Algeria's state-owned oil and gas company Sonatrach plans to start production from six new gas fields in the next three years, raising its gas production by 74 mcm/d (27 bcm/year): the Tinhert gas field is expected to have a daily production of 14 mcm, which would be ramped up to 24 mcm/d in 2017. Other gas fields will go onstream in 2017, such as Hassi Bahamou and Hassi Mena, with a combined rapacity of 21 mcm/d, Reggane (jointly developed with Repsol, RWE Dea and Edison) with 12 mcm/d. Within the next three years, Sonatrach and GDF SUEZ plan to start production from the Touat gas field (12 mcm/d); the Timimoun project (5 mcm/d), developed by Sonatrach and Total, is also expected to start production between 2014 and 2018.
Moreover, Sonatrach plans to drill 11 shale gas wells between 2021 and 2027 (programme already approved by the government), as Algeria's shale gas reserves are estimated at 19,800 bcm (mainly located in the Mouydir, Ahnet, Berkine-Ghadames, Timimoun, Reggane and Tindouf areas). Conventional oil and gas drilling should be carried out at 117 exploration wells in 2014. Algeria aims to invest US$102bn by 2018 to renew oil and gas reserves, to raise oil and gas production to 225 Mtoe in 2018.