Sonatrach to invest nearly $3.5bn to build new gas pipelines

Interim CEO of Sonatrach, Saïd Sahnoun, announced Sunday that the national oil group plans to invest $3.480 billion for the construction of new gas pipelines to improve the capacity of those already existing.
In a statement he delivered at the opening of the international conference of gas industry in Algeria, Saïd Sahnoun said that this investment falls as part of the five-year plan 2015-2019, recalling the existence of four main gas pipelines near the deposits: the basins of Berkine, Illizi, Reggane and Timimoun.
"Another gas pipeline is under construction and will be brought into service in July 2016," he added.
As a reminder, Algeria possesses 87 platforms managed by Sonatrach and 16 others managed in joint-venture, while the fracturing units are 25.
The success of such investment project in gas pipelines, in its development phase requires experience and performing equipments. This demands "significant human resources to address the shortcomings in terms of equipments," said Interim CEO of Sonatrach, estimating the size of the project at some 20 billion cubic meters per year.
"Some 50 platforms and four et fracturing units are needed on a total of 20 wells," Sahnoun said while adding that overall, 3,960 wells are to be dig.
The opening ceremony of the International Conference on Gas Industry in Algeria was chaired by Minister of Energy, Youcef Yousfi. It was attended by US Undersecretary of State at the Department of Energy, Christopher Smith and a large number of officials in the energy sector and national and foreign experts.