The Algerian Minister of Energy, Abdelmadjid Attar, met today in Algiers the Chief Executive Officer of Eni, Claudio Descalzi, to take stock of the company's activities in the country, future projects and to discuss the issues of the energy transition, central to the Eni's new strategy.
Claudio Descalzi also met with Sonatrach's CEO, Toufik Hakkar. During the meeting, an agreement was signed that provides for a path aimed at a new hydrocarbon contract in the southern area of the Berkine Basin, under the aegis of the new Algerian oil law which came into force in December 2019.
This agreement, which is part of the memorandum of understanding for collaboration in the upstream sector signed last July, aims to create a new gas and oil development hub in the region through a synergy with the existing assets of MLE-CAFC (Block 405b).
Toufik Hakkar and Claudio Descalzi shared their commitment to the implementation of a program to relaunch the exploration and development activities in the area, through the optimization of existing infrastructures, and to continue on an accelerated time to market path by leveraging the synergies present in the territory, replicating the model already successfully applied in the “Berkine Nord” project.
The progress of the feasibility studies for the expansion of the BRN photovoltaic plant, built at the end of 2018, and for the creation of a new photovoltaic plant at the MLE site, which will supply clean energy to the existing treatment, while reducing emissions from self-consumption of gas.
These initiatives are part of the strategy that Eni and Sonatrach are adopting on shared assets, aimed at combining economic, financial and environmental sustainability.
In fact, the two companies share the objective of reducing the carbon footprint of natural gas production through the improvement of the energy efficiency of the processes, the electrification of treatment plants and the abatement of fugitive methane emissions, through the systematic and structured monitoring campaigns.
Toufik Hakkar and Claudio Descalzi also reaffirmed their willingness to collaborate in other sectors such as staff training, research and development, technology transfer, renewable energy and other fields linked to the gas and oil products markets.
At the end of the meeting, Eni's CEO thanked Sonatrach for the constant support and the friendly and fruitful relationship: "Today's signing is testimony to the commitment made by Sonatrach and Eni to strengthen their partnership in Algeria, in compliance with a shared strategy of accelerated development of projects and pursuing the decarbonisation objectives as part of our commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in the long term, reducing and compensating for greenhouse gas emissions to zero ".
Eni has been present in Algeria since 1981 where it is the operator of 32 mining permits. With an equity production of 80 barrels of oil equivalent per day, Eni is the country's most important international company.