European energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Algerian minister of energy and mines Chakib Khelil met during the EU-OPEC Ministerial in Vienna, Austria, to discuss the possibility of increasing Algerian gas supplies to Europe.
Algeria has been a reliable supplier to the EU for more than 30 years, and we are looking forward to deepening our bilateral energy cooperation, said Mr Piebalgs after the meeting.
In a press release regarding the planned cooperation, the EU said that Algeria is currently the third largest supplier of gas to the region. In 2005, it exported more than 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas, equivalent to 19.1% of the EU’s imports. The EU believes that with the new developments planned Algeria could increase its exports to 78.5bcm.
New gas may come through two new pipelines: the Medgaz pipeline, which would connect Algeria to Almeria on the southeast coast of Spain, and the Galsi pipeline, which would connect Algeria to Cagliari, Sardinia in Italy. Each pipeline would have a capacity of 8bcm per year.
A project to increase the capacity of an existing pipeline that links Algeria and Italy through Tunisia could also add 7.5bcm to current supplies.
The progress of these projects and the negotiation of a memorandum of understanding between Algeria and the EU were two of the main subjects of discussion between Mr Piebalgs and Mr Khelil. Both parties also talked about the dialogue between OPEC and the EU.
