Algeria Names Sonelgaz, Creg Chiefs

Algerian state utility and power generator Sonelgaz named its new CEO June 27 as Mustapha Guitouni.

His appointment ends a two-week vacancy since the promotion of his Sonelgaz predecessor since 2004, Noureddine Bouterfa, as the country’s new energy minister. Guitouni joined Sonelgaz in 1970 and most recently has been its director in charge of distribution networks, following a tenure in 2006-08 as head of the capital’s gas and power network.

Abdelkader Choual was appointed president of Creg, Algeria’s energy regulatory agency, June 27 succeeding Abdelaali Badache, reported state news agency APS. Choual was previously Sonelgaz’s head of financial strategy and consolidation.

Meanwhile APS also reported that state oil and gas producer Sonatrach CEO Amine Mazouzi again expressed confidence that the country’s petroleum production would rise over the next few years. The APS report cited rising estimates from Mazouzi for gross gas production from 2017 out to 2020, but gave no figure for this year, and none either for marketed production. A recent report from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies raised doubts whether current production levels – gross or marketed – could be maintained in the medium-term. Mazouzi did however acknowledge that commercial shale gas exploration “is not on the agenda“.

Sonelgaz's new CEO Mustapha Guitouni (Photo credit: Sonelgaz)

In April, two months before he was replaced as energy minister, Salah Khebri provided parliament's upper house with rising oil and gas production forecasts out to 2020 that seemed not to reflect recent declines in Algerian upstream investment and production. Both Sonatrach and Sonelgaz have since acknowledged they may need recourse to borrow overseas in order to fund some expansion projects in the present low oil price environment.

Mark Smedley | www.naturalgasafrica.com