Old hands dominate Algeria’s upstream auction
The country’s latest licensing round attracted bids from IOCs and NOCs in a better showing than its last outreach to bidders
After more than ten years without open auctions, change is in the air in Algeria’s hydrocarbons sector. The six blocks awarded by upstream regulatory Alnaft on 17 June could potentially add 20bcm/yr on average to the country’s production. The 2024 oil and gas licensing round covered six onshore gas blocks in southwestern and eastern parts of the country, stretching over 152,000km². Successful bidders comprised seasoned Algerian players such as TotalEnergies, Eni and Sinopec, along with newcomers such as state-backed QatarEnergy. Given Algeria’s well-earned reputation for imposing tough fiscal terms on investors, Alnaft will be happy at securing a respectable showing of oil company interest,
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
