The National Energy and Mines Laboratory (NLEM) plays a very important role in the petroleum sector through the control of the conformity of petroleum products, it carries out:
- Receipt of samples collected by regional and provincial directorates and samples sent by other State services and oil companies;
- Analysis of the quality parameters of petroleum products (Super Unleaded, Diesel 10 ppm, Fuel-Oil, LPG) according to the mandatory and regulatory laws.
- The production of analysis reports for the benefit of the parties concerned;
- Scientific and technical support for economic operators in controlling the quality, compliance and safety of use of petroleum products
- A contribution to the development of regulations
the services provided by the NLEM are due for payment as laid out in the regulations especially determinated in the joint order of the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the budget No. 1678.22 issued on Dhu al-kaada 23 1443 (June 23, 2022) Determining the costs for services provided by laboratories affiliated to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The analytical services it performs annually concern more than 5000 samples, representing 4 families of products (Super Unleaded, Diesel 10 ppm, Fuel-Oil, LPG) each has a multitude of physico-chemical characteristics to be controlled.
LNEM has a total staff of 18 people including 8 executives (engineers and academics) and 10 technicians with proven know-how and experience.
The quality control of petroleum products aims to:
- Provide consumers with petroleum products that meet all the mandatory requirements and Specifications;
- Contribute to the protection of the environment from the effects of the pollutant-emissions may be related to possibly the quality of those products.
The control is carried out along the distribution chain according to the following illustration:
The main missions of the National Laboratory of Energy and Mines are:
- Control of the compliance of petroleum products according to order 1948-21 of 5 hija 1442 (July 16, 2021) That specified a set of Standard Specifications including all mandatory and regulatory requirements relating to the characteristics of major petroleum products;
- Analysis of samples collected by decentralized entities of the department of Energy Transition or for a requiring third party such an oil companies, Customs, etc...).
Organizational chart:
The Energy, Mines and Geology Laboratories Division is responsible for the management and Monitoring the organization of activities related to the analysis laboratories that it operates on behalf of the department and on behalf third party. This Division has three Services as shown in the Organizational chart below:
geographical distribution of Laboratories of Energy and Mines across the country.
As part of the project to upgrade the National Laboratory of Energy and Mines for which the main goal is to increase the number of samples and analysis for petroleum products and to reduce the average delivery time for test results, the department of Energy Transition has set up, since 2018, four (4) annex units of testing labs in Agadir, Marrakech, Tangier and Meknes.
The distribution of the annex units of testing labs in relation to the decentralized entities of the department of Energy Transition is as follows:
• National Laboratory of Energy and Mines in Casablanca
Conformity assessment of petroleum products sampled by:
- Regional directorates of the department in: Casablanca, Rabat and Beni Mellal,
- Provincial directorates of the department in: Mohammedia, Settat, El Jadida and Kenitra.
In addition to the deconcentrated entities of the department of Energy Transition ( Regional and Provincial), this laboratory also analyzes samples of petroleum products for a requiring third party such an oil companies, Customs, individuals, etc. the services provided by the NLEM are due for payment as laid out in the regulations especially determinated in the joint order of the Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister of the Economy and Finance n ° 1092-97 of February 28, 1999 determinating the costs of this services.
- Annex unit of the NLEM in Agadir:
Conformity assessment of petroleum products sampled by:
- Regional directorates of the department in: Agadir, Guelmim, Laayoune and Dakhla;
- Provincial directorates of the department in: Tata and Tan-Tan.
- Annex unit of the NLEM in Marrakech:
Conformity assessment of petroleum products sampled by:
a. Regional directorates of the department in: Marrakech
b.Provincial directorates of the department in: Safi and Ouarzazate.
- Annex unit of the NLEM in Tangier:
Conformity assessment of petroleum products sampled by:
a. Regional directorates of the department in: Tangier
b. Provincial directorates of the department in : Al Hoceima and Tetouan
- Annex unit of the NLEM in Meknes:
Conformity assessment of petroleum products sampled by:
a. Regional directorates of the department in: Fes, Errachidia and Oujda
b. Provincial directorates of the department in : Meknes, Khenifra, Nador, Bouaarfa, Jerada and Midelt.
