The geopolitics of hydrocarbons in West Africa face a technical reshuffle
The geopolitics of hydrocarbons in West Africa is heading toward a technical reconfiguration in which the laws of geography impose their own financial arbitration. Morocco faces a complex dilemma between the natural distribution of its resources and the engineering projections of its energy industry. Deep-water surveys confirm the existence of modest gas deposits or a distribution fragmented along the coastline. This physical setup makes liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure and transport via methane carriers a less complex and substantially more profitable alternative than deploying large submarine pipeline networks.
Geology changes the equation in the Gulf of Guinea
Geological reality shifts when analysis moves to the Gulf of Guinea. The volume of reserves detected in Nigeria and the continental distances technically justify building large gas and oil pipeline networks. The design of these infrastructures runs into a topographic profitability factor. Tracing a straight line from south to north toward Algeria is optimal from a materials-optimization perspective. By contrast, the option of a peripheral, curved maritime corridor along the coast toward Morocco multiplies execution costs and engineering challenges.
The distances of the Taoudeni basin
This dilemma of distances and directions is repeated when examining evacuation schemes for the Taoudeni land basin. The straight-line geographic distance between the Taoudeni fields and the Dakhla port is barely 1,000 kilometers. The alternative route connecting the same basin to nodes in Algeria requires crossing an area spanning 2,000 kilometers.
The Algerian layout offers a strategic positioning advantage in the long term by providing a direct extension toward northern consumption markets. The Dakhla option keeps infrastructure at an unchanging distance from the western Mediterranean, limiting commercial flexibility. The sector assumes that technical and economic criteria will clash with Rabat’s political will to carry out complex projects.
The Atlantic front evolves after the large-scale clean energy speculation cycle
The context on the Atlantic façade has evolved after the speculative cycle for large-scale clean energies was overcome. 2021 was marked by projections envisaging 10 gigawatts of green hydrogen production by firms such as Chariot Energy. International operators such as CWP Global even discussed plans for infrastructure of up to 40 gigawatts on Mauritanian territory. The international market has left behind that period of industrial overexpectations and returned to investments grounded in traditional fossil fuels.
The reactivation of coastal basins
Current data confirm the presence of extractable hydrocarbon resources across the entire offshore platform between the Ivory Coast and the Moroccan city of Agadir. Industry companies rule out the area functioning as a single massive reserve equivalent to Middle East deposits. The business is defined as an economic opportunity window for regional states, subject to regulatory stability from local administrations and to risk management by operators.
Now, the corporate strategy of major oil multinationals is seeking an integrated exploitation of this Atlantic corridor. Murphy Oil and Chariot Energy are preparing to sign imminent new oil and gas exploration contracts with the Government of Nouakchott. The operation received a final push on July 8, 2026 during a cabinet meeting chaired by Mauritania’s president, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani. The Energy and Oil Minister, Mohamed Ould Khaled, formalized the request to award three offshore exploration blocks located in the country’s coastal basin to this consortium.
From the Anchois block to the Mauritanian market
The alliance between the British firm and the U.S. operator moves to Mauritania after consolidating their earlier positions in Morocco’s energy market. Chariot Energy leads gas field development in Moroccan waters through the Anchois deposit, an asset with estimated reserves of 18,000 million cubic meters. The project is currently in a strategic resizing phase aimed at optimizing the costs of bringing it into production, while the company keeps parallel negotiations open for the sale or transfer of other exploration blocks in onshore and offshore areas under Rabat’s control.
Murphy Oil complements this structure following its recent entry into Morocco’s contract award processes. The company operates the block named Gharb Deep Offshore, a marine grid adjacent to the Anchois gas reserves controlled by Chariot. Murphy Oil’s technical teams carry out mitigation work for geological and financial risks before authorizing the million-dollar investments associated with drilling new wells. The company has recent experience in the African region after reporting a crude discovery off the coasts of the Ivory Coast.
Entry The spin Morocco and Nouakchott are putting on Murphy Oil and Chariot Energy in the waters off the Sahara was first published by encaarymaritime.com.
