Algeria partners with NATO to secure its oil facilities

Algeria's Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab has announced his country's decision to cooperate with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to secure energy facilities. This represents a turning point in Algeria's foreign policy, especially given the growing threats in the region, and signals Algeria's concern about the dangers to its strategic interests. 

On the other hand, turning to NATO to secure oil installations shows Algeria's rapprochement with the West after years of close relations with Russia and China, a move that strained its ties with Europe. 

Now, following a parliamentary meeting between Algerian representatives and other members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Arkab has stressed the extreme importance of securing energy facilities in his country. 

Addressing Algeria's efforts to strengthen security measures around its strategic infrastructures, especially in the oil and gas sectors, the minister revealed the development of security and monitoring measures in the framework of a comprehensive plan to secure and protect these key complexes in coordination between security forces and army units. 

He also underlined the fruitful aspects of cooperation between Algeria and NATO, especially with regard to ‘the security of installations, cybersecurity, the transfer of advanced technologies and the possibility of cooperation in risk management, emergency response and the development of technical skills through advanced training programmes’. 

Although the Algerian minister did not disclose the form or nature of the potential dangers threatening the country's energy facilities, analysts link them to the security tensions surrounding the country, especially on the southern and eastern borders, where the largest oil and gas stations and facilities are located.   

Since the Tiguentourine incident in the south of the country in 2013, when an al-Qaeda affiliated group launched an attack and kidnapped Algerian and foreign workers, Algeria has changed the way it secures strategic projects, all of which are now subject to the security administration and the military.  

With this new partnership with NATO, it seems that Algeria, which is seeking to gain influence in the European energy market, wants to open up opportunities for security cooperation with the alliance, benefiting from its expertise in protecting production facilities and sources, transport and storage stations. 

In this regard, the Algerian minister expressed his country's effort to establish itself as a primary source of green hydrogen and to make it a strategic carrier, while respecting its climate commitments and its programme related to energy transition. 

Arkab also highlighted the great potential of Algiers to become a major regional leader in this field, especially thanks to its relevance in the energy sector, as well as its strong capacities in water desalination. 

During his meeting with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation, Arkab also emphasised energy security in the Mediterranean basin and the development of new and renewable energies, especially green hydrogen. 

The Algerian minister also mentioned some ongoing and future projects, such as the Southern Corridor 2, which will connect Algeria to Germany via Italy and Austria, the integrated project for the production of green hydrogen and its derivatives in Algeria, as well as the initiative to export hydrogen to Spain through existing pipelines.  

Arkab said that today energy security is considered ‘one of the prominent issues of concern to both energy producing and consuming countries’, as ‘challenges related to economic growth, geopolitical conditions and price fluctuations have made energy security a key focus in international relations’. 

He recalled that his country is a major energy producer and exporter, and that the concept of energy security means ensuring that Algeria's energy needs are met in the long term, contributing to global energy security in terms of regularity, stability and credibility in the supply of oil, gas and other energy sources.   

He made no secret of Algeria's desire to become a regional energy hub, developing electricity and gas connections with Europe and neighbouring African countries, similar to the electricity interconnection projects with Europe and the trans-Saharan gas pipeline, reflecting its aspiration to enhance regional cooperation in the field of energy.