French, UK Officials Visit Algiers
French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault arrived in Algiers on March 29 for a two-day visit including meetings with his Algerian counterpart, Ramtane Lamamra. The visit is intended to prepare for a High-Level Intergovernmental Committee in April, also in Algeria, that will be chaired by both countries’ prime ministers covering security and counter-terrorism, youth employability, and major transport, health and energy projects.
Total and Engie both have significant upstream gas interests in Algeria. Total has a 35% interest at the Tin Fouye Tabankort (TFT) producing gas-condensate field 300 km west of the Libyan border, and is developing the Timimoun gas project in which it has a 37.75% stake, but is less actively pursuing its 47% interest in the Ahnet shale gas licence due to local unease over the technology. Engie (formerly GDF Suez) aims to start production from the Touat gas-condensate field in early 2017, from which it hopes for plateau production of 4.5bn m3; it drilled the first production well in 2012.
On March 28, the UK Prime Minister’s special representative for economic partnership with Algeria, Richard Spring – known as Lord Risby visited Algiers, reported state news agency APS. The UK was still interested in investing in Algeria, he said, despite BP’s temporary withdrawal of staff. Statoil and BP both temporarily withdrew staff from Algerian assets following the March 18 Islamist attack on their In Salah gasfield that caused no casualties. "Algeria is committed in strengthening its energy investments through its strong commitment to renewable energies that we closely follow,” added Spring.
Mark Smedley