Nigeria approves deal on gas pipe to Morocco

Nigeria's cabinet has given national oil company NNPC approval to enter into an agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the development of a gas pipeline to Morocco, local press reported on June 1. 

First proposed in 2016, the 5,660-km pipeline would run through 15 West African countries, and provide Nigeria with a new means of sending its natural gas to Europe. Currently the country's way of reaching the European gas market is through LNG exports.

The project is still only at the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase, Nigerian petroleum minister Timipre Sylva said, according to Nigeria's Premium Times, after which its cost will be determined. 

Europe has reached out to Nigeria and other African gas producers seeking additional supply to help it phase out Russian gas. Ironically, Timipre said last month that Russia had expressed interest in investing in the Nigeria-Morocco pipeline.

"The Russians were with me in the office last week," the minister told reporters on May 2. "They are very desirous to invest in this project and there are lots of other people who are also desirous to invest in the project."