(Montel) Algeria should increase its solar energy capacity to help maintain, or grow, gas exports to southern Europe, amid growing domestic demand for the fuel, said the CEO of Algeria-based consultancy Ranadrill Energy. “In Algeria, we generate 98% of electricity from natural gas, so if we develop solar energy, we can replace the share of natural gas from electricity generation,” Choeib Boutamine told Montel in an interview. Gas investment“Algeria is investing USD 10bn from now to 2028, just to develop natural gas, because we know that natural gas has a crucial role in the energy transition.”He noted gas was vital in bridging the gap between fossil-fuel reliance and a renewables-based energy sector. “If we compare gas, oil and coal, we find that natural gas is emitting less CO2 than the others,” he said, adding however 35% of global power generation was still from coal, with gas accounting for around 20%. “We have to make an energy transition among fossil fuels,” he said, adding “natural gas has to take the place of coal, and only after that can talk about an energy transition.”

Source: The North Africa Journal March 01, 2024 13:25 UTC