Significant Decrease in Gas Volumes Transferred to Morocco
On October 9, 2026, Enagás GTS, the technical manager of the Spanish gas system and a subsidiary of the Enagás group, reported a noteworthy decline of 12.8% in the volumes of natural gas transported to Morocco via the Tarifa interconnection. From January to September 2026, the total volume of gas transmitted was recorded at 6.665 terawatt-hours (TWh), according to their latest monthly gas exchange report. This represents a decrease from the previous year's figures, where 7.643 TWh were delivered during the same timeframe, marking a reduction of 978 gigawatt-hours (GWh). This decline follows a positive trend observed in 2025, where there was a 6.3% increase in gas volumes when compared to the corresponding period in 2024.
Monthly Trends and Capacity Utilization
Interestingly, September 2026 saw a slight uptick in gas deliveries, reaching 925 GWh compared to 912 GWh in September 2025, an increase of 1.4%. This monthly variation brought the average daily flow to approximately 30.83 GWh, approaching the technical export limit of the interconnection between the two nations. The technical export capacity of the Tarifa interconnection is set at 32 GWh per day, equating to a theoretical maximum of 960 GWh over the thirty days of September. The actual 925 GWh delivered represents 96.4% of this capacity, indicating a high utilization rate without accounting for daily flow fluctuations or specific commercial conditions.
The interconnection utilizes the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline, which was previously employed for the transport of Algerian gas to Spain through Moroccan territory. However, gas flows from Algeria ceased on November 1, 2021, following the expiration of relevant supply contracts. The reverse flow from Spain to Morocco commenced on June 28, 2022, with a significant volume of 1,882 GWh transported during the latter half of that year.
The gas being supplied to Morocco is certified to ensure that it originates from the international gas market, as indicated in Spain's gas risk prevention plan for 2023-2026. This plan clarifies that "the gas flowing in the reverse direction to Morocco comes from the international market and is subject to origin certification," thereby excluding any Algerian sources. Spanish installations facilitate the reception of liquefied natural gas, converting it back to gaseous form for transport to the Moroccan border.
While Enagás provides statistics on the physical quantities transferred at Tarifa, it does not disclose the prices paid by Moroccan buyers, the identities of the suppliers, or the duration of contractual commitments. Therefore, the reported 12.8% decrease over nine months pertains solely to the volumes of gas transported through this route and does not alone determine the evolution of Morocco's gas expenditures.
On a broader scale within the Spanish market, the United States supplied 13,461 GWh of liquefied natural gas in September, accounting for 48.2% of the month's total supply. This was followed by Algeria with 8,172 GWh delivered directly via the Medgaz pipeline, representing 29.3%, and Nigeria at 3,047 GWh, or 10.9%. For the first nine months of 2026, Algeria remains Spain's largest supplier, providing 34.2% of the received volumes, closely followed by the United States at 30.7%. These percentages illustrate the inflows into the Spanish system without clarifying the subsequent distribution by country of origin for gas later delivered to Morocco.
As reported by barlamane.com.
