Oil & Gas Trans-Sahara gas pipeline project back on the table By Nadim Kawach February 13, 2025, 1:56 PM Algerié Presse Service Sahabi Oumarou, oil minister of Niger, Ekperikpe Ekpo, oil minister of Nigeria, and Mohamed Arkab, oil minister of Algeria, announce their commitment to the trans-Sahara gas pipeline Algeria, Nigeria, Niger in talks 4,100km project mooted in 1970s Cost estimated at $13 billion A multi-billion dollar trans-Sahara gas pipeline project dating back more than half a century has been revived after a meeting between the oil ministers of Algeria, Nigeria and Niger. The ministers held talks in the Algerian capital, Algiers, on Tuesday to discuss the resurrection of the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline. This involves the construction of a 4,100km pipeline linking Nigeria’s gas fields with those in Algeria. From there, gas could be piped to gas-thirsty European countries, which are trying to wean themselves off a long reliance on Russian gas supplies. Mohamed Arkab, oil minister of Algeria, Ekperikpe Ekpo, oil minister of Nigeria and Sahabi Oumarou, oil minister of Niger, issued a statement at the end of their one-day talks renewing a commitment to the project and pledging to pursue the plan, according to the Algerian news agency. Algeria and Egypt lead Arab LNG export decline $25bn Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline gains momentum Turkey extends LNG deal with Algeria for three years “We have agreed to pursue our meetings in order to revive this project. We will not back off the project,” Ekpo said,according to Djazairess newspaper on Wednesday. Tuesday’s talks were the latest in a series of meetings held by the three ministers in an attempt to jolt the project out of hibernation. The pipeline would start in Warri, Nigeria, and end almost 2,600 miles later in Hassi R’Mel, Algeria, where it would connect to existing pipelines that run to Europe. The idea of a trans-Sahara gas pipeline was first proposed in the 1970s. A study by Penspen, a project management company, in 2006 found the pipeline to be technically and economically feasible. Algerian officials have estimated the cost of the project at around $13 billion and said it could send up to 30 billion cubic metres a year of gas to Europe. Algeria exported 54 billion cubic metres of gas in 2021, mainly to Italy and Spain.
