Algeria aims to double oil & gas production in 10 years
After a couple of years with no significant investments and the trauma of the In Amenas attack, the Algerian Government and its national oil and gas company (NOC) Sonatrach have decided to ramp up the oil and gas production in order to double it in the next ten years.
In July 2013, Algeria production touched its lowest point at 1.12 million barrels per day (b/d) since 2003.
In that respect, In Amenas chock contributed to loose production but was not the cause of a long standing decline having its roots in lack of decisions far too long.
Now this incident appears to have operated as the trigger of the Algerian Government new energy policy willing to double the oil and gas production in the 2020s.
In this perspective Sonatrach is planning to revive production in mature fields, develop under-tapped fields, explore new areas in south west regions, start offshore exploration and appraise the promising unconventional resources.
Ranked by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) among the top 3 countries in the world behind China and Argentina, Algeria is estimated to hold 707 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of shale gas.
Even if these reserves are still at appraisal stage, the Algerian Government and Sonatrach evaluates currently the reserves technically recoverable from 300 to 500 tcf of tight gas.
In the meantime that these unconventional reserves reach production phase, Algeria is boosting all conventional gas fields where Sonatrach is working in joint venture with international companies such as BP, Cepsa, GDF-Suez, Repsol, Statoil or Total.
Petrofac and Bonatti awarded Alrar Extension Project
The London-based engineering company Petrofac and its Italian partner Bonatti have been awarded by the national oil company (NOC) Sonatrach the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the extension of the Alrar gas field inEastern Algeria.
North Reggane first production still targeted in 2016
Despite the In Amenas attack, the Spanish Repsol and its partners, the national oil company (NOC) Sonatrach, RWE Dea from Germany, and Edison from Italy, are moving ahead in the development of the North Reggane gas fields according to the original plans…
GDF-Suez and Sonatrach to invest $3 billion in Touat
The Algerian national company Sonatrach and the France-based utility and energy group GDF-Suez selected the Spanish engineering company Tecnicas Reunidas to execute the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract for the development of the giant Touat gas field in southwestern Algeria.
Sonatrach – Total – CEPSA move on Timimoun
In November 2012, Sonatrach, the Algeria national oil company announced to increase its capital expenditure from the actual $10 billion in 2012 to $15 billion in 2013.
This first step is part of the new program of oil and gas projects in which Sonatrach is planning to invest up to $80 billion on the next five years.
