Algeria’s Growing Role as a European Natural Gas Supply Wild Card is Rooted in its LNG Origins – Column

Editor’s Note: This column is part of a regular series by industry veteran Brad Hitch for NGI’s LNG Insight dedicated to addressing the complexities of the global natural gas market.

Algerian pipeline and LNG imports have recently been a wild card in European gas projections.  As recently as 2020 there was legitimate concern with Algeria’s ability to maintain stable exports in the face of rising domestic consumption and the inevitable decline of its largest gas fields.

Nonetheless, Algerian exports have recovered nicely in the last two years. Total exports in 2022 were up over 15 billion cubic meters from their 2020 levels and LNG exports through October are up by nearly 4 Bcm year/year, according to data from Kpler.

[Market Moves: What is affecting the natural gas...