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Souleymane Loum
| 29 seconds ago
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We saw it coming with the rise of Algerian gas, which in January 2024 dethroned the leading gas exporter in Africa, Nigeria. The sanctions that have hit Russian gas in Europe since the invasion of Ukraine, particularly among the largest customer Germany, have propelled Algerian hydrocarbons to first place. Last October Algiers became the first supplier to the European Union (EU), ahead of Moscow, information that the Russian media “Russia Today” (RT) reported in its Arabic version…
Note that RT has compiled updated data from the European statistics platform, Eurostat. Algeria now delivers more than a fifth of the gas consumed in the EU, a dynamic that Sonelgaz owes to solid partnerships with France, Germany, Italy, and even Spain with whom Algiers had fallen out. around the positions taken on Western Sahara. In September 2024, Russia had briefly regained its first position in Europe, but Algeria came back in force thanks to large long-term contracts sealed with EU countries.
Last October, Algerian gas exports to the old continent rose to more than 1.3 billion euros, or 200 million more than in September (1.1 billion). Algeria thus represented 21.6% of total European imports, which put it ahead of historical number 1, Russia. The latter had exported to the EU in September 2024 some 1.4 billion euros, or 23.7% of total imports…
Gas fell significantly the following month, -6%, to 1.3 billion euros. In third place among EU suppliers during the same period is the USA with 1.2 billion euros, then Norway and Azerbaijan with 777 and 431 million euros respectively. Total EU imports last October rose in value to 6.15 billion euros, +5% compared to September.
Note that Algeria is connected to Europe by two gas pipelines, Medgaz to Spain and Transmed to Italy. A third gas pipeline, connecting Algeria and Spain via Morocco, the GME (Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline), was closed by the Algerian authorities in November 2021 due to the diplomatic crisis with Rabat.
Given that Europe wants to get rid of its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, Algeria has been approached to supplant Russia; It was therefore necessary to boost investments to increase production and transport capacities. In December 2023, Sonatrach formalized an investment project of 50 billion dollars until 2028, including 36 billion allocated to the exploration and production of gas and oil.
In December 2022, the Algerian head of state, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, set a course for doubling gas production, estimated at the time at just over 100 billion cubic meters per year. It was a question of directing half towards export and the other half towards the domestic market where needs are growing, in proportion to the increase in the standard of living of citizens.
At the beginning of December, Sonatrach launched another phase of the “Boosting Hassi R’Mel” mega program, which plans to extend the life of the Hassi R’mel deposit, the largest in the country, and even get additional quantities from it.
According to the American platform Energy News, Algerian production rose to 137 billion cubic meters and the horizon is 200 billion cubic meters per year by 2028.
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Germany, Spain, Eurostat, gas exports, European suppliers, France, Algerian gas, Russian gas, Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline, GME, Algerian hydrocarbons, Ukrainian invasion, investments, Italy, Medgaz, sonatrach, Sonelgaz, transmed, EU, European Union
