Sonatrach issued the following announcement on May 28.

SONATRACH explained Tuesday the procedures associated with Algerian gas exports abroad, reiterating in a note that all long-term gas sales were governed by supply contracts subject to the principle of "Take or Pay".

Under the "Take or Pay" principle, the buyer is required to take delivery and pay the contract quantity or pay the said quantity in the event of failure to collect, the national oil company said in its document in the APS received a copy.

These contracts and their amendments, explains the group, are subject to an approval procedure comprising in the first place the agreement of the social organs of the company (Sonatrach's Board of Directors) then that of the competent authorities (approval of the Ministry of Finance). Energy).

"All exports (GN and LNG) are strictly regulated by the regulations in force," said the same source, adding that they are the subject of a double customs declaration: the first is made by Sonatrach at the level of Customs Algerian and the second is made by the client at the customs of the country of destination.

The customs declaration (export file) made by Sonatrach to the Algerian Customs includes the information relating to the customer, the price, the quantity, the delivery date, the ship / gas pipeline and the invoice domiciled.

For each volume exported (GN or LNG), the original invoices relating to it are sent in addition to the customer to the Finance Department for operation control and monitoring, the Bank (BEA) for domiciliation, metering terminals and LNG (invoices domiciled for declaration Customs) and Algerian Customs (a domiciled invoice) for monitoring and follow-up ", it was pointed out.

All transactions are traceable at the main oil inspection (HPI) level.

As part of the determination of the basic price of natural gas by the National Agency for the Development of Hydrocarbon Resources "ALNAFT", Sonatrach is required to report monthly to this agency the natural gas prices charged for exports made during of the previous month, as well as transport-related costs (shipping costs and pipeline rates).

Sonatrach's note recalls that in 2018, gas exports amounted to 51.5 Gm3, of which 75% by gas pipeline and 25% in the form of LNG.

The main destination for Algerian gas remains the European market, mainly Italy (35%), Spain (31%), Turkey (8.4%) and France (7.8%).

Algeria ranks 8th world exporter of LNG

Currently, the Sonatrach Group is ranked the world's 8th largest exporter of liquefied natural gas with a total liquefaction capacity of around 34 Gm3 per year.

Sonatrach built the first industrial gas liquefaction complex in the world in 1964 in the region of Arzew (La Camel, Algerian Company of Methane Liquefied, train stopped in 2010).

The first commercial cargo in the history of LNG was loaded from this complex in September 1964 to the Canvey Island terminal in England, it was pointed out, noting that LNG's export capabilities Sonatrach strengthened with the construction of other complexes in the industrial areas of Arzew GL1Z (1978) and GL2Z (1981) and Skikda GL1K (1980).

Algeria was the world's largest exporter of LNG until 1974, then the second until 2003, the fourth until 2008.

In parallel, Sonatrach strengthened and diversified its export capacities through the construction of the gas pipelines Pedro Duran Farell (GPDF, 11.5 Gm3 / year) in 1996, Medgaz (8 Gm3 / year) in 2011, which was added to the Enrico Mattei gas pipeline. (GEM, 32.5 Gm3 / year) commissioned in 1983.

Sonatrach commissioned two Mega trains in Skikda (GL1K) and Bethioua (GL3Z) in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

"Sonatrach also has a fleet of 8 LNG carriers (about 1 million m3 LNG) with different types of transport capacity that allow it to serve the Mediterranean region as well as long-haul roads," the source said.

These are the Sheikh El-Mokrani (75,000 m3), Cheikh Bouamama (75,000 m3), Global Energy (75,000 m3), Abane Ramdane (125,000 m3), Berge Arzew (138,000 m3), Lalla Fatma n'Soumer (145,000) LNG tankers. m3), Ougarta (172,000 m3), Tessala (172,000 m3)

Sonatrach has also developed its export capabilities Gas Pipelines, says the same document.

It has three international pipelines for a total capacity of 52 Gm3 per year.

The Transmediterranean gas pipeline (Transmed, 32.5 Gm3) also called gas pipeline "Enrico Mattei" linking Algeria to Italy through Tunisia.

Commercial deliveries from this pipeline started from April 1983.

The Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline (GME, 11.5 Gm3), also known as the "Pedro Duran Farell" pipeline linking Algeria to Spain through Morocco, from which the beginnings of commercial deliveries started in November 1996 and the Medgaz (8 Gm3), a gas pipeline directly linking Algeria to Spain operational since March 2011. (APS)

Original source: https://sonatrach.com/actualites/sonatrach-tracabilite-dans-les-procedures-dexportation-de-gaz