Country Overview by U.S. Department of Energy

Profile of Algeria:
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (since April 1999)
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Independence Day: 5 July 1962 (from France)
Population (2006E): 32,930,091
Economic Overview:
Currency/Exchange Rate (3/13/07)
1 Algeria Dinars (DZD) = 0.0141 USD
Inflation Rate (2006E): 2.5%
Gross Domestic Product (GDP, 2006E): $122 billion
Real GDP Growth Rate (2006E): 4.0%
Unemployment Rate (2006E): 15.7%
Merchandise Exports (2006E): $53.4 billion
Exports - Commodities: petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports - Partners (2005E):
US 22.5%, Italy 17.8%, France 11.8%, Spain 10.2%, Canada 7.8%, Belgium 4.8%
Merchandise Imports (2006E): $20 billion
Imports - Commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - Partners (2005E):
France 31.6%, Italy 8.5%, Germany 6.3%, Spain 5.6%, China 5.3%, US 4.9%, Turkey 4.5%
Current Account Balance (2006E): $32.2 billion
Energy Overview:
Minister of Energy and Mining Chakib Khelil
Proven Oil Reserves (January 1, 2007): 12.3 billion barrels
Oil Production (2006E): 2,124 thousand barrels per day, of which 65% was crude oil.
Oil Consumption (2006E): 283 thousand barrels per day
Net Oil Exports (2006E): 1,841 thousand barrels per day
Crude Oil Refining Capacity (2006E): 450 thousand barrels per day
Proven Natural Gas Reserves (January 1, 2007E): 161.7 trillion cubic feet
Natural Gas Production (2004E): 2.8 trillion cubic feet
Natural Gas Consumption (2004E): 0.68 trillion cubic feet
Net Natural Gas Exports (2004E): 2.12 trillion cubic feet
Electricity Installed Capacity (2004E): 6.5 gigawatts
Electricity Production (2004E): 29.4 billion kilowatt hours
Electricity Consumption (2004E): 27.4 billion kilowatt hours
Total Energy Consumption (2004E): 1.2 quadrillion Btus*, of which Natural Gas (62%), Oil (36%), Coal (1%), Nuclear (0%), Hydroelectricity (0%), Other Renewables (0%)
Total Per Capita Energy Consumption (2004E): 38.6 million Btus
Energy Intensity (2004E): 5,440.9 Btu per $2000-PPP**
Environmental Overview: Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions (2004E)
76.9 million metric tons, of which Natural Gas (53%), Oil (37%), Coal (2%)
Per-Capita, Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions (2004E): 2.4 metric tons
Carbon Dioxide Intensity (2004E): 0.3 Metric tons per thousand $2000-PPP**
Environmental Issues:
soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water
Major Environmental Agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Oil and Gas Industry Organization:
Enterprise Nationale pour la Recherche, la Production, le Transport, la transformation et la Commercialisation des Hydrocarbons (Sonatrach) – State-owned company for exploration, transport and marketing of petroleum, natural gas and related products; Enterprise Nationale de Raddinage des Produits Petroliers (Naftec) – Operates and manages all refineries: Enterprise Nationale de Commercialisation et de Distribution des Produits Petroliers (Naftel) – Domestic product distribution. Societe de Conditionnement, Commercialisation & Transport de Gas Industriels (Cogiz) – produces natural gas by-products.
Oil Export Terminals:
Arzew (Algeria’s largest crude oil export port), Skikda, Algiers, Annaba, Oran, Bejaia, plus the Tunisian facility of La Skhirra.
Selected Foreign Energy Company Involvement:
ABB, Amerada Hess, Anadarko, Burlington Resources, BHP Billiton, BP, Cepsa, CNODC, CNPC, Enagas, Endesa, Enel, ENI, Gaz de France, Maersk, Petrobras, Petrofac, Repsol-YPF, Statoil, Talisman, Total, Wintershall, Woodside, YPF
Major Oil Fields:
Hassi Messaoud, Hassi Berkine, Ourhound, Hassi R’Mel, Bir Hebaa, Gassi El Agreb/Zotti, Menzel Ledjmet
Major Natural Gas Fields:
Hassi R’Mel, Rhourde Nouss, Rourde Nouss Sud-Est, Rhourde Adra, Rhourde Chouff, Rhourde Hamra fields.
LNG Facilities:
Arzew GL4Z, Arzew GL1Z, Arzew Gl2Z, Skikda GL1K
Major Refineries (crude refining capacity bbl/d, 2005E)
Naftec-Skikda (300,000), Naftec-Algiers (60,000), Naftec-Jarzew (60,000), Naftec-Hassi Messaoud (30,000)
* The total energy consumption statistic includes petroleum, dry natural gas, coal, net hydro, nuclear, geothermal, solar, wind, wood and waste electric power. The renewable energy consumption statistic is based on International Energy Agency (IEA) data and includes hydropower, solar, wind, tide, geothermal, solid biomass and animal products, biomass gas and liquids, industrial and municipal wastes. Sectoral shares of energy consumption and carbon emissions are also based on IEA data.**GDP figures from OECD estimates based on purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates.

Updated on March 2007