Algeria’s President and Niger's leader have pledged to strengthen their strategic ties, including relaunching the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP), signalling a thaw after ten months of diplomatic frictions (Xinhua, 16/02/2026).
The détente between Algiers and Niamey will first take shape through "realization of the gas pipeline crossing Niger's territory," affirmed the Algerian president, announcing the start in March 2026 of "practical steps to begin laying the pipeline."
- This TSGP project, with a transport capacity of 30 bcm/year to carry gas extracted in Nigeria to Algeria, gained momentum early in 2025 with agreements signed between Algeria, Nigeria and Niger, but shortly before the crisis between Algeria and the Sahel countries.
- The gas, also set to supply the Sahel, can be exported from Algeria to the European Union via the Transmed pipeline linking North Africa to Italy, or as LNG shipped by tankers.
Algeria exports its gas via two active pipelines to Europe: the Transmed (to Italy via Tunisia, 35 bcm/year) and the Medgaz (to Spain, 10.5 bcm/year). The Maghreb-Europe pipeline (to Spain and Portugal via Morocco, ~12 bcm/year) has been shut down since late 2021 due to diplomatic tensions between Algeria and Morocco. Since mid-2022, this pipeline has operated in reverse, enabling Spain to export natural gas to Morocco.
According to our data, Algeria exported 52 bcm in 2024 (half its domestic production). The EU absorbed about three-quarters of Algeria's gas exports. Its top clients were Italy (46%), Spain (23%), Turkey (11%), and France (9%) (2024). That year, Algeria supplied 23% of Europe's gas consumption (Enerdata Global Energy Research).