Algeria to Relaunch Galso Gas Pipeline to Italy, Says Prime Minister Sellal

The worsening of the relations between Europe (Germany) and Russia seems to have had a positive impact on infrastructure and markets integration. In the last hours, companies and countries voiced their willingness to move forward with new projects. 

Algeria said it is willing to build a new gas pipeline to Italy, Austria’s OMV said it is interested in using Bulgarian pipes for Romanian gas, while Macedonia is reportedly ready to take part in the Turkish Stream after Brussels’ approval. 

The tensions between the two “blocks” and this new declarations might not be correlated, but it is easy to see how Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete’s trip to North Africa on 5-7 May is bearing fruit.

“This is a project that we intend to relaunch as part of this new vision of security for Italy and Europe through alternative sources of energy supply from Algeria” Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said on Wednesday during a visit to Rome, as reported by Reuters. 

Sellal referred to Galso gas pipeline, which would connect Algeria and Italy. 

Also on Wednesday, Georgi Gegov, CEO of Bulgartransgaz was reported as saying that OMV has put forward a proposal to transport Romanian gas via Bulgarian gas pipelines. 

A few hours later, Russia’s Sputnik reported that Macedonia will participate in the Turkish Stream after a political convergence of Moscow and Brussels on the project.