Agreement between British Chariot & ONHYM to transport Larache gas through Maghreb-Europe pipeline

Africa-focused British oil and gas company Chariot has signed a pipeline tie-in agreement that takes it a step forward in unlocking its Anchois gas project offshore Morocco.

The agreement was signed with Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) and it secures access to the major Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline (GME) in the Kingdom to transport gas from Morocco’s Anchois wells off the coast of Larache to several potential buyers, the British company indicated in a statement on Wednesday, September 7.

The GME, owned and operated by ONHYM, runs from eastern Morocco through to Tangiers in the north and subsequently across to Spain.

The agreement will enable the gas produced from the Anchois Gas Project, offshore Morocco, to be transported via the GME to different potential offtakers, the company said.

“This agreement moves CHAR a step closer to delivering first gas from the Anchois gas field to potential customers using the GME pipeline,” said Pierre Raillard, director of Chariot’s Moroccan subsidiary.

“Anchois is a highly strategic asset and given the continued volatility of global energy markets and its proximity to the Maghreb pipeline, we are well placed to bring gas online as quickly as possible,” he added.

In July, Chariot announced a ‘material increase’ in gas resource estimates for its assets offshore Morocco, as it works to reach a final investment decision for the Anchois gas field development.

This increase in recoverable resources is approximately 4 trillion cubic feet (Tcf), said the British company.

The company announced the results of Independent Assessments on its gas resources offshore Morocco, incorporating the results of the drilled Anchois-2 appraisal and exploration well, drilled earlier this year.

To fast-track the development of the Anchois gas field, Chariot awarded the Front-End Engineering and Design contract to a consortium of developers of offshore gas projects, with Société Générale appointed to lead the debt financing. The company’s December 2021 presentation shows Chariot has been collaborating with offshore industry leaders Xodus Group, One Subsea, Schlumberger, and Subsea 7.

According to the presentation, the development concept includes a subsea to shore development involving a subsea manifold linked via a gas flowline to an onshore central processing facility.

Chariot currently controls 75% of the Anchois project, with Morocco’s ONHYM owning the other 25%.