ALGERIA - Algeria's Gas Fields.

There are more than 55 natural gas fields in Algeria, many of which have been developed on a large scale and are the country's main gas producers. The following are profiles of the main gas fields:

Hassi R'Mel is the first and by far the largest gas field in Algeria. It was found by the French in 1956 along with the giant Hassi Messaoud oilfield (see OMT). Recoverable reserves have been estimated at 2,415 BCM. Probable reserves have been estimated at 2,700-3,000 BCM, and Algeria's total gas reserves in place are said to exceed 5 TCM. The field can produce up to 100 BCM/y from a Triassic Fm. Gas exports from the field are piped to the Mediterranean terminals of Arzew to the north-west and Skikda to the north-east. There are several pipelines from the field to supply the domestic market.

However, pressure at Hassi R'Mel is falling. Sonatrach has been re-injecting 62 BCM/y of gas to keep reservoir pressure. The field's gas is wet. It contains 200 grammes of condensates and four grammes of LPG per cubic metre, which has necessitated a partial recycling for the gaseous gas to be recovered. The liquids' recovery has fallen to a level close to the minimum rate of operation required for the gas treatment facilities. Under a $359m turnkey contract awarded in late 2000 to a Japanese consortium of Itochu and JGC Corp., the latter installed three major gas boosting compressor stations and 11 compression lines at the field in late 2003. This involved the second phase, to be completed in 2007, and will add six compression lines to the enhanced recovery system. This will maintain pressure at a level allowing maximum recovery of condensates and LPG and will extend Hassi R'Mel's production life to 2020.

Around the field are oil producing structures which would be developed further. They have been on offer for partnership with IOCs, together with oil producing structures around the Rhourde Nouss gas fields (see OMT). In order to maximise oil recovery, part of the gas produced at Hassi R'Mel is reinjected into these structures at high pressure through two 30 BCM/y compressor stations.

Hassi R'Mel has processing facilities with a 100 BCM/y capacity which can produce 91 BCM/y of dry gas, 18.2m t/y of condensates and up to 3.84m t/y of LPG. Most of these facilities were installed in the 1970s and 1980s.

When Algeria's hydrocarbon industry was nationalised in 1971, Hassi R'Mel was only producing 4 BCM/y (see background in Vol. 56, Gas Market Trends No. 6).