The state-owned company Sonatrach announces the discovery of three oil and gas fields in southern Algeria

MADRID, 26 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Algeria's state oil company, Sonatrach, has announced the discovery of three new oil and gas fields in the south of the country, including one in collaboration with Italy's Eni.

"Sonatrach announces having made two discoveries, two of gas in its own efforts and one of oil in collaboration with Eni," the company said in a statement published on its website.

Thus, it has detailed that the first of the gas discoveries was carried out in the Illizi Basin, within the framework of the 'In Amenas 2' search perimeter, with a daily flow during the tests of 300,000 cubic meters of gas from of a first deposit of 213,000 cubic meters of gas per day.

"The second discovery was made by Sonatrach and its partner Eni after drilling the exploration well "Rhurde Ulad Yemaa Ouest-1" (RODW-1), in the investigation perimeter 'Sif Fatima 2', located in the region north of the Berkine Basin.

In this regard, the company has stressed that the tests in this area point to a daily production of 1,300 barrels of oil and 51,000 cubic meters of gas per day, while adding that "the activation of production in these two places will will take place through rapid development, given the proximity of the existing Ohanet and Rhurde Ulad Yemaa facilities."

On the other hand, Sonatrach has pointed to "a third positive result recorded by Sonatrach after the drilling of a delineation well in the 'Taghit' search perimeter, in the Bechar Basin", where "an interesting production of gas after the test. "This result is another proof of the potential of gas in this previously unproven field in a region considered emerging", he has settled her.

The announcement has come a week after the governments of Italy and Algeria signed a series of agreements on energy and the fight against corruption, within the framework of an official visit to Algiers by the Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, in which met with the Algerian president, Abdelmayid Tebune.

The war in Ukraine has made Algeria the axis of European energy policy and has also led to agreements with the French company Engie, which is adding to the supply through Spain, although Algiers has already stated its intention to turn its strategy to the detriment of Spain, which Algeria reproaches for its change to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, since the Saharawi independence fighters are allies of Algiers.