Eni and Sonatrach have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on accelerating gas plans and a move towards green hydrogen.
Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi hosted Sonatrach chairman Toufik Hakkar in Rome today for the signing ceremony. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi oversaw it.
The MoU saw the two companies agree to evaluate options to speed up development at Sonatrach discoveries in Algeria. Eni said the volumes these fields could produce were around 3 billion cubic metres per year.
It would then export additional gas supplies to Italy via the Transmed pipeline.
Algeria recently agreed to provide Italy with an additional 9 bcm per year of gas via the link.
The companies also raised a technical and economic evaluation of a green hydrogen pilot plant in Bir Rebaa North (BRN), in the Algerian desert. Eni said the plan would help decarbonise the BRN gas plant, which it operates with Sonatrach via a joint venture.