Berlin Strengthens Energy Alliance with Algeria Amidst Global Shifts
Berlin, Germany – In a significant move to bolster its energy security, Germany rolled out the red carpet for Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The visit, marked by military honors at the historic Villa Borsig, signals a deepening partnership between the two nations, extending beyond traditional liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to embrace green hydrogen and critical rare earth minerals.
Hours before the official ceremony, President Tebboune highlighted the transformation in Algerian-German relations, noting, “Algeria and Germany were not in the same league,” in remarks heard by Al Jazeera. This sentiment underscores the growing strategic importance of Algeria as a key energy supplier for Europe.
First Algerian LNG Shipment Arrives in Germany
The high-level visit coincided with a landmark event: the arrival of the tanker Tessala at a floating terminal off Wilhelmshaven, carrying the first-ever liquefied natural gas export to Germany from Algeria’s state energy company, Sonatrach. This shipment, sourced from the GL2Z liquefaction complex near Oran, Algeria, marks a new chapter in Germany’s energy diversification strategy.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s invitation to Tebboune was part of a broader business and political outreach. The bilateral economic forum in Berlin saw the signing of thirty agreements between German and Algerian companies, spanning hydrocarbons, renewables, energy transition, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and advanced technology.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, following his meeting with President Tebboune at the Chancellery, emphasized the “whole series of agreements” reached, including those on legal, investment, and transparency issues, expressing a desire for continued progress.
Addressing the Algerian community at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin, Tebboune hailed Germany as a “great friend” and revealed plans for collaboration on green hydrogen, gas, helium, and car manufacturing industries.
Why Algeria, and Why Now?
President Tebboune’s visit comes at a critical juncture for Europe, which is actively seeking new energy suppliers due to recent global market disruptions. Russia’s share of EU pipeline gas imports has plummeted from approximately 40 percent in 2021 to about 6 percent last year, following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. A European Council regulation adopted in January will ban Russian LNG and pipeline gas outright from March 18, 2026, with transition periods for existing contracts.
Algeria has significantly contributed to filling this void, becoming the second-largest supplier of gaseous natural gas imports to the EU in 2025, accounting for 18.5 percent, behind Norway’s 54.4 percent. This share further increased to 20 percent of EU pipeline imports in the first quarter of 2026, highlighting Algeria’s growing role.
Chancellor Merz acknowledged Algeria’s “very important contribution to Europe’s security of energy supply,” noting the country’s “significant raw-material deposits, among them natural gas, oil and rare earths.” Rare earths are particularly crucial as Europe strives to reduce its reliance on China and Russia for these materials.
Standing alongside Merz, Tebboune reassured Germany and broader Europe, stating, “We are careful to be a reliable supplier – we always meet our contractual delivery obligations,” and pledged that Algerian supplies would benefit all of Europe. This commitment is timely, especially with Qatari LNG exports facing disruptions due to the US-Israel war on Iran and Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) predicts that the United States will surpass Norway as the EU’s primary gas supplier in 2026. In this complex landscape, Algeria’s ability to directly supply Europe via a sub-Mediterranean pipeline offers a significant advantage.
Michael Ayari, an Algeria analyst at the International Crisis Group, told the Frankfurter Rundschau, “Algeria is strategically central for Europe, above all for Germany, if it is to get its industry back on its feet in the next three to five years. It could ramp up its gas deliveries and thereby compensate for the loss of Russian gas.”
Underpinning this strategy is the Trans-Saharan pipeline, a 4,000km (2,500 miles) project designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic meters (1.06 trillion cubic feet) of Nigerian gas annually across Niger and Algeria to Europe. Sonatrach commenced welding its 1,210km (752 miles) section of this pipeline in June, which will feed into the national grid and Hassi R’Mel, Africa’s largest gas field in northern Algeria.
The Southern Hydrogen Corridor: A Pioneering Project
Green hydrogen, a cleaner energy source, was a prominent topic during the news conference. Both Tebboune and Merz emphasized the Southern Hydrogen Corridor, a 3,300km (2050 miles) dedicated hydrogen pipeline linking North Africa to Italy, Austria, and Germany. Recognized as a Project of Common Interest under the EU’s TEN-E regulation, this initiative aims to expedite permit approvals and secure funding from the Connecting Europe Facility. The project’s promoters envision a design capacity of 4 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Tebboune lauded it as a “pioneering project” and thanked Germany for its support, while Merz affirmed Berlin’s commitment to advancing the corridor alongside Italy.
On January 21, 2025, Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Austria, and Germany signed a Joint Declaration of Political Intent in Rome, with European Commission representatives in attendance. The EU now lists the corridor as a “Team Europe initiative” under its Global Gateway strategy. Feasibility studies are underway by transmission operators, with initial work progressing on the Algerian and Tunisian sections. The pipeline is designed to transport hydrogen produced in Algeria, the corridor’s main production hub, through Tunisia and across the Mediterranean to its European destinations.
Despite strong political backing and industrial interest, the project still requires binding off-take agreements – long-term purchase contracts – to move forward with investment decisions. Oliver Blank, managing director of the German-Algerian Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Algiers, told ARD, “On the Algerian side, the expectation is that Germany now sends clear signals that green hydrogen produced in Algeria will actually be bought.” As of now, no German company has signed an off-take agreement for Algerian hydrogen.
A Question Unanswered: The Case of Christophe Gleizes
Amidst the discussions on energy and economic cooperation, one sensitive issue arose during the press conference: the imprisonment of French freelance sports journalist Christophe Gleizes. Gleizes was arrested in Tizi Ouzou in May 2024 while reporting on the football club JS Kabylie and subsequently convicted of glorifying “terrorism” due to alleged contacts with the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie. He was sentenced to seven years in June 2025, a verdict upheld by an appeals court on December 3. Reporters Without Borders, a press freedom NGO, identifies him as the only French journalist currently imprisoned worldwide.
When a German reporter questioned President Tebboune about appeals for clemency for Gleizes, the president responded firmly but not dismissively. “Out of respect for the Algerian judicial system, I will not answer this question except on Algerian soil,” he stated. “I am now in Germany, not in Algeria.”
Similar cases have previously been addressed between Algiers and Berlin, including that of Franco-Algerian novelist Boualem Sansal, who was pardoned on humanitarian grounds in November 2025 following a German request and flown to Berlin for treatment.
Chancellor Merz concluded the news conference by extending condolences for the children tragically killed in an orphanage fire in Dar El Beida, outside Algiers, on the eve of the visit.
Source: Al Jazeera
