The production of liquefied gas in Tendrara will be marketed by Afriquia Gaz, a subsidiary of the Moroccan group Akwa, which will not fail to provoke a new controversy around the economic activities of Aziz Akhannouch.
Morocco is preparing to take a historic step by starting the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the fourth quarter of 2025. “The British company Sound Energy is currently finalizing the construction of a gas liquefaction unit on the Tendrara field, located in the east of the country”it was previously stated. Production trials, for their part, should begin in summer 2025 while the start of commercial operation is planned for the end of autumn. “Initial capacity will reach approximately ten million cubic feet per day, with a gradual increase to 40 million cubic feet per day thanks to the development of new deposits”according to Graham Lyon, managing director of Sound Energy, in an interview with AsharqSunday January 26.
Currently, Morocco produces less than 100 million cubic meters of natural gas per year, from small deposits located in the west of the country whose reserves are rapidly depleting. The kingdom imports almost all of its needs, estimated at one billion cubic meters annually, mainly via the gas pipeline linking Spain allowing the import of liquefied natural gas.
The Tendrara field, the largest onshore deposit under development in Morocco, is of strategic importance in reducing the country’s dependence on imports. These reserves will be essential for several key sectors including electricity production, phosphate drying and industry (ceramics and steel).
The production of liquefied gas in Tendrara will be marketed by Afriquia Gaz, a subsidiary of the Moroccan group Akwa, which will not fail to provoke a new controversy around the economic activities of Aziz Akhannouch, head of government. “The exploitation of the Tendrara field is based on a concession covering an area of 133.5 km² granted for a period of 25 years from 2018. The resources are estimated at 10.67 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Since its establishment in Morocco, Sound Energy has invested more than 160 million dollars”according to the same source.
-In 2024, the British company, listed on the London Stock Exchange, sold 55% of its shares in the Tendrara project and two other exploration permits to Managem, for an amount of $45 million. Despite this sale, Sound Energy retains a 20% stake in Tendrara and intends to continue the development of the field in collaboration with its partners, including the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), which holds 25% of the shares.
At the same time, an investment of $400 million is planned for the construction of a 120 km pipeline connecting Tendrara to the Maghreb-Europe Gasoduct (GME). The latter, which previously ensured the transit of Algerian gas to Europe, has been used since 2021 in the opposite direction to import gas via Spain, after the severance of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Algeria. “Sound Energy plans to intensify its activities in Morocco by investing up to $25 million in the drilling of new exploratory wells and in the use of seismic technologies to identify other gas reserves, particularly in the center of the country »we continued.
In addition, the company has ambitions in the field of white hydrogen, a natural resource derived from geological rocks. According to Graham Lyon, this clean, low-carbon fuel could play a key role in the global energy transition, with demand estimated at 200 million tonnes per year by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum.
