Algeria is the largest country in Africa in terms of area. Like many African countries, it has a colourful past that is linked to the colonial era. It began with a bloody war of independence from the colonial power France, which was characterised by war crimes on both sides. This was followed by a period with socialist structures and a civil war with Islamist involvement. There were also several French nuclear weapons tests.
This is certainly not a breeding ground for stable, peaceful development. Added to this is a volatile relationship with neighbouring Morocco. Algeria’s economy is struggling and is dependent on the sale of its abundant fossil fuels. They lie dormant under the Sahara, which covers large parts of the country. With the loss of Russian gas supplies, gas has become more interesting for Central Europe. Pipelines are available for cost-effective transport.
A good 15 years ago, the famous Desertec square was drawn in the Algerian Sahara: An area of 125 by 125 kilometres, equipped with solar thermal power plants, was to supply the whole of Europe with renewable electricity. Little has happened so far and the country is lagging behind its western neighbour Morocco. Young people are rebelling and want change. Under the name Hirak (Arabic for movement), they want a revolution. Overall, conditions in Algeria do not exactly attract private companies and foreign investors. Corruption and bureaucracy are the order of the day. Nevertheless, the government is increasingly trying to focus on renewable energies.
Despite excellent climatic conditions, only around 4 per cent of the country’s own energy requirements come from solar energy. The good opportunities for wind energy are barely developed.
The fixed feed-in tariff for renewable electricity adopted in 2014 is unique in the region. This subsidises plants with a capacity of at least one megawatt for 20 years. The energy supplier Sonelgaz pays the guaranteed purchase price and receives the additional costs back from the national fund for renewable energies. An energy partnership has been in place with Germany since 2015. The country has set itself ambitious goals: Algeria wants to realise generation capacities of 22 gigawatts for renewable electricity by 2030, of which 12 gigawatts are for its own use and 10 gigawatts for export. The production of green hydrogen is also one of Algeria’s development goals.
Autor: Dr. Thomas Isenburg, science journalist from Kierspe, Germany
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