Drilling work at the level of the rural commune of Mejji located in the Chiadma region of the Essaouira province led last week to the discovery of 30% of the gas reserves estimated by the oil firm.

According to Abdelmajid Mouaätamid, president of the Mejji commune led by the USFP, the drilling work, which started a month earlier, reached a depth of 1900 m. Regarding the alarm signals that sound frequently, Mouaatamid wanted to specify that these were simple warnings to the staff against the repetitive toxic emissions resulting from the work.

It should be remembered that the Essaouira basin constitutes one of the most promising zones in the country whose confirmed hydrocarbon potential is the most significant to date. Indeed, several discoveries have been made in this basin, including that of the Meskala field in 1981, which is considered the most important discovery made so far in Morocco.

In 2012, the natural gas production of this basin, composed of blocks extending over 711 km², reached 34 million Nm3 (normal cubic metres).

Gas exploration in Morocco, it is specified, is in full swing. Discoveries of fields by various exploration companies are becoming more numerous.

Furthermore, Morocco's projected natural gas needs are estimated at 4.8 billion m3 in 2015 and 7.8 billion in 2020. This is why the Moroccan State intends to intensify the exploration of the country's basins in anticipation of new discoveries.