement between the Moroccan National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Eni Maroc B.V and Qatar Petroleum International Upstream L.L.C., as published in the Official Gazette of Morocco on October 21 and published this Friday by El Español.

In a part dedicated to hydrocarbons, several orders of the ONHYM dated September 6, 2021 grant "the passage to the first additional period of the so-called hydrocarbon exploration permit" to these foreign companies.

Italian oil company Eni, which held 75% of the permits through its subsidiary Eni Maroc, ceded 30% of its stake to Qatar Petroleum in 2019. While the ONHYM maintains 25% of these concessions.

Qatar Petroleum and Eni partnered to superficially explore the Atlantic coast offshore in the Tarfaya Offshore Shallow area, between the Agadir region and Western Sahara. They also have similar offshore companies in Mozambique, Oman and Mexico.

 
The twelve blocks in the Atlantic Ocean are located in front of the Moroccan cities of Sidi Ifni, Tan Tan and Tarfaya. The surface exploration permits extend over 23,900 square kilometers from 0 to 1,000 meters deep and include geological and geophysical studies that aim to further define potential prospects or tracks followed by an assessment of the total potential of the blocks.
 
If we cross a straight line between Morocco and the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, Tarfaya is linked to the south of the island of Fuerteventura and Tan Tan is located opposite Lanzarote. In the Canary Islands this renewal to the Qatari company is followed with extreme concern. "They are the prospections that are located closest to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. In the event that they find oil or gas and start drilling, the danger would be fundamentally of an environmental type in the event that there is an accident, "they explain by telephone to EL ESPAÑOL from Coalición Canaria.
 

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Noticias:

President Torres affirms that "there are no prospections in Canarian or Saharawi waters"



"The Government of the Canary Islands categorically rejects prospecting in the waters of the Canary Islands"

 

In the controversy generated in relation to the different announcements of exploration or discoveries of oil or gas on the coasts of Morocco, President Torres remarks "that the prospections for which he has been consulted by some media have been authorized in Moroccan waters, neither Canary Islands nor Saharawis, and have been granted months ago and, some, years ago."

Torres considers it positive "that there is a fluid relationship between Spain and Morocco to clarify any circumstance that is necessary."

"It is good that countries that are borders have a normalized relationship to avoid unilateral decisions," he said.

The president recalls that he himself confirmed from the first moment that in the working groups that have been reactivated between Spain and Morocco for the delimitation of waters, there will be Canarian representation.

link to article for sea area map

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Noticias:

Morocco announces it finds a reserve of 1,000 million barrels in the Agadir basin.
The euphoria of the Alawite government contrasts with the psychosis it generates in the Canary Islands when it is about 200 kilometers northeast of the islands.

The British company Europa Oil & Gas has just announced one of the biggest oil discoveries in recent years. And it has done so in waters relatively close to the archipelago, on the coast of Morocco 200 kilometers from the Canary Islands, according to the energy newspaper.

The thing can get out of hand.

And this is only an appetizer of what this area can become, since this discovery of recoverable resources without risk has been made with only five perforations. And the extension of the permit is more than 11,220 square kilometers.

Europa O&G holds 75% of the permit and is the operator of Inzegane, while the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), i.e. the Moroccan State, owns the remaining 25%.

This announcement has been made by Europe O&G in its results report that it made public on the 13th.

If you take into account this amount of barrels, and at current prices, you could give a business of more than 100,000 million dollars, which is a figure similar to the entire GDP of Morocco.

"Morocco offers a very attractive investment opportunity with excellent tax conditions," the company states. Other companies such as ENI or Conoco have already been established there.

link to original article for map

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Noticias:

Morocco has launched the pipeline project with Nigeria that could provide gas to Spain. The authorities of both countries have chosen the Australian company Worley to carry out a preliminary engineering and design study of this gas pipeline of more than 7,000 kilometers, which will cross thirteen countries in West Africa before flowing into southern Spain.

 

The start-up of the project comes after Algeria decided to close the Maghreb-Europe tube on October 31, in the midst of a diplomatic crisis with Marruec

you.

 

The Australian company itself, which offers consulting services and project delivery to the energy sectors, announced in a press release on Tuesday that it has won the contract to carry out preliminary study.

 

"When completed, the more than 7,000-kilometer-long pipeline, promoted by Morocco's National Bureau of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will connect Nigeria with Morocco, cross 13 West African countries and extend to Europe. It will be the longest offshore pipeline in the world and the second longest overall," Worley said in the statement.

 

Also known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, it "will help boost local industries and economies by providing a reliable and sustainable source of energy. It will also support industrial development and create employment opportunities," the company reports.

 

In this way, it will provide a new avenue for states along the route to export their gas to their neighboring countries and to Europe.

 

To carry out this ambitious project, Worley will mobilize all its offices throughout the world. Thus, the general services will be managed by Intecsea, its offshore engineering consultancy in the Netherlands. It includes the development of the project implementation framework and the supervision of the engineering studio.

 

The land-based scope, environmental and social impact assessment, and land acquisition studies will be delivered to the team in the UK. For the feasibility study, Worley will also be supported by the network of offices in Africa and India.

 

Global consultancy Advisian will explore the acceleration of electrification and the viability of energy self-sufficiency in the region. The UK and Madrid offices will establish the potential to use renewable energy resources to power the pipeline and reduce the project's carbon footprint.

 

Sustainable project

 

"Being part of a project that not only looks towards sustainability, but also contributes to boosting the regional economy and the development of local communities is an incredible opportunity," Ping Liu, CEO of Intecsea, said in Worley's statement.

 

"It reflects our purpose to deliver a more sustainable world. We look forward to working with ONHYM and NNPC as we move towards a new chapter for West Africa," Liu added.

 

Investment by 2023

 

Exterior design engineering is important in that it should help prepare the studies required for the pipeline and make the final investment decision in 2023 for the infrastructure project.

 

In any case, last December, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) reached an agreement with the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and the ONHYM to finance this study with 90 million dollars.

 

The pipeline project was launched in Abuja, during a visit by King Mohammed VI to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016. It was ratified two years later in Rabat and has been activated at the end of 2021.

 

In fact, in the previous decade, the Alawite monarch focused on Morocco's "continental politics" with more than 50 visits to more than 29 countries. The best result "consists of the macro development projects that we have launched, such as the Nigeria-Morocco Atlantic gas pipeline," he said in his speech on the 64th anniversary of the King's and People's Revolution in 2017.