Morocco will produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the first time by the end of 2025, announced Graham Lyon, CEO of the British company Sound Energy, which holds an exploration permit for the Tendrara gas field.
The fourth quarter of 2025 will mark the first production of LNG. “The initial capacity will reach about 283,000 cubic meters per day, with a progressive increase to 1.13 million cubic meters per day through the development of new deposits,” specified Graham Lyon, CEO of Sound Energy, in an interview with Asharq. Currently, Morocco produces less than 100 million cubic meters of natural gas annually from small fields located in the west of the country, whose reserves are rapidly depleting. The kingdom imports nearly all of its needs, estimated at one billion cubic meters per year, mainly via the pipeline from Spain which allows for the importation of liquefied natural gas.
In anticipation of production start, Sound Energy is finalizing the construction of a gas liquefaction unit at the Tendrara field, located in the east of the country. Production tests are expected to begin in the summer of 2025, with commercial operations scheduled to start by the end of autumn. “The operation of the Tendrara field is based on a concession covering an area of 133.5 square kilometers, granted for a duration of 25 years starting from 2018. The resources are estimated at 10.67 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Since its establishment in Morocco, Sound Energy has invested over $160 million,” further noted the British company’s CEO. Afriquia Gaz, a subsidiary of the Moroccan group Akwa, will be responsible for marketing the LNG produced at Tendrara, which might stir new controversy around the business activities of Aziz Akhannouch, the Moroccan Prime Minister.