Germany is to get Algerian gas with the signing on 8 February of a contract tying gas producer Sonatrach to Leipzig-based gas trader VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH (VNG H&V). VNG is the first German company to procure gas from Algeria, opening more opportunities for Sonatrach to expand into the lucrative German market. Germany is now added to Sonatrach’s current list of clients, which expansion in Western Europe accelerated with the reduction of the Russian presence as a gas supplier amid the war in Ukraine. Since the European energy crisis erupted in February 2022, Algerian gas has increasingly been coveted by European countries due to its availability and proximity. Italy has been the first country to lobby Algeria to increase its gas delivery, creating a model that other Europeans appear to be following.
