Algeria threatens to cut gas supply to Spain over dispute with Morocco

CAIRO - Algeria’s energy ministry said on Wednesday that any volumes of gas exported to Spain that end up in a destination other than that specified in contracts would constitute a breach of those contracts and could lead to termination of the deals between state-owned energy company Sonatrach and its Spanish client, according to state TV.

The TV quoted a statement by the ministry as saying Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab received an email from his Spanish counterpart notifying him of Spain’s decision to allow reversing the gas flow direction through the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline.

Akrab’s statement came four days after Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his country will not abandon its commitment to supply Spain with gas despite a diplomatic row with Madrid over Western Sahara.

"We assure the Spanish friends, the Spanish people that Algeria will never abandon its commitment to supply Spain with gas under any circumstances," Tebboune said in an interview aired on state television late on Saturday.

Tebboune described as "morally and historically unacceptable" Spain’s reversal in favour of Morocco’s autonomy plan.

"We have very strong ties with the Spain, but the head of government (Pedro Sanchez) broke everything," said Tebboune, whose country repeatedly denies its involvement in the Western Sahara dispute.

Algeria said in March it was recalling its ambassador to Madrid for consultations after Spain officially backed Morocco's plan for autonomy in Western Sahara  as “the most serious, realistic and credible” initiative for resolving the decades-long dispute over the vast territory.

Algerian political activists criticised Algeria’s U-turn on its commitments to supply Spain with gas.   

“A new episode in the series of Spanish slaps for the military regime in #Algeria, where the government in #Spain informed its counterpart of the beginning of the reverse pumping of gas towards #Morocco by a message in the e-mail! This contempt came after #Tebboune's ridiculous statements when he said that gas supplies to Spain will not stop under any circumstances,” tweeted political activist Chawki Benzehra.

On November 1, Algeria, which has cut off diplomatic ties with Morocco, stopped supplying natural gas to its neighbouring country through the Maghreb-Europe pipeline.

The 13.5 billion cubic-meter (bcm) Maghreb-Europe pipeline links Algeria to Spain. Algeria is now supplying Spain using the Medgaz undersea pipeline with an annual capacity of 8 bcm, which does not go through Morocco.