By Nneka Nwogwugwu
The king of Morocco, Mohammed VI has reaffirmed plans to establish one of the longest oil pipelines in the world over the next 25 years via phone conversation with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline (MNGP) will stretch over 5,000 kilometers along the coast of West Africa, connecting Nigerian crude oil and natural gas reserves with consumers in Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, and eventually Spain.
However, while Morocco boasts lofty sustainability goals on the world stage, some environmental advocates are concerned about the feasibility and legitimacy of the country’s plans without major philosophy changes.
Just three weeks before Rabbah touted Morocco’s resolute devotion to renewable energy, King Mohammed VI reaffirmed plans to establish the pipelines.
According to Morocco world news, critics fear the project will facilitate increased usage of non-renewable energy sources, including fossil fuels and petroleum, in both patron and recipient economies.
Naturenews gathered that in 2018, 40 NGOs signed a joint letter pleading with the countries involved to abandon the project.
The letter cited numerous environmental, social, and economic concerns, including an “increase of extraction and consumption of fossil resources.”
The letter corroborated that the project’s environmental ramifications are in “complete contrast” with Morocco’s goal of producing over half of its energy through renewable sources by the end of the decade.
Also, the National Office for Hydrocarbons and Mining (ONHYM) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NPPC) shared aspects of the progress of the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline project with the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 2019
