Algeria’s state-owned oil company Sonatrach has announced three major oil and gas discoveries in the Sahara desert. 

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, and the need for Europe to end its energy dependency on Russia, Algeria has been intensively drilling to increase its production of oil and gas.

The first discovery is a gas condensate located in two different reservoirs which were found following the drilling of an exploration well in the Illizi Basin, located at the border with Libya.

According to the company, the flow rates recorded by the two reservoirs amounted to 513,000 cubic metres/day of gas during the test phase.

Another discovery of crude oil was made in partnership with Italian oil company Eni in the northern region of the Berkine Basin. “During the production test, the well produced 1,300 barrels/day of oil and 51,000 cm/day of associated gas,” said Sonatrach.