Morocco is stepping up its gas imports with plans for a nearly 1 billion US dollars liquefied natural gas hub at the Nador West Med port on the Mediterranean coast, Bloomberg reports.

The centerpiece of the hub will be a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), expected to begin operating next year. Complementary pipelines will link the port to key industrial zones, forming a network capable of supporting both conventional gas flows and potential green hydrogen transport in the future.

The government anticipates a significant rise in gas consumption, from 1.2 billion cubic meters today to 12 billion cubic meters by 2030. This expansion follows the 2021 suspension of Algerian gas supplies and underlines Morocco’s focus on energy security as industries increasingly rely on natural gas for production and export.

Infrastructure investment is projected at 3.5 billion US dollars, with 681 million US dollars earmarked for pipelines and 273 million US dollars for the FSRU. Beyond imports, Morocco plans to replace coal and fuel oil in manufacturing with LNG and construct gas-fired power plants worth 2 billion US dollars, potentially tripling the country’s electricity generated from gas.

Renewable energy remains central to the strategy. Authorities expect 11 billion US dollars in investment to add 12.5 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity by 2030, representing roughly 80 percent of new generation capacity in that period. “Gas will play a limited role in replacing coal, with planned renewable expansion forming the majority of new capacity,” said Rachid Ennassiri, director of the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development.

Bloomberg reports that tenders for the FSRU will open in early February, with pipeline developers to be announced shortly afterward, marking the next step in Morocco’s push toward a more diversified and modern energy mix.