Natural gas resources reached 797 ktoe (one thousand tonnes of oil equivalent) in March 2021, posting a 65% increase compared to the same period of 2020 thanks to the contribution of the Nawara Field, reads the monthly energy situation report of March 2021 published by the National Observatory of Energy and Mines (French: ONEM) Tuesday.
The Nawara Field’s contribution helped offset lower production in other fields, in addition to the increase in the royalty on the transit of Algerian gas by more than 170%.
According to ONEM, the production of dry commercial gas increased by 37%, as Nawara production accounted for 31% of the domestic production of dry commercial gas at the end of March 2021. It was able to cover 14% of the overall natural gas demand and reduce Algerian gas purchases by 25% as well as the deficit in the primary energy balance by 17%.
Purchases of Algerian gas down to 32% in March 2021
Regarding national natural gas imports, the report shows that Algerian gas purchases dropped by 32% between late March 2020 and the end of March 2021, to 483 ktoe.
This decrease is due to the increase in domestic production and the royalty on the transit of Algerian gas, on the one hand, as well as to the drop in demand on the other hand.
As for the national supply of natural gas, it saw a 4% increase between late March 2020 and the end of March 2021, to 1238 ktep.
The distribution of this supply is marked by an increase in the domestic gas share in the domestic gas supply, from 32% to 43%, a rise in the share of royalties collected and transferred to STEG from 8% to 18%, as well as a drop in the share of Algerian gas purchases from 60% to 39%.
Source : TAP
