The Gharb basin in Morocco is among the basins that were heavily explored, leading to the discovery and the exploitation of small deposits.

The Gharb basin in Morocco is among the basins that were heavily explored, leading to the discovery and the exploitation of small deposits.
Following the First World War, the CCRF (Compagnie Chérifiennes de Recherches et Forages) began exploration in the basin, which was well-known for a "bright spot" of biogenic gas. Several oil companies drilled the prospect resulting in several discoveries. The BRPM / PETROFINA joint venture created in 1963 commercialized several discoveries of gas that were delivered to the refinery at Sidi Kacem and the CMCP. The company has sold over 700 million SCM gas.

In 1980, another consortium of BRPM / ELF AQUITAINE / PCS  / and KPC, the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, conducted exploration work in the southern basin, where the Oulad Youssef (OYF ) and Oulad Bendich (OBD) were discovered in 1980. ONAREP, having succeeded BRPM in 1981, has also done some prospecting on its own or in partnership with other companies. ONAREP discovered the Oulad Kharti and Nouirrat deposits in 1981. In 1986, the Sidi El Harti deposit was discovered in partnership with APEX PETROFINA.

Production in the Gharb basin is generally dry gas (99% methane), making it easy to use with few problems. Despite their small size so far, exploitation is profitable because of their easy access by drilling (depth ranging from 900 to 1800 m) and also the presence of potential customers in the region. The recovery rate for deposits in the Rharb Basin is around 90%.