Author Archives: Abdessalem Bouferrouk

Feature | Algerian Shale Gas Part 2: Prospects and Recommendations

Algeria first announced its intention to look into shale gas exploration back in 2012. The final controversial decision in favour of extraction was then taken few weeks after the presidential elections of April 2014. Following this decision, Part II of this article examines the prospects of shale gas development in Algeria, the challenges and issues expected, and presents some recommendations for ways forward. The aim is to present an objective viewpoint that encourages further national debate and contribute to creating a more informed public opinion on the issue of shale gas. (Part I can be found here.) Read More

Feature | Algerian Shale Gas (Part 1): Facts about shale gas and hydraulic fracturing

Despite ongoing global interest in renewable energy over recent years, shale gas has recently grabbed the headlines as a competing ‘new’ source of energy. Some have referred to it as the ‘energy bullet’ that could potentially create an energy boom in many countries such as China, Argentina, and Algeria. Indeed, the move towards exploring shale gas has intensified following the seemingly successful exploitation of the resource in the United States since the year 2000. Read More

Feature | Renewable energy development in Algeria

Renewable energy comes from natural resources such as the sun, in contrast to energy derived from finite resources based on fossil fuels like coal and oil that sooner or later will run out. Serious interest in renewable energy was sparked following the Arab oil embargo of 1973 and since then much progress has been made towards exploiting a variety of renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, biofuels, biomass, and ocean waves and tides. Put together, these are often referred to as the ‘renewable energy mix’. Read More