Algeria's Touat, Timimoun Gasfields to Start Soon
Gas production from Algeria's Timimoun and Touat fields will begin production in the next few days, according to newsagency APS. Total and Cepsa are partnering Sonatrach at Timimoun, while Engie E&P is at Touat. Timimoun will produce 1.8bn m3/yr and Touat as much as 4.6bn m3/yr plus condensate.
The gas will flow through Algeria’s strategic GR5 gas pipeline, extending 765 km from Reggane Nord field north to the GR5 compressor station at Hassi R’Mel. It was officially inaugurated February 8 by Sonatrach's CEO, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour.
State news agency APS said the pipeline, built entirely by Algerian firms, will increase the production capacity of the GR5 compressor station to around 60bn m3/yr. The trunkline's purpose is to flow gas to the country’s Saharan gas hub at Hassi R’Mel from fields in southwest Algeria. They include Reggane Nord which started up two month ago and which at plateau will produce about 2.9bn m3/yr. In all, the three fields represent one of the biggest additions to Algerian gas output in recent years.
Development of all three has lagged the original schedule. An expert's route published mid-2016 said that the three fields were originally due to have started production in 2017, 2016 and 2016 – and correctly assessed that the latter two would not start up before 2018.
GR5, which can operate at 70 bar, is understood to have been operational since at least the start of Reggane Nord in December.
The Sonatrach CEO said last month that the company plans to invest $56bn over the next five years, signalling a push into offshore natural gas and onshore shale gas exploration, and said he would announce details in February but has not yet done so.