On Tuesday 11 October, the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, expressed her determination to “take the EU-Algeria energy cooperation to the next level” during a visit to Algiers as part of efforts to diversify the EU’s energy supply sources.
The Commissioner identified three “very promising” areas for mutually beneficial cooperation: gas, renewable energy and renewable hydrogen.
Regarding gas, she said that both parties would benefit from “increasing the volumes of Algerian gas potentially available for export to Europe”, as the EU is “the biggest market for Algerian gas”. She also proposed establishing a specific cooperation project to reduce fugitive methane emissions and flaring.
On the renewables front, Ms Simson stressed that the EU “is ready to do much more” to help Algeria to “become a world leader in the production of clean energy, for local consumption, but also export, including to Europe”. She mentioned the possibility of mobilising European funding from the European Fund for Sustainable Development.
The Commissioner also advocated for establishing an EU-Algeria partnership to jointly develop the production, consumption and trade of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)