The Chairman & CEO of the SONATRACH Group, Mr. Rachid HACHICHI conducted , today, a work and inspection visit in the Hassi R’Mel region, in the wilaya of Laghouat in order to supervise the work progress of the Boosting project of Hassi R’Mel gas deposit , phase III – stage 2.
As a reminder, This strategic project aimed at underpinning Algeria natural gas production capacities, was entrusted to the Consortium Baker Hughes/Nuovo Pignone International Srl & Tecnimont S.p.A pursuant to a contract signed on 23 rd of May 2024 under EPC formula ( Engineering, Procurement and Construction).
The CEO of SONATRACH was accompanied during this visit by a high-level delegation including the President and CEO of Baker Hughes, Lorenzo Simonelli, and the Executive Director of Operations of Technimont, Mr. Paolo Bori, as well as several senior executives from the SONATRACH Group and the two contracting companies, and also the general directors of SONATRACH subsidiaries.
During this visit, Mr. Rachid Hachichi and the accompanying delegation attended a detailed technical presentation concerning the progress of the works, which have reached 51%, and also reviewed various technical and organizational aspects related to the project, including the pace of execution and compliance with the contractual deadlines.
At the end of this presentation, the delegation visited the sites of the new installations designed to boost the Hassi R’mel reservoir, where they were able to see the progress of the works, which include the construction of three compression levels at the Central, Northern, and Southern stations with a total of 20 turbo-compressors, the adaptation of the existing gas collection network, and the construction of three de-mercurization units for the condensate.
During this visit, the CEO of SONATRACH and the accompanying delegation were also informed about the logistical infrastructures and the technical facilities relevant to this strategic project, which is expected to maintain a production rate of 188 million cubic meters of gas per day while recovering additional long-term reserves of approximately 121 billion cubic meters of dry gas, 7 million tons of condensate, and 3 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas.
The expected duration for the completion of the works for this project is estimated at 33, 36, and 39 months, for the compression levels of the central, northern, and southern stations, with commissioning scheduled respectively for October 2026, January 2027, and April 2027.
This project is among the major structuring projects aimed at addressing the natural depletion of the Hassi R’mel gas field and enhancing its production capacity to meet the needs of the national market, while ensuring compliance with SONATRACH’s
contractual commitments to its international partners, thereby consolidating its position as a reliable partner and major energy supplier on the global market.