Morocco Seeks to End Energy Reliance on Spain Through Nador Terminal

Morocco currently relies on Spanish infrastructure for its energy security, specifically regarding electricity and natural gas. According to Red Eléctrica data, Spain supplied 3.88 TWh of electricity to Morocco in 2025, while Morocco exported only 132 GWh, leaving a trade balance of 3.75 TWh in Madrid's favor.

The dependence on Spain is more pronounced in the natural gas sector. Following the 2021 cessation of gas supplies from Algeria via the Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline, Rabat adopted a reverse-flow logistics chain. Morocco now purchases liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the global market, which is regasified at Spanish terminals and then transported into Morocco through the GME pipeline. This setup currently fuels the Tahaddart and Ain-Beni-Matar power plants.

To eliminate this reliance, Morocco's Ministry of Energy Transition planned a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) at the Nador West Med port. This project aims to move the regasification process to Moroccan soil. Under this plan, LNG tankers would dock in Nador, where gas would be converted to a gaseous state and fed directly into the national grid. The GME pipeline would continue to serve as a distribution artery, but the entry point would become autonomous.

Technical specifications released in 2025 estimated the terminal's capacity at 5 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The project included a network of pipelines connecting the terminal to the GME and extending to the primary consumption centers of Kenitra and Mohammedia.

The need for such capacity is driven by projected demand increases. The ministry forecasts that Moroccan gas consumption could rise from 1 billion cubic meters to 8 billion cubic meters by 2027, fueled by industrial needs and power generation. While Morocco is expanding solar and wind energy, gas-fired plants remain necessary to balance the grid during periods of low renewable output.

However, the project has stalled. In early 2026, tenders for the Nador West Med terminal and associated pipelines were suspended. The ministry attributed the pause to changes in the project's "parameters and hypotheses."

Until the FSRU project is resumed, Morocco remains dependent on Spanish regasification capacities. The establishment of an independent gas reception hub in Nador is framed as a matter of national security in a context where energy infrastructure can function as a tool for political pressure.