Algerian PM says shale gas drilling will not start before 2022

Algeria will not start drilling shale gas before 2022, Algeria's Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal said on Wednesday.

"I would like to reassure our brothers in the desert that shale gas is not in the government's agenda," Sellal said, adding that "we are only conducting experiments in two wells, based on which we will conduct studies for four years to know exactly our shale gas reserves."

This statement came to reassure angry populations of the desert who have taken to the street to protest the recent shale gas exploitation operations conducted by the nation's energy giant Sonatrach.

The protesters claimed that detergent and liquids used to extract shale gas will damage the environment and would put the life of humans at risk.

The prime minister noted that the nation is forced to head towards exploiting non-conventional energy, including shale gas, assuming that the country's hydrocarbon reserves will not be enough by 2027.

The current downfall oil prices has forced Algeria to announce some austerity measures including reducing the number of "mega projects" such as tramways and railways, in addition to implementing a more rigorous management of the government budget.

According to official data, the country has the third largest estimated shale gas reserves globally. Endit