What is the current status and scope of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project as announced by Algeria?

Algeria has started construction on the 1,210-kilometer Algerian section of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, to be built by state-owned Sonatrach and connected to the existing gas pipeline system in the Aoulef region that supplies Europe; the full pipeline is intended to span 4,128 kilometers across Nigeria, Niger, and Algeria, with construction of a 720-kilometer segment in Niger scheduled to begin in early 2027, and the project was re-backed by the three countries in 2022 amid Europe's gas shortage following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

What are the key security and implementation challenges highlighted for the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline?

The project must contend with ongoing security concerns in Niger, where violent extremism threatens the region, and although Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources affirmed the country’s commitment to supply gas to the pipeline, the initiative—first proposed in the 1970s and periodically revived before stalling—has faced long delays, underscoring persistent geopolitical, logistical, and safety-related hurdles across its multi-country route.

Algeria Starts Work on Trans-Saharan Gas Pipe to Supply Europe

Jun 5, 2026

Algeria has commenced construction on a key segment of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline via state-owned Sonatrach to boost natural gas exports to Europe. The 4,128-kilometer project, estimated at $13 billion, aims to meet growing European energy demand despite regional security concerns.

bloomberg

2026-06-05

Algeria Starts Work on Trans-Saharan Gas Pipe to Supply Europe

Algeria Starts Work on Trans-Saharan Gas Pipe to Supply Europe

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