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AfrElec GAS-FIRED GENERATION AfrElec

Chariot Oil & Gas may export

Moroccan gas to Spain

MOROCCO CHARIOT Oil & Gas (UK) said last week that it landfall in Morocco, he noted. This “makes the
was looking into the possibility of exporting nat- export of gas into the Iberian Peninsula, a poten-
ural gas from Morocco’s offshore zone to Spain. tially lucrative market, feasible,” he commented.
In a statement outlining its 2019 results, Char- MEG originates at the Hassi R’Mel field in
iot said it had begun investigating this possibil- Algeria. It passes through Morocco on its way to
ity after securing a licence for Lixus, an offshore the Spanish city of Cordoba, which is connected
block that contains the Anchois gas discovery, in to the Portuguese gas grid.
April of last year. Anchois may hold as 2.2 trillion Equity in the Lixus project is currently split
cubic feet (62.3bn cubic metres) of gas and could between Chariot, with 75%, and Morocco’s state
eventually see production peak at 53mn cubic oil and gas company Office National des Hydro-
feet (1.5mn cubic metres) per day, the statement carbures et des Mines (ONHYM), with 25%.
said. Sales of gas from the field could eventually UK-listed Chariot has said it hopes to team up
generate $150mn per year, it added. with a partner to develop the licence area.
Larry Bottomley, the company’s CEO, indi-
cated that Chariot’s first priority would be to Mesorif exploration
deliver gas from Anchois to individual thermal In related news, a subsidiary of the US major
power plants (TPPs) in Morocco. He also said, ConocoPhillips has reportedly secured a new
though, that Chariot would be willing to sell its exploration permit from Office National des
surplus production to local industrial consumers Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), Moroc-
or to traders working in Spain. co’s state oil and gas concern.
“Initial discussions have been held with OHNYM said earlier this month that it had
ONEE [Office National de l’Electricite et de awarded the permit to ConocoPhillips Morocco
l’Eau Potable], the Moroccan state electricity Ventures (CMV). The document provides for
company, and the key players in the Spanish gas CMV to explore Mesorif, a coastal area in the
market with a view to future gas offtake arrange- northern part of the country, it reported. It did
ments,” Bottomley said. not provide many identifying details, but it noted
He did not name any members of the latter that the contract had been signed by Amina
group, but he did say that Chariot was aiming to Benkhadra, the general director of OHNYM,
accelerate development work at Anchois. “The and Melissa Anne Coleman, the vice-president
fast-track base-case development option we are of CMV.
focusing on is a low-cost subsea-to-shore model The permit calls for ConocoPhillips to
with two subsea wells tied into a subsea mani- explore Mesorif for a period of two years. The US
fold, from which a 40-km flowline and umbilical major will conduct geological and geophysical
connect to an onshore central processing facility studies of the area during the first year and will
(CPF),” he stated. then proceed to collect 2D seismic data during
The fast-track plan takes advantage of the the second year. This will allow the companies to
fact that gas from Anchois could easily be trans- assess the area’s potential.
ported to Spain, Bottomley added. The Lixus As of press time, the terms of the deal had not
block lies within 30 km of the site where the been divulged.™
Maghreb-Europe Gas (MEG) pipeline makes

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