Algerian Electricity and Gas Regulatory Commission (CREG) has revealed that fraud on energy installations, unlawful connections to the power grid in particular, caused the loss of 11 billion Algerian dinars ($92,500,731) to the Electricity and Gas Distribution Company (SDC) in 2018. This damage is mostly the result of illegal connections to the network, and illegal handling of electricity meters to reduce the amount of energy consumed. The country is set to relaunch its Renewable Energy Development and Energy Efficiency Program (PENREE), which aims to produce clean energy by 2030. The national oil company, Sonatrach, has already signed an agreement with Italian company ENI to build a solar power plant in the country. Algeria is currently using gas to generate 98 percent of its power output of 19,000 MW.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 14, 2019 15:45 UTC