In addition to being a major producer of oil and gas, Algeria wants to diversify its energy supply. It aims to become a key producer and supplier of green hydrogen for Europe, through the SoutH2 Corridor project. The objective is to cover, by 2040, 10% of the Old Continent’s needs in this area. To achieve this, the country is on a real offensive in this area. He multiplies partnerships with foreign powers.
It is in this perspective that the Sonatrach group and Tosyali Iron Steel Industry Algeria signed, on July 24, a memorandum of understanding that will allow the two parties to jointly conduct a feasibility study to produce hydrogen in Algeria. green from renewable energies.
This protocol was signed, on the Sonatrach side, by its CEO, Rachid Hachichi, and on the Tosyali side, by the chairman of the group’s Board of Directors, Fuat Tosyali. “The green hydrogen produced will be intended for the manufacture of “green steels” at the Tosyali steel complex, one of the leaders in the field of steelmaking.” This is indicated in a press release from Sonatrach, stressing that this memorandum of understanding “is in line with the national hydrogen strategy which aims, in particular, to reduce the consumption of natural gas and consequently, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions”.
Green hydrogen for local consumption
This partnership “will give a strong signal in terms of replacing fossil fuels with green hydrogen in the industry in Algeria,” Sonatrach further indicates. Remember that Algeria has been very active in this area in recent months. Several memoranda of understanding have been signed with foreign companies and others will be signed in the coming weeks.
However, the country’s strategy does not only concern the export of this energy. Local consumption is also taken into account. The director of hydrogen and alternative energies at the Commission for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency (Cerefe), Sellami Rabah, recently indicated that the country had the ambitious objective of producing 1.2 million tonnes for export by 2040.
The same manager stressed that a significant part of this production, estimated at 300,000 tonnes, would also be reserved for the local market. Thus, Algeria wants to reduce the carbon footprint in key sectors of the national economy, such as petrochemicals.
