Nigeria minister of state for petroleum, Timipre Sylva, has hinted that the famed estimated at $25billion, Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline may not be completed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said at the moment, the much the Buhari administration can do is to lay the groundwork for subsequent administrations to complete the gigantic project.
The Nigeria – Morocco Pipeline project aims at carrying Nigeria’s gas to North Africa and onto European markets. Last weekend, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for Development announced a contribution $14.3 million for the Phase II of the feasibility study for the pipeline project.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, shortly after closed door meeting with international investors, Sylva emphasised that the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline is a continuation of the West African Gas Pipeline project, which has already reached Ghana.
“It is already operational, connecting Nigeria to the Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana. We want to continue that same pipeline all the way to Morocco down the coast. So it is massive,” Timipre stated, adding that the situation calls for meticulousness and precision.
The Nigeria/Morocco Gas Pipeline is connecting Nigerian gas from the Niger Delta region of the country to every coastal country in West Africa (Benin, Togo, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia, Senegal, and Mauritania), ending at Tangiers, Morocco, and finally in Cádiz, Spain.
The minister explained that the pipeline would be an extension of a structure that has been pumping gas from southern Nigeria to Benin, Togo and Ghana since 2010.
“We want to continue that same pipeline all the way to Morocco down the coast. Right now, we are still at the level of studies, and of course, we are at the level of securing the funding for this project,” he said.
According to him, the partnership, which was originally between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and ONHYM of Morocco, and was signed by the two countries in June 2018, is opening up with investors showing interest.
He said, “Nigeria and Morocco are teaming together to build the longest offshore pipeline in the world and second-longest pipeline in the world. It will carry gas from Nigeria to Morocco, running across 11 West African countries.
The agreement for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline was originally signed by the two countries when President Muhammadu Buhari paid a state visit to Morocco in June 2018. “When completed, the over 7,000km long gas pipeline will link Nigeria with Morocco, across 11 West African countries and extend to Europe. It will be the longest offshore pipeline in the world and the second-longest pipeline overall.”
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