Meloni in Algeria, ENI's shadow on Galsi

Premier or Descalzi

Giorgia Meloni has the political and parliamentary consensus to impose her own line, but the very fact that she is accompanied on this first trip to Algeria by Descalzi, good for any political season, suggests that the Premier's room for maneuver could be reduced to little light. If Eni wrote the Palazzo Chigi agenda, it is unlikely that we can go beyond the celebration of some further gas alms from North Africa to Italy, using the methane pipeline in hand as the only access route with Sicily to Eni, a sort of energy customs, where not only the distribution but also, and above all, the price of methane coming from the main exporter from Africa, Sonatrach, Algerian Eni, is regulated. At stake would also be an agreement to produce Stellantis Fiats in northern Algeria, a sort of automotive relocation blessed by Italy and France, passed off as growth and investments in car sales. In reality, cars will be produced in Africa, with all that this entails, both in economic, financial and employment terms. The issue of energy, however, will be central starting from Algeria's role on the international scene, starting from the never-hidden relations with Putin's Russia, especially on the military front. In the two days in Algeria, if Eni weren't involved, the theme would be central and would require a profound clarification between the African and European shores of the Mediterranean. In recent weeks, for example, both Europe, with the European Commissioner for Energy, and the German government have openly talked about structurally connecting, including infrastructures, Algeria with Europe and Germany, with the creation of a partnership capable of securing the role of North Africa in relations with the West.

EU & Germany pro Galsi

In this direction, both Europe and Germany have welcomed the project relaunched by the Algerian government at the highest levels to build the Galsi, the Algeria - Sardinia - Italy - Europe pipeline with the dual objective of increasing gas supplies after the Russia-Ukraine war and build the world's most advanced energy infrastructure ready to transport green hydrogen. It was therefore to be expected that this issue would be the first item on the Italian agenda at the summit which ends today in Algiers with the meeting between the Italian and Algerian premiers. In reality, on this front, there is total silence on the Italian front with Algeria which has repeatedly re-launched the project. The most important Arabic-language specialized agency on energy, Attaqa.net, has relaunched the declarations of Algeria's Energy Minister, Mohamed Arkab, with which he reiterated that his country "is currently working to reconsider the relaunch of a new study relating to the construction of the Sardinia-Galsi gas pipeline, with specifications and technical standards that can be adapted to future operations of exporting hydrogen and ammonia towards Europe in general and Germany in particular".

Opec, the powerful of the world

It was Minister Arkab himself, during the Algerian-German Energy Day, on the eve of last Christmas, who stated that «the use of the gas pipeline will initially be dedicated to exporting additional quantities of Algerian gas to Europe, up to a real and competitive market for green hydrogen». OPEC, the very powerful Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, has also taken a stand on Galsi's role. Wael Hamed Abdel Moaty, engineer and expert in the hydrogen and gas industries, has spoken for the world organization in recent weeks: «The Sardinia gas pipeline is an important project which aims to supply Algerian gas to Sardinia, Italy, with a capacity of 8 billion cubic meters per year, equal to 80% of the capacity of the Medgas pipeline linking Algeria and Spain, in addition to its strategic location, as it is one of the shortest routes to Europe. If the Galsi is then converted to run on clean hydrogen, it can transport the equivalent of 2.5 million tonnes of hydrogen per year, making it one of the largest pipeline export projects in Europe. OPEC's forecasts will weigh heavily on today's table in Algiers between Meloni and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The expert of the world organization adds: «Since the Galsi pipeline project has been relaunched, Algeria will be able to cover around 25% of Europe's future hydrogen imports by 2030, which means that it will establish Algeria's position as one of the leading sustainable suppliers of energy of all types (gas, hydrogen and electricity) in the world».

Italian silence

The official Italian sources, for the moment, on this opportunity that would put Sardinia and Italy at the center of a very modern energy connection capable of transporting gas first and then hydrogen, are silent. In reality, once again, it seems to be Eni that is imposing the line to follow on the Government, even on this one that has just taken office under Meloni. It will be necessary to understand whether Eni's influences, as has also happened in the past, will try to close that project in the Algerian and Italian state cabinets, with the intention of not disturbing the gas monopoly in Italy. A short-sighted vision of the energy strategy projected not towards hydrogen would prevail, but towards strengthening the speculative power on methane with an elementary equation: with a single methane pipeline, in the hands of Eni, the cost of methane can be managed more easily, nipping in the bud any pipeline competing with those in the hands of the State body.

The robbery of the Sardinian sea

Not even the age-old question linked to the imposition of the Algerian Exclusive Economic Zone on the Sardinian sea should arrive on the table in Algiers. In March 2018, in fact, Algeria had notified the United Nations of the establishment of its own and total sovereignty over the sea bordering the territorial waters of Sardinia. In practice, occupying the waters from North Africa by military force up to the height of Bosa. For almost two years, the Italian government has had a legislative mandate approved by parliament to establish its own exclusive economic zone to protect those waters. It is up to the Italian Prime Minister to establish it with his own decree which must then be countersigned by the President of the Republic Mattarella. At stake is Italian sovereignty in those waters which have in fact been occupied by a foreign state, a stone's throw from Sardinia. For now, nothing is moving. It cannot be ruled out that once again it is ENI's long arm that has suggested to the top management of the Bel Paese not to disturb Algeria. Once again the island pays, destined to remain without energy, methane, hydrogen and even without the sea. Provided that the Premier decides to leave it to ENI.