• The 4.5 mtpa liquefaction unit resumes full operations after maintenance

• Move aims to restore Skikda’s production capacity and expand LNG exports

• Part of Sonatrach’s wider modernization and export optimization program

Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach has restarted a major gas processing unit at the Skikda industrial complex on the country’s northeast coast, according to German outlet bne IntelliNews on Monday, October 20, 2025.

The operation involves the site’s only liquefaction train, with a capacity of 4.5 million tons per year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the restart aims to restore full production capacity at Skikda and strengthen Algeria’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.

The unit had previously been shut down for 45 days in 2021 for turbine control repairs before resuming operations on July 30 of that year. This latest extended shutdown was part of scheduled maintenance that Sonatrach announced had ended on October 19.

Since 2023, the state-owned company has implemented a large-scale modernization plan to improve the reliability and efficiency of its facilities. According to Natural Gas Intel, this includes upgrades at the Skikda marine terminal, where a new jetty commissioned in March 2024 now accommodates larger LNG carriers, enhancing export capacity and flexibility.

The liquefaction train at Skikda entered service in 2013, replacing facilities destroyed in a 2004 explosion. The International Group of Liquefied Natural Gas Importers (GIIGNL) estimates the combined capacity of Algeria’s Arzew and Skikda terminals at about 25.3 million tons per year.

According to the EIA, Algeria exported around 1.9 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas in 2023.