Africa is building a gas pipeline to Europe to replace Russian gas
This is according to Business Insider Africa.
New gas route to Europe
Construction has begun in Algeria on a section of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline — one of Africa’s largest energy projects. The future route is set to pass through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria, enabling African natural gas to be transported to European consumers. Algeria’s Minister of Energy, Mohamed Arkab, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, and Niger’s Minister of Petroleum, Hamadou Tini, attended the launch of the works. The total length of the pipeline is expected to be around 4,128 kilometres — from the city of Warri in southern Nigeria to the Algerian gas hub of Hassi R’mel. Once construction is complete, it will be able to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year.
Europe seeks an alternative to Russia
Gas from Hassi R’mel is planned to be routed via existing Algerian infrastructure to Mediterranean export routes serving Europe. Algeria is already a major gas supplier to the EU, accounting for around 12% of European imports. Interest in new supply sources has surged following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as European countries began to reduce their dependence on Russian energy resources. The European Union plans to phase out Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.
The project has competitors
The Trans-Saharan gas pipeline is not the only route capable of delivering Nigerian gas to Europe. A Nigeria–Morocco gas pipeline is also being considered, which would run along the Atlantic coast through several West African countries. At the same time, the route via Algeria is shorter and could utilise part of the country’s existing gas infrastructure.
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