Executive Chairman Graham Lyon BSc. (Eng) Hons talks to Malcolm Graham-Wood about the recently announced deal and latest developments at the Tendrara project, Morocco.

Tendrara Production Concession

Sound Energy are currently developing a natural gas discovery at Tendrara for power generation as an alternative to the extensive domestic coal usage and to provide lower carbon footprint domestic LNG to replace imported LPG.

Morocco has substantial growth plans that will drive increasing energy demand and envisages this demand to be met from renewable energies and natural gas, whilst reducing the need for base load coal usage within the nation’s energy mix. Natural gas, therefore, plays a strategic role as both a bridging fuel and catalyst to sustain Morocco’s growing energy needs across the power and industrial sectors.

The Moroccan Government is committed to reduce dependency on imports, with a clear energy policy focused on energy security, affordability, and sustainability through carbon reduction.

With electricity needs growing at a sustained yearly rate of about 5%(1), the Morocco National Energy Strategy has stated its plan to harness renewable energy and add 3,900 MW of new gas-fired power capacity(2) as an alternative to coal. The country has also stated its goal of increasing the use of natural gas in power generation from 5% to 25% by 2030(3), alongside substantial growth in solar, wind and hydro energy projects.

Sound Energy, therefore, is supporting this increasing gas demand by developing its discovered resource and moving the identified exploration potential into developable resources.

Sound Energy believe that a critical element to extending these plays into Morocco is the presence of the Triassic salt seal. The thick salt acts to preserve these deeper petroleum systems from the disruptive effects of the later Atlantic and Alpine tectonics. These events have complicated, and often compromised, the shallower post-salt plays which have been targeted historically.

Sound Energy has the opportunity to access the overlooked, high exploration potential with 28.35 Tcf(4) identified across all our held licences in these Triassic and Palaeozoic plays.

(1) IEA Energy Policies Beyond IEA Countries 2019 Morocco
(2) Moroccan nationally determined contribution under the UNFCCC 2016
(3) ONHYM 2021
(4) Internal exploration potential estimates, unrisked original gas in place (gross)

Watch the video   l   KeyFacts Energy: Sound Energy Morocco country profile