Algeria and Saudi Arabia lead the Mena shale race
The region is rich in unconventional gas, but it will not be developed quickly
Algeria and Saudi Arabia are leading the race to exploit shale gas in the Middle East and North Africa. Both countries need more energy to meet rising domestic power generation needs. In Saudi Arabia, gasifying its electricity will leave more crude oil for export. In Algeria, Sonatrach must find fresh resources to keep feeding its lucrative gas-export business. Algeria’s shale sector has attracted most of the region’s foreign interest. The government claims up to 700 trillion cubic feet (cf) of recoverable shale gas in a resource of 3,400 trillion cf. Wood Mackenzie, a consultancy, calculates a recoverable figure at 70 trillion cf. Algeria’s conventional reserves are now about 160 trillion c
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