MAIRE announced that a consortium composed by its subsidiary Tecnimont (Integrated E&C Solutions) and Baker Hughes has bagged from SONATRACH an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the implementation of three gas boosting stations and the upgrading of the gathering system, located at the Hassi R’mel gas field, 550 kilometres south of Algiers.
The gas field is the largest in Algeria and one of the largest in the world. The overall contract value is about $2.3 billion, of which $1.7 billion relates to Tecnimont. The scope of the project entails the implementation of three gas boosting stations, including turbo-compressors that will compress about 188 million standard cubic meters per day of natural gas.
Additionally, the project entails the upgrading of the existing gas gathering system, which includes more than 300 km of flowlines connecting the wells. Completion of the project is scheduled within thirty-nine months from the contract’s effective date.
The boosting stations, along with the gathering system, will maintain the pressure of the gas as it travels through the pipelines, allowing it to continue flowing more efficiently and ensuring a reliable and uninterrupted supply of natural gas to Italy, and subsequently to Europe as a whole.
As per the press release, with this contract, MAIRE confirms its standing as a key engineering player in strategic energy projects, significantly contributing to the optimization of the gas supply from Algeria, thus diversifying Italy and Europe’s energy sources. The initiative consolidates the relationships between the two sides of the Mediterranean, reinforcing EU-Africa cooperation.
Alessandro Bernini, Chief Executive Officer of MAIRE group commented, “After the award of the linear alkyl benzene (LAB) plant in the industrial zone of Skikda last March, SONATRACH once again relies on our Group’s execution capabilities. The development of this new crucial project strengthens our relationship with SONATRACH and, most importantly, the bilateral relations between Italy and Algeria. This award, in fact, represents a strong recognition of the entire Italian value chain, having Baker Hughes as partner and, more broadly, an important economic impact on our country”.
