Algeria has launched the construction of a new section of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a major energy project designed to transport natural gas from Nigeria to Europe through Niger and Algeria.
Algerian Energy and Mines Minister, Mohamed Arkab, and representatives of Nigeria and Niger inaugurated the first welding operations for the pipeline, which will have a diameter of 48 inches.
According to project documents distributed to journalists, seen by Anadolu, the new Algerian section will stretch 1,210 kilometers (752 miles) from the Niger border to Aoulef, where it will be connected to the gas transport network leading to the Hassi R’Mel field, Africa’s largest natural gas field.
From there, gas will be transported to export terminals in Beni Saf on Algeria’s western coast or El Kala in the east near the Tunisian border.
The Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline is one of Africa’s largest energy infrastructure projects, with a total length of 4,327 kilometers (2,689 miles) linking Nigeria’s Warri city to Hassi R’Mel through Niger.
The pipeline extends 1,185 kilometers inside Nigeria and 720 kilometers inside Niger. The Algerian section spans 2,424 kilometers, of which 1,210 kilometers are being newly constructed, while the remaining distance consists of existing pipelines transporting gas from southern fields to pumping stations and northern cities.
Arkab said the project would enable the transport of more than 20 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Nigeria and Algeria to European markets.
He said the project reflects the vision of Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to strengthen African cooperation and expand partnerships among countries of the Global South.
