By presidential decree, Algeria appointed Noureddine Daoudi as CEO of the state-owned energy company Sonatrach, succeeding Rachid Hachichi. This move comes amid the country’s efforts to strengthen its position as a key energy supplier and in light of strategic shifts in the oil and gas sector.

Daoudi has over 35 years of experience in the energy sector, including 32 years in oil exploration.

Algeria seeks to solidify its position as a reliable energy supplier, leveraging its vast oil and gas reserves and three pipelines that connect it directly to Europe, giving it a competitive advantage over suppliers that rely on maritime transport, such as Qatar.

Algeria currently produces 130 billion cubic meters of gas annually and aims to significantly increase production to 160 billion cubic meters per year. It also plans to sign agreements with ExxonMobil and Chevron to develop its gas reserves, including shale gas.

Daoudi’s appointment comes at a time when Sonatrach is preparing to face several challenges, most notably increasing natural gas production capacity to support domestic and international energy security, boosting petrochemical projects to increase the added value of national resources, expanding international cooperation with global companies such as Chevron and Exxon to attract quality investments, accelerating the energy transition by reducing emissions and developing carbon capture and storage technologies, and modernizing exploration and production systems using digital technologies and artificial intelligence.