Shale Gas: “Sonatrach masters hydraulic fracking process”, acting CEO says

Sonatrach masters hydraulic fracturing or fracking process which is a technique already used by the national company since the 1990s, but without having a negative impact on the environment, said the acting CEO of Sonatrach, Said Sahnoun in an interview with APS news agency.

“We implemented this technique in 1992 in Hassi R’Mel on geological formations, which are not thin and from which we extracted oil through horizontal drilling,” he said.

In this connection, Mr Sahnoun stressed that in Hassi Messaoud, Sonatrach has also had to use this technique to upgrade the extraction of very tight deposits of this vast oil field which started production way back in 1956.

From 2006 to 2010, the group fractured an average of 50 wells per year in Hassi Messaoud, says the Sonatrach CEO, noting that these drillings, like the rest of conventional wells, crossed table aquifers without having an adverse effect on the environment.

“It is a technique well mastered by Sonatrach. We have imported the expertise from the United States and have systematically used it in these holes,” Sahnoun said, adding that he understands the fears expressed by the population of In Salah about the two pilot shale gas wells in this southern region.

“The fear of the local population with regard to this activity is often legitimate. They are showing resistance to anything that is new,” he emphasized.

He said the trade and economic aspects of Sonatrach never deviate from the principle of the protection of health of the population and the preservation of the environment, “which is sacred and well rooted in the values of Sonatrach.”

As such, he asserted that the hydrocarbons company is only in the reserves assessment phase.

Besides, he added that Sonatrach has strict precautionary measures before and after drilling, whether conventional wells (vertical drilling) or unconventional wells (horizontal drilling).

“Creating an energy mix is essential and we need to increase, strengthen and diversify the resource base in order to have a sufficiently flexible offering that would allow us to adapt to the needs of a changing environment,” Sonatrach’s acting CEO Said Sahnoun said in response to a question about the recent protests at In Salah in southern Algeria.

“We cannot ask Sonatrach to remain on the sidelines of the technology and not to engage in operations that tend toward efficiency and optimization,” he added.

“At Sonatrach, we also have a mission to supply the domestic market as a priority without eroding the value of our exports, which are necessary for national development while duly preserving the health of the local residents and the environment as a whole.”