ALGIERS: Algeria will from now on deliver its natural gas to Spain exclusively through an undersea pipeline, ministers from both countries reportedly said Wednesday, after Algiers abandoned use of a line through Morocco.
In August Algeria cut diplomatic ties with its Maghreb neighbor Morocco which it accused of “hostile actions.”
Algeria, Africa’s biggest natural gas exporter, had been using the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline since 1996 to deliver several billion cubic meters (bcm) per year to Spain and Portugal.
But the GME contract is due to expire at the end of October, and Algiers decided not to renew it because of the diplomatic tensions with Rabat.
Experts had said the alternative undersea line, known as Medgaz, does not have the capacity to make up the shortfall. They earlier feared that supplies could be cut, just as energy prices soar in Europe ahead of winter.
Medgaz is already operating near its full capacity of eight bcm per year — around half total Algerian gas exports to Spain.
Algeria’s Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab, speaking after talks with Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera, said his country, through state energy firm Sonatrach, “will honor its commitments to Spain,” according to the official APS news agency.
“The Spanish partners were reassured that Algeria will provide all the supply expected. We equally commit ourselves to making all deliveries through Algerian installations, via the Medgaz pipeline and gas conversion complexes,” Arkab said.
He spoke of extending capacity of the Medgaz line and an expansion of liquefied natural gas exports by sea.
Sonatrach and its Spanish partner Naturgy have vowed to boost Medgaz’s capacity to 10 bcm per year in the coming months, but that still falls far short of the total needed at current levels.
Maghreb geopolitics expert Geoff Porter earlier told AFP that the shipping option did not make financial sense.
According to APS, Ribera said she had been assured by her Algerian counterpart of “arrangements taken to continue to assure, in the best way, deliveries of gas through Medgaz according to a well determined schedule.”
Algeria and Morocco had seen months of tensions, partly over Morocco’s normalization of ties with Israel in exchange for Washington’s recognizing Rabat’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Rabat rejected the various accusations of hostile acts which Algeria levelled at its neighbor.
Algerian gas to Spain will bypass Morocco: Ministers
https://arab.news/p9sy3
Algerian gas to Spain will bypass Morocco: Ministers
- In August Algeria cut diplomatic ties with its Maghreb neighbour Morocco which it accused of "hostile actions"
- Algeria had been using the Gaz-Maghreb-Europe (GME) pipeline since 1996 to deliver several billion cubic metres per year to Spain and Portugal
New Murabba seeks contractors for Mukaab Towers fit-outs: MEED
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s New Murabba Development Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund, has issued a request for information to gauge the market for modular and offsite fit-out solutions for its flagship Mukaab development, MEED reported on Wednesday.
The RFI was released on Jan. 26, with submissions due by Feb. 11. NMDC has also scheduled a market engagement meeting during the first week of February to discuss potential solutions with prospective contractors.
Sources close to the project told MEED that NMDC is “seeking experienced suppliers and contractors to advise on the feasibility, constraints, and execution strategy for using non-load-bearing modular systems for the four corner towers framing the Mukaab structure.” The feedback gathered from these discussions will be incorporated into later design and procurement decisions.
The four towers — two residential (North and South) and two mixed-use (East and West) — are integral to the Mukaab’s architectural layout. Each tower is expected to rise approximately 375 meters and span over 80 stories. Key modular elements under consideration include bathroom pods, kitchen pods, dressing room modules, panelized steel partition systems, and other offsite-manufactured fit-out solutions.
Early works on the Mukaab were completed last year, with NMDC preparing to award the estimated $1 billion contract for the main raft works. This was highlighted in a presentation by NMDC’s chief project delivery officer on Sept. 9, 2025, during the Future Projects Forum in Riyadh.
Earlier this month, US-based Parsons Corp. was awarded a contract by NMDC to provide design and construction technical support. Parsons will act as the lead design consultant for infrastructure, delivering services covering public buildings, infrastructure, landscaping, and the public realm at New Murabba. The firm will also support the development of the project’s downtown experience, which spans 14 million sq. meters of residential, workplace, and entertainment space.
The Parsons contract follows NMDC’s October 2025 agreements with three other US-based engineering firms for design work across the development. New York-headquartered Kohn Pedersen Fox was appointed to lead early design for the first residential community, while Aecom and Jacobs were selected as lead design consultants for the Mukaab district.
In August 2025, NMDC signed a memorandum of understanding with Falcons Creative Group, another US-based firm, to develop the creative vision and immersive experiences for the Mukaab project. Meanwhile, Beijing-based China Harbour Engineering Co. completed the excavation works for the Mukaab, and UAE-headquartered HSSG Foundation Contracting executed the foundation works.
