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China-Africa Trade Information Service
http://info.afrindex.com
China-Africa Trade Information Service
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The China Communications Construction Co (CCCC) is likely to be selected to implement the construction work of Morocco’s first Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) off the Atlantic coast.
Morocco’s ministry of energy launched a tender for the FSRU project in April. Along with 20 other candidates, the Chinese construction giant expressed its interest in implementing the project.
After formalizing participation in the capital of the Tangier Tech Management Company (SATT) in November 2020, CCCC is now focusing on the kingdom’s energy infrastructure. A consortium led by one of the subsidiaries of CCCC, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), is competing to win the bid for FSRU's implementation.
The consortium also includes CCCC Third Harbor, another offshoot of the Chinese group specializing in port infrastructure, and the private company, Wison Engineering.
"The importance of this project and the conditions of the national and regional market have aroused the interest of a large number of national and international companies," the Ministry of Energy Transition said in its press release in October.
After Algeria's decision not to renew the concession contract for the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline (GME), which expired at the end of October 2021, the FSRU project will attempt to alleviate potential gas supply concerns for Morocco.
The FSRU is projected to deliver liquefied natural gas (LNG) by ship and connect it directly to Morocco’s gas network.
Before the end of the year, Rabat is concluding the selection process for which business Morocco will entrust the construction of the first floating regasification unit.
The Chinese company is expected to win this project, which will restart the two power plants of Ain Beni Mathar and Tahaddart. Both plants have been idle since the GME's shutdown.
Morocco and China share a long history of cooperation in various fields of mutual interest, including Beijing sending many batches of Sinopharm vaccines to Rabat during the pandemic.
Morocco and China signed a cooperation agreement between the House of Representatives and China’s National People’s Congress in September. Relations between King Mohammed VI and Chinese President Xi Jinping have intensified since 2020.
