SAMIR refinery shutdown and Moroccan energy concerns

The continued shutdown of the SAMIR refinery has become a significant point of economic and political contention in Morocco. Hussein El Yamani, Secretary General of the National Union of Petroleum and Gas, described the closure as one of the “greatest losses to the Moroccan national economy,” noting that the facility could produce over 4 billion liters of diesel annually. El Yamani suggested the refinery could have generated approximately 24 billion dirhams in annual profits from diesel alone, attributing the shutdown to “orchestrated bankruptcy” by the former owner and a lack of political action.

Following these concerns, the National Front for the Salvation of the Moroccan Petroleum Refinery criticized the government for omitting the SAMIR refinery and fuel price regulation from its official program. The group argued that ignoring these issues undermines government credibility and threatens national energy sovereignty. They called for an end to the liberalization of fuel prices and advocated for restarting the refinery to mitigate inflation and protect consumer purchasing power amidst global energy instability.