Algeria has sent a delegation from its state hydrocarbon operator Sonatrach to Niger to oversee the start of a long-delayed project to construct a trans-Sahara pipeline that will transport large quantities of gas to Europe.

The visit will centre on the technical details of the scheme, the official Algerian news agency reported on Tuesday.

The operational phase, which will link Nigeria, Niger and Algeria, will begin immediately after Ramadan, the report said.

Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune has previously said that Sonatrach, which is one of the world’s largest gas companies, will take the lead on the multi-billion dollar construction.

The project involves the construction of a 4,100km pipeline linking Nigeria’s gas fields with those in Algeria. From there, gas could be piped to European countries, which are trying to wean themselves off a long reliance on Russian gas supplies.

The pipeline would start in Warri, Nigeria, and end 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 meters a year of gas to Europe. Algeria exported 54 billion cubic metres of gas in 2021, mainly to Italy and Spain.

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