MEDGAZ: Additional Capacity to Transport Gas to Spain on February 24

The operation of the additional gas transmission capacities on the Medgaz pipeline is reaching its final touches and is likely to be activated on February 24, coinciding with the celebration of the anniversary of the nationalization of hydrocarbons, which will raise the quantities transported through this facility to 10.6 billion cubic meters annually, a senior official source at Sonatrach told Echorouk.

“The fourth pumping station for the gas pipeline Medgaz is subject to the last tests before starting its final operation, indicating that the station is considered in service since it is subject to experiments, but the company is in the process of verifying that its performance reached the stage of total stability for its final operation. Therefore, some issues and imbalances that appear from time to time must be addressed, and this is the goal of the testing phase”, the same source added.

“The results of the testing phase will be available within two days, and in light of this, the final operation of the fourth pumping station will be determined. The inauguration will likely take place in the presence of the country’s higher authorities, which requires good preparation”.

“The Corona pandemic affected somewhat the process of preparing the fourth pumping station for the Medgaz pipeline. Some engineers at the worksite were infected with Covid-19 and Sonatrach is in the process of managing and controlling the situation, but the work did not stop at all”.

“Regarding the official inauguration date of the fourth pumping station of the Medgaz 4 Turbocompressor, the operation is likely to take place on February 24, coinciding with the celebration of the double anniversary of the nationalization of hydrocarbons and the establishment of the General Union of Algerian Workers”.

The fourth pumping station of the Medgaz pipeline is expected, after its inauguration, to raise the capacity of transporting from 8 billion cubic meters currently to 10.6 billion cubic meters annually, after the authorities decided not to renew the contract of the Maghreb Europe line passing through Moroccan territory, as of November, 1,2021.

According to Sonatrach’s assurances, Medgaz will cover the annual needs of Spain and Portugal of natural gas, in addition to the capacity of transporting liquefied natural gas (GNL) by ships.

In a related context, Sonatrach’s official source denied any reduction by the national company in gas supplies to Spain, as was circulated, quoting the “Inagas” company, which runs the internal gas network in Spain, which spoke about a reduction in gas pumping through the Medgaz pipeline for 36 hours a few days ago.

“The problem was raised for 36 hours on the Spanish side and the Algerian side did not have any problem. After settling the problem with the Spanish side, gas was pumped again and normally. If the company stopped pumping at all, it was related to a problem with the other party”.