Spain-Morocco Relations Reach a New Level of Tension

In the context of escalating bilateral tensions, particularly concerning the migration crisis at Ceuta, Spain has made a significant and abrupt reduction in its natural gas deliveries to Morocco. Typically, the daily supply of natural gas would range between 29 to 31 gigawatt-hours (GWh); however, recent reports indicate that this has plummeted to approximately 21 GWh per day over the last five days. This substantial decrease marks a strategic retreat, as revealed by the specialized site Attaqa.

The Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline: A Central Point of Contention

This reduction poses a severe challenge for Morocco, which lacks local liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification infrastructure and thus relies entirely on the Spanish network for its gas supplies. Morocco imports its LNG from international markets—primarily from the United States, Russia, and the energy giant Shell—transforms it at Iberian terminals, and then reinjects it through the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline (GME) in a reverse flow. While Spain has not issued any official statement to explain this sudden cut of nearly one-third of the daily flow, the shadow of a political leverage strategy looms over this situation. There has been no clarification from the Spanish side regarding any potential technical issues with regasification or a decrease in demand from Rabat.

This partial throttling of supply comes after a remarkable recovery in Moroccan imports. In July 2026, Rabat recorded a peak in imports of 991 GWh via Spain, marking a 15.4% increase over the previous month, thus returning to levels observed the previous year after market disruptions in the spring. Nevertheless, the annual balance remains precarious: in the first seven months of 2026, Morocco's total gas imports have decreased by 13.2% year-on-year, amounting to 4.98 TWh compared to 5.74 TWh during the same period in 2025. By leveraging its geographical and industrial position within the GME loop, Spain underscores its dominance over Moroccan gas supply. As Morocco endeavors to diversify its energy mix, this imposed slowdown by Madrid starkly highlights how vulnerable Rabat's energy security is to the diplomatic whims of its northern neighbor.

As reported by just-infodz.com.