Executive Director of Italy’s Eni Company on a “secret” visit to Algeria!

Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal, the Energy Minister, Salah Khebri and the CEO of national hydrocarbons group Sonatrach, Amine Mazouzi, met in Algiers with ENI’s CEO, Claudio Descalzi, who paid a “secret” visit to Algeria earlier this week.

The unannounced visit by ENI’s CEO was aimed  at discussing with Algerian authorities a set of outstanding files related to ENI’s dented energy relationship with Algeria and clearing the air between the two sides notably in relation to the so-called “Sonatrach bribery scandal” for a better and more transparent cooperation at a time of plummeting world oil prices.

Among other items on the meeting’s agenda, they evoked the Energy mix issue, with Italy’s Eni company expressing its willingness to embark upon new projects in partnership for the development of renewable energies.

During the encounter, Eni’s CEO illustrated to Prime Minister Sellal the important developments of the company in the Country.  

The CEO of Eni then outlined the future strategies that Eni intends to apply in Algeria in order to bolster the partnership of over ten years between the two countries and the two companies.

Eni has been present in Algeria since 1981 and now participates in 32 mining permits, with a daily production of 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent, as the first foreign producer, in close collaboration with national energy company Sonatrach.

Algeria is also for Italy an important strategic partner for the fulfillment of the country’s gas needs.