Will Morocco turn the tap on Algeria and will Spain run out of natural gas?

This would hit gas supplies to Spain , exactly when prices rise across Europe even before winter sets in. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez was due to arrive in Algeria on Thursday to discuss the issue, his cabinet told AFP.

Algeria – the largest exporter of natural gas in Africa, has used the Gas-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline since 1996 to deliver several billion cubic meters per year to Spain and Portugal.

But the GME agreement is due to expire at the end of October, just over two months after Algeria cut off diplomatic ties with Rabat over “hostile actions”.

In August, the energy Minister Mohamed Arkab told Spanish Ambassador Fernando Moran that Algeria was ready to deliver all its exports to Spain via an alternative submarine pipeline around Morocco.

“The deal to continue GME agreement before October 31 is unlikely, “said Maghreb geopolitics expert Jeff Porter.

In light of the lack of diplomatic channels between Ra

Unlike their border, which has been closed since 1994, the GME pipeline has remained open for a quarter of a century.

Both countries benefit from this: Morocco receives about one billion cubic meters of gas a year, half of which it buys and the other half receives as transit fees worth about $ 50 million a year, says Moroccan energy expert.

In return, Algeria gets a cost-effective route for about half of gas exports to Spain and Portugal

However, due to diplomatic tensions just before the end of the contract, a new deal is far from certain.