- The European Union (EU) will assist in the financing of trans-sahara pipeline linking Nigeria, Niger and Algeria to the European Union through two undersea pipelines, Medgaz in Spain and in Italy Galsi, official sources have confirmed.
In a communiqué from the European Commission, it fully expressed its support for gas transportation at an international scale, saying representatives of Niger, Algeria and Nigeria who signed an intergovernmental agreement in Abuja last week, was a sign of commitment.
The pipeline, which is expected to operate from 2015, will have a capacity of 20 to 30 million cubic meters per year and will cover a distance of 4188 kilometers, of which 37 km are in Nigeria, Niger 841 km and 2310 km in Algeria.
With a budget estimated at $10 billion, the project pipeline trans-sahara will also be supported by a network of fiber optic telecommunications, according to the statement.
Multinational companies for energy production, including France's Total, the Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, Italy's ENI and the Russian giant Gazprom, have already expressed interest in the pipeline.
The communique noted that Nigeria, in sub-Saharan Africa, has the largest gas reserves that lie to the west African country in seventh place globally.
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