Arzew Gas Terminal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arzew Gas Terminal |
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Gas terminal
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| General information | |
| Type | Gas terminal |
| Location | Arzew, Algeria |
| Coordinates | 35°48′14″N 0°14′28″W / 35.804°N 0.241°W |
| Construction started | 14 September 1962 |
| Inaugurated | 2 October 1964 |
| Cost | £31 million |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 180 acres (0.73 km2) |
The Arzew Gas Terminal is a very important place in Algeria. It's a big facility on the coast where natural gas is processed. This terminal was the first of its kind. It started sending natural gas to the United Kingdom in 1964. The natural gas industry here is very important for Algeria's economy.
Contents
Why Arzew Was Built
In the 1960s, people thought that Algeria had huge amounts of natural gas. Some even believed it could supply all of Europe for 50 years! Sir David Milne-Watson from the Gas Council helped create the plan for this plant.
Building the Terminal
The Arzew Gas Terminal officially opened on September 27, 1964. Ahmed Ben Bella, who was the leader of Algeria at the time, opened it. Sir Harry Jones, the chairman of the Gas Council, was also there.
The plant cost about £31 million to build. A long pipeline, 280 miles (about 450 km) long, was also part of the project.
A short film called Saharan Venture was made in 1965 about building the plant.
Over the years, more parts were added to the terminal. New plants opened in 1978, 1981, and July 2014. The original gas plant was closed down in 2010.
Arzew's History and Growth
Another similar gas plant was planned in Skikda in 1967. It opened in 1972. Sadly, in 2004, an accident at the Skikda plant caused damage and loss of life.
By 1967, the Arzew plant was bringing in about £16 million a year for Algeria's government.
In 1972, a new plant was built at Arzew. It cost £9.6 million. This plant was made to produce butane and propane. It was connected to a 500-mile (about 800 km) pipeline. This pipeline went to the Hassi Messaoud gas field.
A nearby plant for making chemicals and an oil refinery were also built in 1973.
By 2005, Algeria was the second-largest exporter of natural gas to Europe. Only Russia exported more. Algeria supplied 20% of Europe's gas. It even supplied half of the natural gas needed by Spain.
A big new project, called the Gassi Touil project, was planned in 2009. It cost £2 billion. This new plant was built by companies from Japan and Italy. It finally opened in November 2013.
In 2017, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia visited the plant. He officially launched two new natural gas ships. These ships were operated by the Hyproc Shipping Company. They were named Tessala and Ougarta.
Gas for the UK
In the early 1960s, Britain got its gas from burning coal. People wondered how to get natural gas to Britain. In 1961, the Minister for Power allowed natural gas to be shipped from Algeria. This gas came from the Hassi R'Mel gas field. At that time, it was the third-largest natural gas field in the world.
The Gas Council signed a contract to get natural gas from Arzew for 15 years.
Two special ships, owned by Shell Tankers, carried the gas. They brought 700,000 tons of natural gas to Essex, England, each year. This took about 60 trips every six days. This gas provided 10% of Britain's gas needs. Each ship carried enough gas for half a day of Britain's needs. The trip to Essex was 1,500 miles (about 2,400 km) long and took four days. The first gas arrived in Essex on October 14, 1964.
A new £7.5 million pipeline, 200 miles (about 320 km) long, carried this gas. This was the first time natural gas was supplied in the United Kingdom.
Gas for France
The first ship carrying gas from Arzew arrived in France in March 1965. It unloaded gas for Gaz de France.
By 1974, most of the gas from Arzew went to France. It went to a gas terminal in Fos-sur-Mer in southern France. An agreement was also signed in 1972 to send gas to Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany. This gas would travel through a terminal in Monfalcone, Italy.
Gas for the United States
The first shipment of natural gas from Arzew to the United States left on October 30, 1971. The United States had signed a contract to receive gas for 25 years.
How the Plant Operated
Algeria became independent from France in July 1962. In June 1965, the army took control of the country. Houari Boumédiène became the leader. He led Algeria until 1978.
On June 10, 1967, Algeria stopped exporting goods to the United Kingdom. The plant stopped working on June 26, 1967. Gas supply to France also stopped. However, British ships were allowed to load gas again from September 1967.
Plant Structure
The Arzew site, located in Bethioua, was built in 1964. It covers 180 acres (about 0.73 square kilometers). The plant could process 50 million square feet of natural gas every day. It had three main processing parts. Two of these processed gas for the United Kingdom, and the third was for France.
See also
- Energy in Algeria
- List of countries by natural gas production
- Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline
