APS : MONDAY 15 JANUARY 2018
WASHINGTON (USA)- The “US-Algeria Energy Forum” 2018 will be held on 29 January in the world oil capital, Houston, in Texas. The event aims at reinforcing the energy relations between the two countries, the organizers said.
“The forum offers the opportunity to both countries to reaffirm their energy trade and investment links and to feature presentations on the long legacy of US-Algeria bilateral cooperation,” said Smail Chikhoune, president of the Algerian-US Business Council (USABC), one of the organizing bodies, alongside the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce and the Algerian Embassy to Washington.
This year’s edition is expected to witness a strong participation of the Algerian side. The organizers announced the presence of Energy Minister Mustapha Guitouni, CEOs of Sonatrach and Sonelgaz, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour and Mohamed Arkab, President of Alnaft agency Arezki Hocini, and Ambassador Madjid Bouguerra.
The US will be represented by many officials from US Departments of State, Energy and Commerce in addition to the US oil companies, said Chikhoune.
This year, the emphasis will be put on several topics concerning the promotion of investment opportunities with US energy companies, he added.
The forum will also review the bilateral cooperation in oil projects, offshore exploration, gas markets and prospects for developing Algerian and US gas exports.
The renewable energy programme and the exploitation of unconventional resources are also at the center of the debates planned during this meeting.
The last edition of the forum, held in 2016, was an opportunity for Algeria to advocate for the revival of US energy investment, which was decreasing since 2010.
