After more than two decades of ambition, planning and repeated false starts, the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) has finally moved from paper to ground — Algeria has officially commenced construction of its section of one of Africa’s most strategically significant energy megaprojects.
The construction launch was announced at the close of the fifth ministerial meeting of the project’s steering committee in Algiers, held in the presence of the energy ministers of Algeria, Niger, and Nigeria — the three nations whose partnership anchors this $13 billion undertaking.
Stretching 4,128 kilometres from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria, the TSGP is designed to carry up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year to European and international markets, leveraging Nigeria’s continental reserves — now estimated at a record 215.10 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) as of January 1, 2026 — and Algeria’s established export infrastructure.
The project, listed under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), traces its origins to the early 2000s. NNPC Ltd, Algeria’s Sonatrach and Niger’s Sonidep signed an intergovernmental agreement in 2009 to govern its implementation, but progress stalled for years. A major revival came in July 2022 when energy ministers of all three countries gathered in Abuja to sign a fresh memorandum of understanding, followed by further agreements in 2025 to update the feasibility study — conducted by consulting firm Penspen.
The strategic logic is compelling for each partner. Nigeria gains a critical new export corridor for a gas resource it has long struggled to commercialise. Niger stands to earn transit fees, jobs and related infrastructure development. Algeria, which exported 49 billion cubic metres of gas in 2024, bolsters its already strong positioning as the energy bridge between sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.
The three countries said the pipeline would strengthen Africa’s role in global energy markets while promoting investment, economic growth and regional integration — a declaration that takes on fresh urgency as Europe continues to seek alternatives to Russian energy.
Source: orientalnewsng.com