Algeria’s national oil company Sonatrach is committed to providing secure and reliable gas allocation to European markets, says Mohamed Mezian, CEO of Sonatrach.
To fulfill this commitment, Sonatrach is ramping up LNG capacity to 10 million tonnes per year, said the CEO.
Mezian told ArabianOilandGas.com that by 2012, around one third of LNG capacity will be dedicated to the Atlantic basin, primarily to the UK and the US markets.
The company is currently developing two export pipelines. The Medgaz pipeline, which runs between Algeria and Spain, will transport 8 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas each year, and will come on stream in the fourth quarter of this year. The Galssi pipeline will link Algeria to Italy and will transport an additional 8 bcm, said Mezian.
The Trans Saharian pipeline linking Nigeria to Europe, using the Algerian export terminals, will transport between 20 bcm to 30 bcm annually, and is expected to be operational by 2015, said the CEO.
“Sonatrach is constantly looking to synergies and build win-win partnership with international oil companies, and remains interested in building constructive dialogue with the key players,” said the CEO.
