The European Commissioner for Energy pleaded Tuesday in Algiers for a "long-term strategic partnership" with Algeria, one of its "most reliable" gas suppliers to which Europe has turned to compensate the drop in Russian deliveries.

“Algeria is an important and reliable gas supplier for Europe.

The relationship with Russia, so far the EU's largest gas supplier, has been irreversibly severed, we are looking to trusted EU suppliers to fill the void,” said Kadri Simson .

“We offer Algeria a long-term strategic partnership, which should not be limited to natural gas alone,” she added during an Algeria-European Union forum on energy.

For example, the EU wants to help Algeria reduce its methane emissions and increase its electricity production from renewable energies.

"Algeria has one of the highest solar energy potentials in the world," the European Commissioner said in a tweet.

Production doubts

Several senior European officials have preceded Simson in recent months to Algeria, which supplies around 11% of Europe's gas needs, since Russia closed the valves in retaliation for Western sanctions after Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Algeria is already helping Europe to diversify its supplies through the planned increase in gas deliveries to Italy, which signed an agreement in July to import billions of additional cubic meters this year via the Transmed gas pipeline.

But experts have questioned Algeria's ability to increase production in the short term.

“A trusted supplier”

Algerian Prime Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane assured at the opening of the Algeria-EU Energy Forum on Monday that the public oil and gas group Sonatrach had put in place "an emergency action program", to enable it "to increase, in the short term, its production of natural gas".

Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab stressed for his part on Tuesday that his country was "a trusted supplier" which honors its contractual obligations.

According to Arkab, Algeria plans to lay high voltage cables under the Mediterranean to export electricity to Europe.

The country also plans to produce up to 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035, the minister said.

Planet

Energy sobriety: Waste could produce more energy, argue companies

By the Web

Energy sobriety: What is TrackMyWatt, the new tracker designed by Guillaume Rozier?

  • World

  • Algeria

  • Energy

  • Gas

  • Electricity

  • European Union (EU)