ALGERIA · GAS PIPELINE
Key Facts
- —The country Algeria, in North Africa, is a main gas supplier to Europe and a long-time partner of Russia.
- —What happened Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said on 27 October that Algeria is negotiating to bring in Russian firms.
- —The pipeline The Trans-Saharan gas pipeline would run more than 4,000 km from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria.
- —The gas It is designed to carry 20 to 30 billion cubic metres of Nigerian gas a year toward Europe.
- —Still open No Russian company is named, no contract is signed, and no cost is public.
Russian firms could join the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline, a planned route that would carry Nigerian gas through Niger and Algeria to Europe. Algeria’s foreign minister, Ahmed Attaf, said on Tuesday 27 October in Moscow that talks are in their final stage.
For US readers the question is sanctions. Washington has blocked Russia’s biggest oil companies, so any Russian partner in a pipeline meant to supply Europe would draw scrutiny.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Ahmed Attaf is Algeria’s foreign minister, and Sergey Lavrov is his Russian counterpart. Mohamed Arkab is Algeria’s Minister of State for Hydrocarbons, the minister who oversees the state energy firm Sonatrach.
Sonatrach is Algeria’s state oil and gas company. Its partners in the pipeline are NNPC, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, and SONIDEP, Niger’s state petroleum products company.
What Algeria Said About Russian Firms
Attaf spoke to Lavrov in Moscow on Tuesday 27 October, the day before the third Russia-Africa summit opened there. He said Algeria is holding negotiations on bringing in Russian companies.
He said Arkab, Algeria’s hydrocarbons minister, wants Russia told that things are “moving very well” and that Algeria will conclude the contract. Attaf added that the two sides are putting the “final touches” on the agreement.
He called it a strategic partnership that also involves Niger. He did not name the Russian firms or say what they would do, whether building the line, supplying steel pipe or providing services.
As of Monday 2 November, Sonatrach has published no announcement about Russian firms. No contract has been announced.
How the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline Would Work
The Trans-Saharan gas pipeline would link gas fields in Nigeria with Algeria’s national gas network at Hassi R’Mel, in central Algeria. The distance is more than 4,000 kilometres (about 2,500 miles).
From Hassi R’Mel the gas would join export lines that already supply southern Europe. For scale, Italy took 23.3 billion cubic metres of Algerian gas in 2024, as our report on Algeria’s foreign partners shows.
The route crosses Niger, and the planned capacity is 20 to 30 billion cubic metres of gas a year. Sonatrach announced the official start of work on the Algerian section on Thursday 4 June 2026, at Aoulef in the Adrar province.
The developers are Sonatrach, NNPC and SONIDEP. The Nigerian and Niger sections have no announced start dates.
Why Niger Matters to the Pipeline
Niger sits in the middle of the route, so the pipeline cannot be built without it. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune named the project among Algeria’s infrastructure priorities in his speech to the Russia-Africa summit on Thursday 29 October.
Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb read the speech out in Moscow. On Monday 26 October Algeria’s presidency announced that army units will go to Niger to protect shared energy interests, as our report explains.
Troop numbers, dates and locations have not been announced. The deployment shows how closely Algeria ties its gas plans to Niger’s security.
What It Means for US Readers
The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blocked Russia’s Rosneft and Lukoil, two of its largest oil companies, on 22 October 2025. The action was taken under a US executive order on Russia’s harmful foreign activities.
Companies that are 50% or more owned by a blocked firm are blocked too. US banks, insurers and contractors would therefore have to screen every Russian partner in the project.
Algeria is also a major buyer of Russian weapons. US law, including the 2017 CAATSA act, targets significant defence deals with Russia, as our report on Algeria’s Russia links explains.
A Russian role in a pipeline that Europe hopes will cut its dependence on Russian gas would test Washington and Brussels. The line would not deliver gas for years, since the Nigerian and Niger sections have no announced start dates.
For background, read our reports on France’s request to Algeria, Algeria’s geopolitics and Algeria’s role in Africa. Each shows why Algerian gas matters to Europe.
What Is Not Known
The Russian firms are not named, and neither is their role, the contract value or the signing date. Neither Sonatrach nor the ministry has said whether any bidder is under US, British or EU sanctions.
The total cost of the pipeline and how it will be financed have not been announced. It is also not known whether Nigeria and Niger have agreed to a Russian role.
More: Algeria news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline?
It is a planned pipeline of more than 4,000 kilometres that would carry Nigerian gas through Niger and Algeria toward Europe. Its design capacity is 20 to 30 billion cubic metres a year.
What did Algeria say about Russian companies?
Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf said on 27 October that Algeria is negotiating with Russian firms and is putting final touches on the contract. He did not name any company.
Has construction started?
Sonatrach announced the start of work on the Algerian section on 4 June 2026 at Aoulef, in the Adrar province. The Nigerian and Niger sections have no announced dates.
Could US sanctions affect the project?
Possibly, if a Russian partner is on a US blocked list or owned 50% or more by one. No Russian firm is named, so the sanctions status is not known.
Why does the pipeline matter to Europe?
It would add a new route for African gas to Europe, which already relies on Algeria for pipeline supplies. A Russian role would complicate Europe’s aim of cutting its dependence on Russia.
Sources: Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: talks between Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Moscow, 27 October 2026; Sonatrach: official launch of construction of the Algerian segment of the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline (TSGP), 4 June 2026; Kremlin: Third Russia-Africa Summit, Moscow, 28-29 October 2026; US Department of the Treasury: sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil, 22 October 2025.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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