- Algeria signed a deal to import billions more cubic meters via an undersea pipeline from the North African coast.
- Algeria hopes to produce as much as 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources.
The European Union’s long-term strategic partnership with Algeria has become even more productive following the recent Russian gas cut to Europe in a suspected retaliation against Western sanctions after the Ukraine invasion. Kadri Simson, EU’s energy commissioner and one of Europe’s top officials, visited Algeria in search of more natural gas. She said, “As the relationship with Russia, so far EU’s biggest gas supplier, is irreversibly broken, we are turning to the EU’s reliable suppliers to fill in the gap; in this respect, we are offering Algeria a long-term strategic partnership,”.
In July, Algeria signed a deal to import billions more cubic meters via an undersea pipeline from the North African coast. This has helped Europe diversify its energy supplies. Europe’s gas hunt has become ever more urgent as winter approaches; however, there are questions about Algeria’s ability to boost output in the short term.
The Energy Minister, Mohamed Arkab, in his speech at the energy summit hosted in the capital Algiers, said his country was “a trusted supplier” that always honours its contractual obligations. In addition, He said that Algeria hopes to produce as much as 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035 and was also examining the possibility of laying high-voltage cables under the Mediterranean to export electricity to Europe.