Italy asks Algeria to speed up approval on Galsi pipeline

There is a push by the Italian government to get another gas pipeline from Algeria to Italy up and running. Italy would like to speed up approval on the Galsi pipeline as part of the country's efforts to boost and diversify its energy supplies, Industry Ministry Undersecretary Stefano Saglia said in a statement.

The Galsi is a planned natural gas pipeline from Algeria to Sardinia and further into northern Italy. The project has been in the works for sometime although not a lot of movement has been made in the past few years. A feasibility study was completed in 2005and an intergovernmental agreement for the project was signed between Italy and Algeria in 2007. 

While the project has been slow to get moving, a conference of services, which is a key step in approval of big industrial projects in Italy, has been convened. The conference includes industry experts and local authorities involved in the project.

“It is in our interest that the Galsi pipeline is authorized as soon as possible. The process is at an advanced stage,” Saglia said in a statement.

“The Galsi pipeline is a strategic project, it connects us directly with Algeria, without passing through other countries, and therefore increases the national supply security,” he said.