The creation of the new company “Sonelgaz- International” should give Algeria a leading energy role internationally, by strengthening its position as a hub in the African and European markets, experts emphasized on Wednesday, affirming that it constitutes a new step in the internationalization of the Algerian economy.
Speaking to APS, the specialists stressed the strategic importance of this new Sonelgaz subsidiary, which was announced on the sidelines of the 2nd Algerian-Nigerien Great Joint Commission for Cooperation, with the aim of boosting inter-African cooperation in energy project development.
By announcing its creation on Tuesday, the Ministry of Energy and Renewable Energy stressed that this decision comes within the framework of implementing the high directives of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, aimed at laying the foundations of a diversified national economy integrated into its regional and international environment, and at strengthening the access of national enterprises to foreign markets.
In this respect, the Director General of Green Energy Cluster Algeria and expert in renewable energy, Boukhalfa Yaici, affirmed that the creation of this subsidiary fully aligns with Sonelgaz group’s positioning in recent years at the African and European levels.
“Algeria has a great experience in the energy field, particularly in electricity, carried out mainly through the construction of networks and large-capacity power plants, meeting of the needs of the residential, industrial or agricultural sectors, by achieving very high rates of electrification and natural gas connections,” said Yaïci.
He particularly emphasized the considerable expertise accumulated by Sonelgaz through training and efforts aimed at building a robust industrial and services ecosystem capable of meeting the international challenges that Algeria aims to tackle.
In this regard, Yaïci pointed out that the creation of this subsidiary comes as part of the forthcoming implementation of major energy projects such as Medlink (electricity export to Italy) or the South H2 Corridor (hydrogen export from green Algeria to Europe), highlighting Algeria’s ambition to expand its cooperation through integrated projects with high added value.
For his part, the renewable energy expert, Tewfik Hasni, affirmed that the announcement of the creation of the Sonelgaz group subsidiary confirms Algeria’s energy and economic role in the region.
“We must understand that any future cooperation must include genuine resources contributing to sustainable development. Our country possesses all of that. Solar-based renewable energy will be decisive in the future. Our country will be the true hub in green electricity,” said Hasni.
Abdelkader Slimani, expert and consultant in economics, underscored that the creation of an international subsidiary of the Sonelgaz group reflects a strategic vision aimed at promoting the export of electricity and Algerian energy expertise, especially toward Africa and the Mediterranean basin.
This subsidiary does not constitute only a channel for export, but also a platform to attract foreign investments in energy projects, notably in renewable energy and to develop smart electricity networks, he said.
The activity of this company would strengthen Algeria’s capacity to become a regional energy hub, with an objective of increasing electricity exports from 5,000 MW to 7,000 MW in the long term, he said.