Morocco's transition project towards fuel quality compatible with Euro 6 standards:
(Publication of a new order relating to the characteristics of large petroleum products)
During the 22nd UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 22) held in Marrakech in November 2016, Morocco committed, in the context of issues related to environmental and climate protection, to adopt advanced emissions standards for vehicles.
from 01/01/2023, any new vehicle must comply with the new standards when it is approved, and from 01/01/2024, any vehicle cannot be registered only if it complies with these standards.
Actually, the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development has taken the necessary measures to ensure that fuels sold in Morocco meet all the mandated specifications about the compliance and quality. These efforts were strengthened by the publication of the Order of the Minister of Energy, Mines and the Environment No. 1948-21 of 5 hija 1442 (July 16, 2021) on the characteristics of large petroleum products.
Morocco's transition project towards fuel quality compatible with Euro 6 standards aims to:
- Improving air quality and reducing harmful impacts on health as well as the environment and nature;
- Reduction of CO2 emissions, which would support the purpose of the Morocco's Kingdom in terms of reducing GHG emissions, in particular CO2 (Paris agreement on the climate);
- Improving durability and workability of vehicles (Euro 4 and less);
- Enhance traffic fluidity of Moroccans resident abroad (fleets of vehicles from European Union countries);
- Reduce consumption by transition towards fuel quality compatible with Euro 6 standards accompanied by a renewal of the vehicle fleet will significantly allow Morocco to reduce pollution and its impacts as well as the energy bill.
Project to building the new headquarters of the National Laboratory of Energy and Mines (NLEM) in Casablanca (on-going)
- Surface area: approximately 2500 m²;
- Start of the works: August 2021
- Total budget: more than 10 million dirhams;
- Using the services of the National Agency for Public Facilities as a delegated contracting party to Carrying out the works.
Building the new headquarters of the National Laboratory of Energy and Mines (NLEM) in Casablanca aims to :
- Increase in the capacity to receive samples taken for analysis and control at all distribution chain, from import terminals to their availability to the purchase- consumers ;
- Enable the NLEM to arrange for ISO 17025 accreditation (General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories) ;
- Ensuring proper safety and well-being of both staff as well as it users.
the National Laboratory of Energy and Mines (NLEM) and it annexes offer a wide-ranging analysis of quality parameters of petroleum products (super unleaded gasoline, Diesel 10ppm, Fuel Oil, LPG…) against the mandatory and standard specifications.
the services provided by the NLEM are due for payment as laid out in the regulations especially determinated in the joint order of the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development and Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of the budget No. 1678.22 issued on Dhu al-kaada 23 1443 (June 23, 2022) Determining the costs for services provided by laboratories affiliated to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
MANDATORY AND REGULATORY ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS |
Super unleaded gasoline | Diesel
10ppm | Fuel Oil | LPG
(liquefied petroleum gas) |
Aspect | Color | Density
at 15°C | Water
content |
Color | Distillation | Flash
point | Smell |
Distillation | Density
at 15 °C | viscosity
at 50 °C | Density |
Lead content | Sulphur
content | Water
content | vapor
pressure |
Density
at 15 °C | Flash
point | Sulphur
content | Evaporation
|
Sulphur
content | viscosity
at 40 °C | Pour
point | Copper blade corrosion |
Solvent
washed gum | Pour
point | water
and sediment | Composition obtained by gas
chromatography |
Vapor
pressure | Cold
Filter Plugging Point | Carbon
Conradson residue | sulphur
compounds content |
Octane
index | Water
content | Ash
content | |
testing
and analysis | Calculated
Cetane index | Vanadium
content | |
Oxidation
stability | Cetane
number | sodium
and potassium content | |
Phosphorus content | Total
contamination | Distillation | |
Benzene
content | Ash
content | Asphaltenes
content | |
Olefins
content | Oxidation
stability | |
Aromatics
content | Carbon
residue | |
Copper
blade corrosion | lubricity | |
Oxygen
content | Copper blade corrosion | |
Oxygenates
content | Electrical
conductivity at 20 °C | |
other
oxygenates content | |
The National Laboratory of Energy and Mines (NLEM) and it annexes tested 5029 fuel samples at 2022 distributed as follows:
- 3215 samples from regional and provincial directorates;
- 1814 samples from oil companies and Customs Services.
Variation in the number of samples analyzed from 2017 to 2022
The results of the analyzes
The NLEM recorded for the year 2022:
- 122 cases of non-compliance of the samples submitted by the Regional and Provincial Directorates (DR and DP).
- For the samples submitted by customs and oil companies, the LNEM has not recorded any case of non-compliance.
