Algeria’s state-owned oil and gas company will launch offshore drilling with France’s Total and Italy’s ENI on the eastern coast between Bejaia and Skikda for the first time in its history. The targeted region for this new drilling campaign could contain several trillion cubic meters (tcm) of biogenic gas, officials said. Initial results from the ongoing 2D seismic campaign suggest geological similarities between the east coast and Egypt’s Zohr field. Located in the Mediterranean Sea, the Zohr gas field is said to contain 30 tcm of natural gas. Sonatrach and Total have also agreed last year to invest $406 million to boost the output of the gas field named Tin Fouye Tabankort Sud.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 12, 2019 15:00 UTC