AfrOil: Sonatrach CEO says Algeria can meet Italian gas supply pledges

Algeria will be able to supply Italy with at least 25bn cubic metres of natural gas this year, said Tewfik Hakkar, the CEO of the national oil company (NOC) Sonatrach, following reports that the North African country might not be able to uphold its commitment to increase deliveries.

Hakkar told Bloomberg in an interview on September 21 that Sonatrach was set to export 25.2 bcm of gas to Italy in 2022. This would represent a rise of almost 20.6% on the figure of 20.9 bcm posted for 2021, according to data that the news agency cited from Italy’s gas network operator.

According to the Sonatrach CEO, Algeria has already arranged to send 21.6 bcm of gas to Italy under long-term contracts and expects to provide another 3.6 bcm via spot-market transactions. Sonatrach may even be able to send more gas, he added, stating that he anticipated the signing of additional supply contracts “during the coming weeks.”