Spain Shifts Gas Flows Through the Maghreb-Europe Link
Last June Spain reopened the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline after Algeria had unilaterally shut it down a few months earlier. But the reconnection under the Strait of Gibraltar no longer sends gas to Spain in the traditional direction. Instead, the supply flow has been reversed, moving gas from Spain to Morocco. In recent months, shipments toward Rabat have risen quickly.
Initial volumes when the pipeline resumed in the opposite direction were modest. Yet exports to Morocco have grown notably in the last two months. Gas deliveries rose from October to November and December, with October at 328 GWh, July previously around 172 GWh and September at 123 GWh. November reached 553 GWh and December 527 GWh, marking a sharp uptick in activity along the reversed route.
Over the six months since the reverse flow began, Spain has transmitted a total of 1,882 GWh to Morocco. Almost 60% of this total has occurred during the most recent two months, according to Enagás, the operator of Spain’s gas network, and the authority responsible for the nation’s strategic petroleum reserves. This dynamic highlights how a single infrastructure link can operate as a strategic channel under changing regional energy needs.
From a narrow perspective, Spain is not selling gas to Morocco. The arrangement treats Spain as a transit country: regasified gas received by vessels in European markets is then delivered to Rabat via the Tarifa corridor at Cádiz. In practice, Rabat purchases gas from any supplying country and uses the Maghreb gas pipeline to route it onward into Morocco.
Madrid appears to be signaling a readiness to support Morocco in the midst of an energy challenge while seeking to deepen bilateral ties. The two nations are planning a bilateral summit in Rabat in February, with regional observers noting that high-level participation is anticipated. The discussion is likely to cover energy security, trade, and cooperation and may feature leadership from both sides at the summit table.
Tensions with Algeria
Yet this outreach to Morocco adds complexity to Spain’s broader energy diplomacy. A diplomatic rift has grown with Algeria after Spain shifted its position on Western Sahara. Madrid voiced support for a Moroccan autonomy approach for the former Spanish colony, which strained ties with Algiers. In response, Algeria halted several trade channels with Spain and warned that gas contracts could be reassessed if Persian gas was found to be transshipped to Morocco. Relations between the two neighbors deteriorated as a result of the Sahara dispute.
Algerian authorities have rejected any suggestion that gas could be diverted to Morocco and have rolled out a plan to guard against such movements. In official statements, they noted that Morocco could access LNG shipments in international markets and then re-enter the region through regasification facilities in Europe, before moving gas through the Maghreb route to Morocco. The ministry overseeing energy policy stressed that Moroccan purchases would not originate from Algeria.
Amid pressures from rising energy costs and supply concerns, Algeria closed its Maghreb-Europe pipeline on 31 October, a decision linked to the broader diplomatic conflict between Algiers and Rabat, which itself hinged on Western Sahara considerations. The pipeline had operated for more than a quarter of a century and, with its closure, the prospect of imminent revival remains uncertain. Algeria has reaffirmed to Madrid that contractual supplies to Spanish energy companies remain intact, even as the physical flow through that link has ended.
As Western Sahara politics and regional alliances shift, Spain’s government has faced scrutiny over the balance between supporting Morocco and maintaining ties with Algeria. The evolving energy landscape underscores how geopolitics can shape infrastructure usage, and how national policy choices ripple through regional energy markets.
For Canada and the United States, the situation offers a case study in how cross-border pipelines can be repurposed to meet changing bilateral priorities. It also illustrates the potential for regasified LNG to fill gaps when traditional routes are disrupted, and how strategic energy relationships influence national security and economic planning in North America and beyond. The narrative continues to unfold as regional players reassess commitments, contracts, and the pathways by which energy reaches consumers across borders and continents. Attribution: energy market sources and national regulators provide ongoing data and analysis regarding flows and governance in these pipelines, reflecting the dynamic nature of continental energy security.
Related posts:
Spain, Morocco, and the shifting gas map of the Maghreb Spain’s August Natural Gas Imports Show Shifts in Source Mix and Rising LNG Role Spain’s Natural Gas Imports in 2023: Shifts Among LNG, Pipelines, and Key Suppliers Rewrite complete Recalibrating Spain-Morocco Ties: Western Sahara, Diplomacy, and Regional Stability Algeria moves to restore Spain ties with ambassador plan and renewed dialogue Naturgy and Spain’s gas security amid the European energy shift EU-Morocco Western Sahara Dispute: Fishing, Trade, and Autonomy Contention (Polisario Front) Diplomatic Tensions Over Western Sahara Between Morocco, Algeria, and Spain Spain’s Gas Supply Dynamics: Algeria, the US, and Diversified Routes Reaffirming Franco-Moroccan Cooperation on Western Sahara Spain, Algeria, and the Maghreb: Trade, Diplomacy, and Energy Ties in Flux