Solar to strengthen Algeria’s energy outlook
An agreement for a new solar plant marks the latest step in Algeria’s effort to increase renewable electricity generation and reduce domestic gas consumption.
The move is a crucial one, given that the country’s rising demand for power – much of which is generated from gas feedstock – has constrained the volume of gas available for export, impacting state revenues. According to data from the Ministry of Energy, electricity consumption increased by 7.4% to 68.8 TWh last year.
New solar plant
In late September Algerian authorities announced that state-run energy firm Sonatrach and Italian energy giant Eni had inked an agreement for the construction of a 10-MW solar photovoltaic plant in Ouargla in the Sahara Desert.
Construction of the facility, which will be located in Eni’s Bir Rebaa North (BRN) field, is scheduled to begin by the end of the year. Once completed, the plant will supply the BRN field with electricity, freeing up gas previously used for feedstock for export.
Read the full article via Oxford Business Group.
[Photo by Magharebia | Flickr]
