• U.S. analyst says TSGP faces no major engineering obstacles despite Sahel security concerns
• 4,000-km pipeline would link Nigeria’s gas reserves to Algeria via Niger
• Project cost estimated at $13 billion, with construction expected after Ramadan

The technical conditions for the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) are in place, according to Geoff D. Porter, a U.S. specialist in North Africa and president of North Africa Risk Consulting. He was quoted February 21 by Algeria Press Service (APS).

Porter was responding to concerns about the security of the route, as parts of the Sahel crossed by the project remain affected by armed groups. He said such criticism is “largely based on misleading arguments,” noting that the pipeline will be buried underground and that only compression stations will remain visible.

He added that the project is “technically feasible” and does not present exceptional engineering challenges compared with similar pipelines. “It is a relatively short onshore pipeline, crossing two jurisdictions before connecting to existing export infrastructure,” Porter said.

The TSGP is designed to link Nigeria’s gas reserves to Algeria through Niger. It would then connect to Algeria’s existing export infrastructure. According to data released by the governments involved, the pipeline would stretch over more than 4,000 kilometers and have an annual transport capacity of about 30 billion cubic meters.

The project was first launched in the early 2000s. In 2009, Nigeria’s NNPC Ltd, Algeria’s Sonatrach and Niger’s state-owned SONIDEP signed an intergovernmental agreement setting the framework for its implementation. In July 2022, the three countries’ energy ministers signed a memorandum of understanding in Abuja to revive the project and update technical studies.

In 2025, new agreements were concluded to update the feasibility study. A few days ago, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced that construction would begin after the current Ramadan period. The project’s construction cost is estimated at around $13 billion.

Abdel-Latif Boureima