Since independence, Algeria, which will host, from February 29 to March 2, the 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), had focused on the development of the industry gas by engaging in a sustained investment policy in the field, with the multiplication of projects in exploration, production, liquefaction and transport.
Since the first discovery of a gas field in 1956 in Hassi R'mel, entry into production on April 1, 1961 and the recovery of national sovereignty in 1962, Algeria has continued to increase its investments in this sector. neuralgic.
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This is how the National Company for Research, Production, Transport, Transformation and Marketing of Hydrocarbons (Sonatrach) was created on December 31, 1963, which would become the tool of the country's energy policy.
Less than a year later, Algeria acquired its first gas liquefaction complex (GL4Z), located in Arzew, known as “La Camel” (acronym for the Algerian Liquid Methane Company).
After this momentum, intense steps were then taken for the development of this sector, supported by the nationalization of hydrocarbons on February 24, 1971, after a long process of negotiations.
Algeria had thus just recovered at least 51% of the interests of the French concessionary oil companies which operated in the south of the country and all of the gas fields in operation.
By taking this decisive step, reinforced by the management of the training aspect, major projects were launched from the 1970s, including in particular the construction of new liquefaction complexes, international gas pipeline networks, highly deployed at the national level, multiple transport and processing infrastructures as well as specialized ports.
This ambitious investment policy resulted in an increase in Algeria's gas production, which exceeded 136 billion m3 at the end of 2023, while the objective set for 2028 is to reach a production of 146 .7 billion m3, with a view to ensuring security of supplies and increasing export levels to nearly 100 billion m3.
Strategic infrastructures to secure supplies
These production levels were obtained, in addition, thanks to the exploitation of several gas fields spread across the country, some of which have recently been put into service.
These include, among others, the Hassi R'mel field, which remains one of the largest in the world and which benefits from regular monitoring to strengthen it, the fields of Rhourde Nouss, Alrar (Illizi ), Tinrhert (In Amenas) and Touat, as well as the fields of Timimoune.
Alongside the efforts made in exploration and production, large-scale projects had also been implemented in the field of transformation through the liquefaction of natural gas and the separation of LPG.
In this area, Sonatrach had risen to this level by distinguishing itself among the very leading global players in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and by-products such as ethane, propane butane and gasoline.
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The liquefaction activity carried out initially by the sole liquefaction complex (GL4Z) had been reinforced and consolidated by the entry into production of three complexes: one in Skikda and two in Arzew to culminate in a total capacity of 56 million m3 /year.
For the separation of LPG, Sonatrach also has two other complexes located in Arzew, with a total capacity of 10.4 million tonnes/year.
These investments made over 60 years have enabled the national hydrocarbon company to be a reliable and safe supplier in the global NG, LNG and LPG market, whose exports are ensured by gas pipelines and by a transport fleet made up of 17 ships including LNG tankers, LPG ships and oil tankers.
Algeria has two intercontinental gas pipelines in service connecting it to Italy and Spain, which ensure supply under long-term contractual relationships.
The first gas pipeline, the Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline "Enrico Mattei", connecting Algeria to Italy via Tunisia, commissioned in 1983, has a transport capacity of 33.15 billion m3/year, while the “Medgaz”, linking the town of Beni Saf to Almeria in Spain, has been transporting gas via the Mediterranean, since its inauguration in April 2011, with a capacity of 10 billion m3/year.
These two strategic infrastructures will have to be reinforced by others currently under development, in particular the new gas pipeline project to connect Algeria and Italy by a direct link via the sea in order to ensure, in addition to the transport of gas, that electricity, ammonia and hydrogen.