Hammamet – “Algeria launched an ambitious program to increase the use of renewable energy by 2035. The program envisages 15 thousand megawatts of renewable energy, mainly photovoltaic. The first phase was recently launched with 3 thousand megawatts, the tender process has resulted in all lots being awarded, and work on the site is scheduled to begin within the next month.” Merouane Chabane, director general of APRUE (Algeria’s National Agency for the Promotion and Rationalization of Energy Use), during the ongoing MeetMed Week in Hammamet, Tunisia, organized by MEDENER (which has Enea’s Roberta Boniotti as Secretary General) and Anme (Tunisia’s National Agency for Energy Management) in partnership with APRUE. “The commissioning of the first units is scheduled for 2026, while the completion of the first part of the program is planned for early 2027,” and, at the same time, “other batches will be started, to produce an average of 1,000 megawatts per year, to reach 15,000 megawatts by 2035. It is a very ambitious program that will allow us to reach 30 percent renewable energy capacity by 2035.”
Currently, “Algeria is the main supplier of natural gas to the European market, and it wants to remain so by diversifying, particularly by exporting hydrogen, but also green energy, this is because it really has the potential and the ability to provide this new form of sustainable energy at very competitive costs,” Chabane points out, “In this sense, it is in a very strong position compared to neighboring countries.”
At the same time, “Algeria has recently thought about and implemented a national strategy for decarbonized hydrogen, and in particular green hydrogen, given its solar energy potential, but also its considerable experience and its gas infrastructure, which give it competitive advantages over other countries.” As a result, “production costs will become increasingly lower to be competitive with the grey hydrogen it currently produces,” Chabane continues: “Algeria also has great experience, particularly through its company Sonatrach, in developing this market.” Soon, “two hydrogen pilot projects will be launched, including the largest one in Arzio, with a capacity of 50 megawatts, as part of the collaboration with German cooperation, allowing to master the entire hydrogen value chain, in addition to training all its expertise in the field,” APRUE’s general manager stresses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhhYvoBTU7Q
“Algeria is the main supplier of natural gas to the European market and wants to remain so by diversifying, in particular by exporting hydrogen, but also green energy, because it really has the potential and the capacity to provide this new form of sustainable energy at very competitive costs,” Chabane emphasizes: “In this sense, it is in a very strong position compared to neighboring countries.
In Algeria, “domestic energy consumption is growing strongly, which is perfectly normal given the number of housing units built, the increase in population, but also the improvement in the comfort of Algerians,” to the point that “consumption is set to double in the next ten years.” For this reason, “Algeria has taken measures to save energy without affecting the socio-economic situation of Algerians,” Chabane explains. “These energy-saving measures” start with energy efficiency in the most energy-intensive sectors -“industry, with the decarbonization of the sector, and transport, also with decarbonization”- with a process that began “with the massive introduction of LPG in individual transport, as well as with the electrification of railways and the introduction of public transport, the metro, and streetcars,” Chabane continues, “Seven cities have this type of transport. A program of electrification of 6 thousand kilometers of railways is also underway.” and at the same time “we are working to promote electric mobility, especially in urban areas.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
