Worley, an Australian company, has been granted a contract for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project's principal front-end engineering design (FEED Phase II) services. The engineering research is developing according to the project's early plans.
As a continuation of the current West Africa Gas Pipeline ("WAGP") between Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana, the NMGP is a new regional onshore and offshore gas pipeline that will transport Nigeria's natural gas resources to 13 nations in West and North Africa. The 5,660-kilometer NMGP will begin in Nigeria and terminate in Tangiers, Morocco, on the Strait of Gibraltar, with a possible extension to Europe via Spain. The project is expected to cost $25 billion and will be finished over a 25-year period.
The almost 7,000-kilometer gas pipeline, which is being marketed by Morocco's Office National desHydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) and Nigeria's Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will connect Nigeria and Morocco, pass through 11 West African countries, and eventually reach Europe. It will be the world's longest offshore pipeline and the second-longest overall pipeline.
The pipeline is anticipated to pass across 13 nations, boosting local industries and economies by providing a reliable and long-term energy source. It will also help to promote industrial development and job creation. In addition, the pipeline will give countries along the route a new way to export natural gas to neighbouring countries and Europe. This endeavour will necessitate the participation of experts from all across the world.
Worley's offshore engineering consultant business, Intecsea BV, in The Hague, the Netherlands, will manage the total FEED services. This covers the creation of a project implementation framework as well as engineering survey supervision.
Worley's team in London, UK, will handle the onshore FEED scope, as well as the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Land Acquisition Studies (LAS). Worley's network of offices in Africa and its worldwide integrated delivery team in Hyderabad, India will also assist with the project. Worley's global consulting firm, Advisian, will look into the region's electrification and the viability of energy self-sufficiency.
The UK and Madrid offices will outline how renewable energy resources might be used to power the pipeline and decrease its carbon footprint. "Being a part of a project that not only aims towards sustainability, but also contributes to growing regional economies and supports the development of local communities is a great opportunity," says Ping Liu, Managing Director of Intecsea BV.
NMGP is a project that reflects our goal of making the planet more sustainable. As we embark on a new chapter for West Africa, we look forward to collaborating with ONHYM and NNPC." According to the specifics, the project is in line with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's "Decade of Gas Master Plan," which was launched in 2020. The master plan aims to increase gas production and exports in Nigeria. On the Moroccan side, this historic project is part of King Mohammed VI's commitment to South-South cooperation. It is expected to create a competitive regional power market that will benefit all people, countries, and economies in West Africa.
Following the signing of an agreement between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Moroccan Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), or National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines, the project was proposed in December 2016. Yusuf Usman, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC) Chief Operating Officer for Gas and Power, confirmed the project's launch in June 2021. Nigeria's Petroleum Minister, Timipre Sylva, revealed in August that the country's government is considering using the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline to supply Europe with gas.
Morocco intended to establish a public firm to oversee a project including the supply of natural gas from Nigeria via a pipeline that would pass through many African countries. The Moroccan Energy Ministry, which will be in charge of creating domestic gas infrastructure and networks in the North African Arab country, praised the company's formation plans as well. Morocco's Economy and Finance Ministry announced that "arrangements are in progress to establish a business for gas network expansion in Morocco and to supervise the scheme to construct a gasoline from Nigeria, which will become Africa's largest gas infrastructure project."
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has agreed to pay half of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project's Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Study. The Moroccan contribution will be supported by the multilateral development finance agency focusing on Islamic finance, which will contribute $15.4 million to the project's financing through the "Service Ijara" operation. The IsDB would invest $29.7 million in Nigeria's FEED study, which seeks to prepare the necessary studies for the gas pipeline and assist in making a final investment decision on the infrastructure project by 2023.
The IsDB money will assist in the completion of an environmental and social impact analysis, ensuring that the project complies with all local and international environmental and social norms and standards. It will also fund land acquisition studies in order to reach agreements with all countries that the pipeline would pass through, ensuring a smooth implementation of the project at a later date.