Turkey wants to consolidate its Algerian Natural Gas supplies

[CEZAYIRLI]

UN CONTRAT À LONG TERME LIE LES DEUX PAYS : La Turquie veut conforter ses approvisionnements en gaz algérien - Économie : Liberté

La Turquie veut augmenter ses achats de GNL en provenance de l’Algérie, a indiqué, hier à Alger, le ministre turc de l’Énergie, en marge de la 11e session de la Commission mixte algéro-turque.

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Turkey wants to consolidate its Algerian gas supplies
A LONG-TERM CONTRACT BONDS THE TWO COUNTRIES

Turkey wants to increase its purchases of LNG from Algeria, the Turkish energy minister said yesterday in Algiers on the sidelines of the 11th session of the Algerian-Turkish Joint Commission.

Turkey wants to import more Algerian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the next few years, as part of a long-term gas contract, almost thirty years old, that the two countries want to renew.

This was stated by the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Fatih Donmez, during a joint press conference with his Algerian counterpart, Mohamed Arkab, held yesterday in Algiers, on the sidelines of the proceedings. of the 11th session of the Algerian-Turkish Intergovernmental Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

This contract, signed in 1995, covers the delivery by Algeria of four billion cubic meters of LNG per year, for 20 years. In 2018, Sonatrach signed with the Turkish public company specializing in the import of natural gas, Botas, an amendment to a gas contract with the aim of increasing the volume of liquefied natural gas exported by Algeria to the Turkish market.

Under this additional clause, the Turkish company increased the quantities of LNG imported from Algeria to 5.4 billion m3 / year, against 4.4 billion m3 / year previously.

Turkey, a major energy importer, increasingly relies on LNG imports to meet its electricity needs. The country also aims to strengthen its investments in energy, by engaging in joint projects, especially in petrochemicals. The polypropylene production project in Turkey is one of them.

Sonatrach and the Turkish company Renaissance signed three contracts at the beginning of October to develop it.

In a speech at the opening of this 11th session of the Joint Commission, the Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohamed Arkab, invited Turkish operators to come and invest in the oil sector in Algeria, not without mentioning the new Hydrocarbons law which, he stressed, opens up broad prospects for investment.

The Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, for his part, argued that Turkish investments in Algeria, all activities combined, reached 5 billion dollars, the bulk of which is granted in non-hydrocarbon sectors, in particular in the steel industry.

Turkish steel giant Tosyali is one of the most important companies in the sector. It is located in Bethioua in the wilaya of Oran. In the first quarter of 2021, Tosyali exported some 230,000 tonnes of steel products, the equivalent of $ 130 million. A record figure that has been achieved by the complex since it began its export activities.

Pushing its ambitions further, Tosyali was to begin construction of a new flat steel plant project with an annual capacity of 2 million tonnes in November.

On the trade front, the volume of bilateral trade reached $ 5 billion in 2014. But “with the Covid-19 pandemic, it has fallen,” said Fatih Donmez, adding that the two countries will still have to make efforts to 'to augment.

Algeria and Turkey signed on the sidelines of the work of the Joint Commission a series of memorandums of understanding and cooperation agreements in various fields, such as animal health, trade and industry, public works, agriculture, environment, culture ...

In their respective speeches, the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and his Algerian counterpart underlined the importance of the work of this 11th Algerian-Turkish joint session which began on Tuesday, November 9, at the level of experts from the two countries. .

Likewise, they highlighted the opportunities and possibilities for investment and partnership in several sectors of activity, notably in the field of hydrocarbons, petrochemical industry, production and transmission of electricity.

They also discussed other aspects of cooperation related to the exchange of experiences, investment opportunities and partnerships offered by the mining sector in Algeria, particularly in the field of research, exploration, the exploitation and production of mineral materials.

Mohamed Arkab, during this session, recalled that his department is working on amending the mining law.

The minister said the new mining law as well as the improvement of the business climate in the country should help attract more investment in the sector. He also announced that the Algerian-Turkish High Level Commission should meet in the coming months.

The two sides also discussed business opportunities in other areas such as renewable energies, offshore and training. To this end, a business forum dedicated to energy and mines was also organized yesterday in the presence of the two ministers.


Youcef SALAMI