Bennali: Reforming the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines is a crucial step to ensure fair competition and enhance energy sovereignty
The Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Bennali, stated that reforming the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines is a pivotal step in addressing structural deficiencies that have long impacted the energy and mining sectors, particularly cases of conflicts of interest, overlapping responsibilities, and monopoly risks.
During a legislative session in the House of Representatives dedicated to discussing and voting on Bill No. 56.24 concerning the transformation of the office into a joint-stock company, Bennali clarified that this legal transformation is not merely a technical framework, but represents an institutional initiative aimed at repositioning the office within the national economy and enhancing its presence in the value chains associated with energy and mining activities.
The minister linked the importance of the project to the overall context of the sector, recalling the findings presented by the president of the Court of Auditors, which highlighted structural imbalances in the current institutional framework and their direct impact on the stagnation of several projects, especially those related to natural gas and its infrastructure.
She noted that the delay in implementing strategic initiatives in this area is partly due to accumulated fears among both public and private stakeholders regarding a lack of clarity in roles, competitive neutrality issues, and concerns about data leaks or undue pressure and intimidation, all of which have weakened trust within the system.
Bennali emphasized that the continuation of this situation opens the door to monopoly risks and the consequent unfair pricing of energy and minerals, not only for citizens but also for the economic fabric, which hinders access to modern and clean technologies and disrupts the energy transition process.
In this context, the minister recalled the royal speech on the occasion of the Throne Day in 2020, which called for profound reform of the public sector and addressing the structural imbalances of public institutions and enterprises. She stated that the proposed project embodies these directives by establishing better governance, enhancing performance and efficiency, and enabling the office to take on a more effective developmental role.
She stressed that the approval of the bill carries clear social and economic dimensions, as it means advocating for energy at reasonable prices and contributing to job preservation, particularly in sectors suffering from high energy access costs. She warned that the absence of effective solutions could exacerbate unemployment and have immediate social repercussions on families.
Bennali concluded by affirming that transforming the National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines into a joint-stock company represents, at its core, a sovereign choice aimed at safeguarding the sector from conflicts of interest and monopolies and enhancing the Kingdom’s energy and mineral sovereignty by providing more effective institutional tools for state intervention and the regulation of this strategic area.
