The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) aims to reach a final investment decision on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) by December 2024, according to NNPC Group CEO Mele Kyari.
The NMGP project, conceived to connect Nigeria with Morocco and potentially Europe, is expected to boost economic and infrastructural development across the African continent and could alleviate the gas supply shortage in Europe. It is envisioned that the pipeline could extend to Europe via Cádiz, Spain.
Kyari highlighted the unique challenges that different regions face amidst the global shift towards renewable energy.
“Recent geopolitical events have exposed significant challenges. It is evident that securing energy supply must precede the transition to renewable sources,” Kyari said.
He pointed out that 70% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population lacks access to clean cooking fuels and advocated for gas as a cost-effective bridge in the energy transition.
The project is in line with Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, which seeks to overhaul the Nigerian oil and gas sector and enhance its sustainability, commercial viability and security.
First proposed in 2016 as an expansion of the West African Gas Pipeline, the NMGP aims to supply gas to 15 countries in West Africa. It has a capacity of 30 billion cubic metres per year over a distance of 5,660 kilometres. Earlier, progress on the pipeline had been jeopardized in a 2023 coup d’état in Nigeria, which escalated tensions between Eastern and Western political influences in Africa.
Morocco, Nigeria’s partner on the project, recently committed 1 million hectares of land to green energy projects. Currently, renewable sources generate approximately 20% of Morocco’s electricity, surpassing regional norms.
