APS : Tuesday, 07 February 2017
ALGIERS – The Algerian-Tunisian Bilateral Energy Committee stressed the need to optimizing the electrical interconnections, better supply the border regions.
During the periodical meeting held Tuesday in Algiers under the chairmanship of Energy Minister Noureddine Boutarfa and Tunisian counterpart Héla Cheikhrouhou, the discussions focused on the state of the progress of the current projects and contracts, as well as the opportunities for future cooperation, Energy Ministry said in a communiqué.
The meeting also examined the further optimization of capacities of the exploitation of the electrical interconnections between the two countries, the enhancement of trade in electricity and sharing experience in terms of supplying the isolated and border regions with electricity and gas, said the same source.
The Committee also expressed “satisfaction” with the good functioning of the electric interconnection lines following the commissioning in 2014 of the 400 KV line from Cheffia (Algeria) to Djendouba (Tunisia).
During the meeting, the two parties also discussed the cooperation prospects in the field of hydrocarbon production and the exploration of free mining blocks in both countries.
Group Sonatrach and Tunisia Company for petroleum activities (Etap) had created in 2003, an Algerian-Tunisian company “Numhyd” which mainly operates in the exploration, the production of oil and gas in Algeria and Tunisia.
The Committee also discussed the supply of Tunisia with oil products, notably the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and household gas in the border cities. Indeed, it renewed the contracts of supply of Tunisia with quantities ranging from 120,000 to 140,000 tonnes of LPG and 20,000 tonnes of household gas.
Concerning the supply of Tunisia with natural gas, the Committee increased the volumes of gas exported to Tunisia, to 2.5 m3as from January 2016.
