Minister of Energy and Petroleum holds strategic talks with senior officials of Algerian energy companies
Algiers
The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Mr. Mohamed Ould Khaled, and his accompanying delegation, in the presence of His Excellency the Mauritanian Ambassador to Algeria, held a series of high-level meetings with officials from major Algerian energy companies.
These meetings, organised as part of his working visit to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, served to strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote strategic partnership between the two countries in the fields of hydrocarbons, electricity and training.
In this context, the Minister met with the Chairman and CEO of Sonatrach, accompanied by the directors of its subsidiaries, and discussed prospects for cooperation in hydrocarbon projects. The two parties agreed to activate cooperation in the fields of exploration, research and extraction.
They also agreed to develop a specialised training programme for Mauritanian engineers and technicians at the Algerian Petroleum Institute and the Algerian Academy of Hydrocarbons, to ensure the transfer of specific expertise to the Mauritanian side and to support the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and the Mauritanian Hydrocarbons Company in their plan to improve their performance.
The Minister and his accompanying delegation also held an extensive meeting with the management of Sonelgaz, a company specialising in electricity and gas facility management, during which the two sides discussed ways to develop the electricity sector and gas transmission and storage technologies for energy production.
During the meeting, the Minister reviewed the main points of the plan to develop the energy sector in Mauritania, including the construction of high-voltage lines, improving the operational performance of Somelec, modernising low-voltage networks, upgrading and replacing distribution equipment, and increasing electricity coverage in rural areas.
The two parties discussed the possibility of establishing joint-ventures and setting up Algerian manufacturing units for installation and assembly in Mauritania to produce network equipment, including transformers, cables, meters and electricity poles, which would open up promising prospects for the local market, support technical supply and accelerate the acquisition of the equipment and supplies needed to speed up project implementation.
During his visits and meetings with ministers and officials of Algerian companies, the Minister emphasised the added value provided by Mauritania as a member of the West Africa Power Pool (WAPP).
The Minister explained that Mauritania is an ideal platform for marketing Algerian energy industries in countries with a huge regional market of more than 400 million consumers.