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The Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has signed an agreement with Morocco’s economy and finance minister Nadia Fettah and state-owned Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) general director Amina Benkhadra to provide $15.45m to help finance a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for the proposed Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline.

London Stock Exchange-listed Predator Oil and Gas said the fast-track development of compressed natural gas (CNG) from the MOU-1 well in the Guercif licence was possible, subject to partner approval and final results from well testing. A 15 December operational update said a pilot development of 2-5 mcf/d of CNG was economic.

QatarEnergy (the rebranded Qatar Petroleum) has entered Egypt’s upstream for the first time, taking 17% stakes in Red Sea blocks 3 and 4 operated by Royal Dutch Shell, subject to government approval.

Further drilling is due to begin on the Anchois gas deposit in the Lixus licence area of offshore Morocco. London AIM-listed Chariot announced on 15 December that the Stena Don drilling rig had arrived on site and drilling was to begin “immediately”.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s government has underlined its determination to push through long-delayed, liberal legislation by approving a new law (projet de loi 82.21) on self-generation, which local industry players have long sought.

There were positive headlines in Morocco on 30 November, as the kingdom’s search for new sources of natural gas following Algeria’s recent decision to halt deliveries via the Maghreb-Europe Gas (GME) pipeline seemed to have been partially met with a ten-year deal with the developers of the upstream Tendrara project – onshore in north-eastern Morocco – will would cover around 40% of the shortfall.

As its new government shakes up a number of state agencies, Morocco is expected to set up a new division within national natural resources company Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (Onhym) to manage domestic and cross-border natural gas infrastructure.

In a widely expected development, given their plunging bilateral relations, Algeria has withdrawn Sonatrach’s exports via the GME pipeline, which delivers natural gas to Morocco and Spain – posing a range of geopolitical and energy supply questions, write Dominic Dudley and Jon Marks.

Plans for the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project have edged forward, with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) announcing a call for expressions of interest for two consultancy contracts on the grandiose scheme.

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is making a new push to convince governments around Africa to support wind, with the launch of the Africa WindPower initiative on 30 September. The new body is backed by private developers and equipment suppliers such as GE Renewable Energy, Siemens Gamesa, Enel Green Power and EDF Renewables and supported by GET Invest, a European programme to promote renewable energy in developing countries.

Plans for a radical restructuring of Morocco’s power and water sector is expected to be near the top of the agenda for incoming energy transition and sustainable development minister Leila Benali and new public works and water minister Nizar Baraka. The plans cover both state utility Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE) and the regional utilities (régies) and include the creation of 12 new regional companies to tackle chronic debt problems in the sector and allow public services to explore new project financing options.

New prime minister Aziz Akhannouch has thought hard about forming an administration that can drive the next phase of social and economic reform after the Islamist PJD government was eviscerated in elections. The business magnate has excited Morocco’s economic elite by forming a government filled with liberal-minded individuals and promising to deliver King Mohammed’s new development model, whose success could persuade alienated voters that the Makhzen really can offer a significantly better future for the majority, write Our Casablanca Correspondent and Jon Marks

Politics in Algiers and Rabat are driving hugely ambitious – and arguably less than necessary – schemes to pipe gas from West Africa, supplying northern Nigeria and Niger in Algeria’s project and an array of potential markets along the proposed Moroccan route.

UAE-based Emirates Telecommunications Group Company (Etisalat) has raised its stake in Maroc Telecom Group to 53%, in a $505m deal that underlines Abu Dhabi’s significant positioning in the kingdom – the most prominent investor is Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) which owns the 2,056MW capacity Jorf Lasfar thermal power plant.

The Moroccan electorate delivered a crushing blow to the Parti de la Justice et du Développement (PJD) on 8 September, as the ‘moderate Islamist’ party, which has led the government since 2011, won just 12 of the 395 seats in the House of Representatives (lower house of parliament). With a small number of votes still to be counted as African Energy went to press, the likely outcome was a new coalition led by overtly pro-business parties with close ties to the palace.