Algeria not to exploit shale gas for now: minister

Algerian Energy Minister Noureddine Bouterfa on Tuesday said the country won't exploit shale gas in the short term.

Bouterfa added that Algeria already has enough quantities of other natural resources, including natural gas.

He acknowledged that the future belongs to renewable energy, noting that the energy sector is witnessing rapid changes in terms of technologies used for generating energy.

His remarks came on the sidelines of a conference on renewable energy held in western Algiers. The minister also said that Algeria's energy mode could change by 2050.

In 2015, people in southern areas of Algeria expressed their refusal to the government decision to start exploring shale gas deposits there.

Faced with the discontent of those fearing disastrous impact on the environment and groundwater, the government reassured that it was only exploration studies. Endit