Algeria Unveils Six Onshore Blocks to Upstream Investors – Africa.com
Algeria’s National Hydrocarbon Valorization Agency (ALNAFT) presented six onshore conventional licensing opportunities at Africa Energy Week: Investing in African Energy on Thursday.
The six high-potential opportunities include exploration, development and export opportunities and are open to competitive bidding. The funding round is part of a five-year licensing program to attract global upstream investors and capitalize on more than 20 opportunities in Algeria.
Following the launch of the licensing round on October 14, tender documents and packets will be opened on November 26. The deadline for bid submission is April 15, 2025, followed by bid evaluation and award.
The six opportunities have a cumulative perimeter of 152,000 square kilometers and are supported by more than 102,000 line kilometers of 2D seismic data and more than 45,000 square kilometers of 3D seismic data. Potential bidders will have access to the Peripheral Conditions Data Package and the Evergreen Data Package during the data access period from November 26, 2024, to April 1, 2025. To submit a bid, participants must be pre-qualified through ALNAFT and obtain the necessary bidding documents.
Following the presentation, ALNAFT and the Hydrocarbon Regulatory Authority (ARH) held a fireside chat, highlighting the advantages of investing in the Algerian oil and gas sector. In addition to being one of the most mature markets with strong geological potential, Algeria offers an attractive regulatory framework and various tools for cooperation with international oil companies (IOCs).
“We have been working with the International Olympic Committee for more than 35 years and have never had a problem with the sanctity of the contract. In Algeria, the contract is a sacred document,” said ALNAFT President Mourad Beldjehem. “We used to have only one type of partner contract, now we have three: production sharing contracts, concession contracts and risk services contracts.”
Algeria is looking to increase upstream investment and capital to drive new exploration activity, while prioritizing broader goals such as energy access, infrastructure development and local content.
“We need more exploration. Today, we have more than 240 discoveries waiting to be developed. We need to make more discoveries to increase our reserves. We are looking for companies that are strong in exploration,” Beldjehem said.
ARH President Rachid Nadil said: “Africa’s energy priorities are critical to stimulating socio-economic development – universal access to energy, modernizing existing infrastructure and building local capacity and training to sustain Africa Project.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the African Energy Chamber.
