LE BRIEF

Morocco: government rules out restarting Samir as oil supply strategy takes centre stage

LE BRIEF • 2026-11-09

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri’s government is ruling out a restart of Samir at this stage. The Mohammedia refinery remains central to the debate over Morocco’s oil supply security.

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Morocco’s government, led by Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, is ruling out restarting the Samir refinery, according to Africa Intelligence. The position puts oil supply security back in focus for a country without refining capacity since the Mohammedia facility stopped operating in 2015. Previously the kingdom’s only refinery, Samir remains an industrial symbol and a sensitive economic issue. Supporters of a restart see it as a way to reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products. Reopening would nevertheless require substantial capital, resolution of legal and financial issues, and an assessment of the installation’s condition. Industrial policy and court proceedings are separate issues The government’s position should not be confused with decisions on individual takeover bids. Le360 reported on 6 November that a proposal attributed to an Emirati investor, described by some outlets as new, had already been declared inadmissible by Casablanca’s commercial court. Assessing an offer and defining national refining policy are different processes. Rejecting a bid does not settle the site’s industrial relevance; conversely, an ambition for greater sovereignty does not resolve the contractual, financial and technical obstacles to restarting operations. Securing supply without relying on an immediate restart For now, supply security rests on imports, storage capacity and relia...