Sellal: “Algeria Is Set to Hike Its Gas Production”

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, who undertook Thursday a working and inspection visit to the province of Tamanrasset (southern Algeria), inaugurated a gas processing plant in the locality of Hassi-Moumene (43 km from In-Salah).

Achieved in the framework of a partnership between Sonatrach group and ISG-Petrofac, this energy plant has an overall output capacity of 14 million cubic m³.

On the spot, the Premier stressed the imperious need for Algeria to increase its gas output and break with the “classical” pumping-export conception of gas industry with a view to shifting towards a new vision of the petrochemical industry.

Such a vision will allow us rely no more on gas export as raw material but rather on petrochemical industry that “brings added value,” underscored Mr. Sellal.

“Algeria must urgently engage in an emerging economy in the 21st century, in keeping with the President of the Republic Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s instructions,” he asserted.

During his encounter with the workers and executives of the plant, mostly hailing from southern provinces of the country, the Premier affirmed that “the Algerian state’s policy is based on fostering employment of youth from southern provinces,” while calling on executives of this energy plant to hire graduates from universities in southern provinces so as to fulfill their recruitment needs, and resort to recruitment from other provinces, if need be.

Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal also commissioned Thursday in Tamanrasset (1 920 km south of Algiers) a string of electricity and natural gas supply projects  in the area of Sahla-west (10 km west of sub-province of In-Salah).

Being part of the 2010/2014 five-year development program, the electricity supply project was achieved under a partnership among Sonelgaz (75%), the State (25%) and a beneficiary who contributed with DZD 5,000. The project comprises eight electrification centers.

The network of public natural gas distribution, part of the five year national development program, will supply 507 houses. It includes a distribution network of 17.07 km.

These two operations aim at upgrading the citizens’ living standards and the rate of supply in energy resources. The Prime Minister insisted to this effect on the necessity of ensuring a comprehensive gas supply for the benefit of the residents of this vast southern region of Algeria.