- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered state energy firm Sonatrach to halt gas exports to Spain through its pipeline that passes through Morocco, due to the tensions in bilateral ties.
- Two months back Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered state energy firm Sonatrach to halt gas exports to Spain through its pipeline that passes through Morocco, due to the tensions in bilateral ties. Two months back Algeria cut diplomatic ties with Morocco.
Since 1996, Algeria has been delivering several billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas to Spain and Portugal through the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline. The GME contract expired on Oct 31.A statement from the presidency said that the president ordered the cessation of trade ties between Sonatrach and the Moroccan National Office for Electricity and Potable Water (ONEE). Officials disclosed that Algiers would avoid the Morocco route from now on, and deliver its natural gas to Spain exclusively through an undersea pipeline. However, experts pointed out that the alternative undersea line, known as Medgaz, has a smaller capacity compared to GME. The development has caused concern of gas shortages in Spain amid soaring energy prices across Europe.
