Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal reaffirmed Tuesday in Oran (432-km west of Algiers) that there is no exploitation of shale gas but only studies underway.
"The issue of shale gas has been widely debated at the level of the government and the Parliament and we have set strict conditions for the exploitation of this energy," said Sellal during a rally held at 24-February Hall to mark the double anniversary of the nationalization of hydrocarbons and the creation of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA).
"There is no exploitation (of shale gas) but only studies and exploration underway," he added.
Sellal underlined that "Algeria has not stopped the exploitation of oil or conventional gases," announcing that the national hydrocarbon company SONATRACH "discovered, last week, a large reserves of oil in Touggourt, and other reserves of oil in Ghardaia and hydrocarbons in Al Bayadh few weeks ago."
"The role of the government consists in carrying out evaluation studies of the country's shale gas reserves in anticipation of its exploitation by future generations if they desire so," he said, adding that the studies may last two to six years.
In this regard, Sellal underlined that the studies revealed that Algeria has "the world's third largest shale gas reserve," and stressed the need to "confirm these studies and make sure that this energy has no impact on the environment or the citizens' health."
