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Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, said Algeria’s 2021 decision to halt gas deliveries through the Maghreb–Europe pipeline pushed Morocco and Spain into an “unprecedented” phase of cooperation, deepening their strategic partnership.
In an interview with El País published Saturday following the High-Level Meeting between the Moroccan and Spanish governments in Madrid, Benali noted that bilateral relations are now marked by strong alignment. Morocco, she said, works with “friends and neighbours who fully understand our shared regional responsibilities.”
Benali recalled that after Algeria declined to renew the Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline contract, the line was inactive for several months before reopening in reverse flow—from Spain to Morocco. She publicly thanked the Spanish government and emphasized the strength of the relationship since 2021, when Algeria cut gas supplies to Europe shortly before the Russia–Ukraine war, forcing Rabat and Madrid into closer coordination.
She also highlighted Morocco’s ambition to break free from the “middle-income trap” by expanding low-cost, clean energy. According to Benali, renewables supplied 42% of Morocco’s electricity in 2023—a figure that has since risen to 45%, with a target of 52% by 2027. Reaching the initial 40%, she said, was the most difficult step, as Spain itself experienced. Annual energy-sector investment has tripled since 2021, creating what she described as a genuine “investment boom.” She added that Morocco’s energy market remains open to Spanish companies, while Moroccan firms are increasingly partnering on projects in Spain.
Benali underscored the strategic role of the two submarine electricity interconnections between the countries, which together provide 1,400 megawatts of bidirectional capacity. She revealed that during the major Iberian electricity blackout on April 28, Morocco supplied 38% of its production capacity to help Spain restore its grid—an effort she called a source of national “pride.”
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For the first time, she noted, Morocco and Spain are now engaged in two-way trade of both electricity and natural gas. Looking ahead, Benali said she hopes this cooperation expands into critical minerals and raw materials. With global demand surging for strategic minerals such as lithium and cobalt, she argued that Africa’s mining sector must be developed and new trade routes to Europe opened. In this context, she described the Morocco–Spain energy interconnection as a “pivotal hub” for future energy and mineral supply chains.
