Algeria to generate electricity from renewable energy sources

2008-03-13

Algeria is venturing into the use of renewable sources to meet its energy needs. If the exploitation programme recently launched by the country succeeds, Europe will be the first customer.

By Nazim Fethi for Magharebia in Algiers – 13/03/08

[Getty Images] Algeria plans to invest heavily in solar energy stations such as this one. With more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year, Algeria's potential for solar energy production and export is enormous.

Experts warn that Algeria's oil reserves will be exhausted in 50 years, so the government is aggressively preparing for the post-oil era by exploring alternative energy options. The country has announced an ambitious plan to generate 10% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.

"As part of our national energy policy, the state's commitment to the promotion of various forms of renewable energy is already being put into concrete action," Energy and Mining Minister Chakib Khelil said, referring to a construction project launched last month by NEAL (New Energy Algeria) in partnership with the Spanish company Abener. The 350 million-dollar natural gas and solar energy hybrid power station near Adrar (1,000 kilometres south-west of Algiers) will "cover a large part of the national grid, and offer numerous employment opportunities," Khelil said. When the power station is fully operational in 2010, it will have one of the world's largest production capacities.

Algeria is also exploring solar power. "The sun is a source of energy which can never run out and could well replace oil and help to protect the natural world. The world trend is towards the exploitation of this energy source and a number of other energy sources to complement fossil fuels," said Salim Kehhal, researcher and assistant director of the Centre for the Development of Renewable Energy.

In Algeria’s case, he added, "We have one of the greatest supplies of solar energy in the world, with more than 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. But we only use the tiniest part of this, and only produce around 1 megawatt, while national electricity production is calculated at 6,000 megawatts."

An experimental solar power project begun a decade ago in the southern regions of the country has inspired an ambitious programme carried out by Sonelgaz, or more precisely by engineers from the Centre for Research and Development of Electricity and Gas.

According to programme chief Ahmed Guezzane, 20 rural villages characterised by their isolation and distance from any communications networks now get their electricity from solar power through this initiative. Supplying electricity in traditional ways to these isolated communities would have posed real problems, such as excessive engineering and fuel transport costs, Guezzane said.

The large-scale use of solar energy to produce electricity is of significant interest to European countries. Spain, Italy and Germany are planning to use solar-powered electricity exported by cable from Algeria, according to NEAL chairman Tewfik Hasni.

By 2020, Algeria hopes to export 6,000 megawatts of solar-generated power to Europe. That is about a tenth of Germany's current electricity consumption.