Sonatrach, the Algerian state energy company, was continuing a 10-day shutdown of the Skikda liquefied natural gas plant on the Mediterranean coast because of a technical issue, as the nation also continued to implement a curfew in 14 provinces to try and bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control.
Sonatrach said the closure of the Skikda facility came after the sudden failure of a gas turbine control mechanism.
Sonatrach is one of the main suppliers of LNG and pipeline natural gas to Europe.
It operates two LNG plants at Skikda and Arzew on the Mediterranean coast and via three pipelines to Spain and Italy.
Algerian gas supplies are carried from the Hassi R'Mel hub on the Medgaz pipeline via Beni Saf to Almeria in southern Spain and on the Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline from the Hassi R'mel field through Morocco to Cordoba in Spain.
Pipeline gas also goes to Italy through the Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline from Algeria via Tunisia to Sicily and then onwards to the mainland of Italy.
Algerian LNG exports have been falling in recent years and amounted to a combined 10.58 million tonnes per annum in 2020 from both the Skikda plant and the main Arzew facility, a decline of 13.5 percent.
Shipments from the North African country go to France, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Spain, the UK, India, Pakistan and several others.
The company said it was still carrying out repairs at Skikda on the affected equipment.
The LNG plant at Skikda has a capacity to produce 4 million tonnes per annum.
“A technical issue occurred on June 11 at the Skikda LNG complex and led to the shutdown of this complex,” said Sonatrach.
“As a safety precaution, Sonatrach has decided to conduct a thorough inspection of the plant,” it added.
So far in 2020, Algeria has exported less than 7MT of shipments, which is around 50 percent of its technical nameplate capacity.
Meanwhile, the oil and gas producing nation is taking more lockdown measures to control Covid-19 in 14 of its 58 provinces.
The partial lockdown measures in the affected areas are from midnight to 04:00 on the morning of the next day and were extended in 14 Algerian provinces for a period of 21 days from June 21 as part of the fight against the spread of Covid-19.
The measures were approved by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad following consultations with the state Scientific Committee.
The Covid-19 measures concern the following 14 provinces: Algiers, Laghouat, Batna, Bejaia, Blida, Tebessa, Tizi-Ouzou, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Constantine, M'Sila, Ouargla, Oran and Boumerdes.
