Italian premier says Algeria to boost natural gas exports

Italian Premier Mario Draghi has secured a deal for more natural gas across a Mediterranean pipeline from Algeria

MILAN -- Italian Premier Mario Draghi secured a deal Monday for more natural gas imports across a Mediterranean pipeline from Algeria, marking the latest push by a European Union nation to reduce dependence on Russian energy following its invasion of Ukraine.

After meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Draghi told reporters in the Algerian capital of Algiers that an agreement to intensify bilateral cooperation in the energy sector along with the deal to export more gas to Italy “are a significant response to the strategic goal" of quickly replacing Russian energy.

"Others will follow,'' Draghi said.

Russia is Italy’s biggest supplier of natural gas, representing 40% of total imports, followed by Algeria, which provides some 21 billion cubic meters of gas via the Trans-Mediterranean pipeline.