Bouchouareb sternly urges French company “Total” to strictly abide by the deadlines

Delays in the delivery of various projects in the industrial sector are no longer bearable, the Minister of Industry and Mines, Abdesselam Bouchouareb, said on Sunday during a working visit of inspection to the province of Oran (western Algeria) adding that in the current situation “we do not have time” and that “everyone is bound to strictly respect the deadlines”.

This remark is intended for all industrialists who accumulate delays in their projects. The most targeted in this visit was the lubricants plant project of the French company “Total” which has not yet been able to start for three years now. 

An untoward situation that has piqued the Minister’s anger. “You should very quickly achieve this lingering project,” he warned the leaders of the French company. “Everyone has these problems, we must arrive at the same time but there is an interval, and we always continue to import lubricants,” he said.

Mr Bouchouareb reported that the country “needs the one that is more efficient, but I cannot wait until I continue to import lubricants from abroad including those of Total or others”, he hammered. 

To be clearer, the Minister of Industry and Mines explained that today “either you are going to play the game or else I’ll open up squarely the bidding competition, the message is clear” he said. “This is the last time I make this remark,” the Minister insisted.

According to the Total project manager, the launch is planned for the first quarter of this year. “We are at the end of the bidding notice that was unsuccessful twice and this has caused this delay,” he reacted.

During his visit to the wharf that is being built at the port of Arzew, Mr Bouchouareb also issued another warning to those who have benefited from the state’s land ownership and are slow to launch their projects. “We have lost a lot of time with you and that will not repeat it,” he said.

In addition, the Minister inspected the extension of the Tosyali iron and steel complex in Betioua, which will wind up this year with a projected production capacity of 2.1 million tons. 

The investment worth 1.3 billion dollars, will initially, in the next five months, produce about one million tons of concrete with its rolling mill that will be received shortly.

However, in order to obtain supplies, the port enterprise in Arzew is building a wharf to receive ships that will first import the equivalent of 400,000 tons per year of iron ore. 

The relevant plant, which will revert to full production in 2019, will produce 5.5 million tonnes. Alltogether, Algeria will produce in the course of this year the equivalent of 18 million tons of steel within its various complex units.