French energy giant TotalEnergies, alongside QatarEnergy, has secured a license from the government of Algeria to explore the Ahara onshore field.
The Ahara license was awarded under Algeria’s 2024 bid round that was launched by the National Agency for the Valorization of Hydrocarbon Resources (ALNAFT), the first call for tender conducted under the hydrocarbon law No.19-13.
The results of the 2024 bid, which was postponed by ALNAFT till July after facing initial delays, have now been announced days earlier.
“TotalEnergies is delighted that its joint bid with QatarEnergy has led to the award of the Ahara license, allowing us to write a new chapter in our long-lasting partnership with SONATRACH in Exploration in Algeria”, said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies in a press release.
TotalEnergies says the Ahara license sits at the “intersection of the prolific Berkine and Illizi Basins and spans a total area of 14,900 square kilometres onshore Algeria.
The French giant will be the operator of the licensed area during the exploration and appraisal phases with a stake of 24.5%, while state-owned QatarEnergy also owns 24.5%.
The remainder majority stake of 51% will be held by Sonatrach, Algeria’s national oil and gas company, in accordance with the country’s upstream policy.
What you should know
While the Ahara license marks the entry of QatarEnergy into Algeria’s upstream sector, it will help expand TotalEnergies’ footprint in the North African country.
TotalEnergies already has licenses that are producing in Algeria. They contributed 154 mmcf/d of gas and 21,000 b/d of liquids to TotalEnergies’ 2024 production, according to the company’s annual report.
Algeria, which saw the second-largest drop in LNG exports in 2024, is accelerating efforts to revitalise its upstream oil and gas sector.
The government launched an ambitious multi-billion-dollar five-year licensing round last year, targeting both oil and gas development.
“We need more exploration. Today, we have more than 240 discoveries waiting to be developed. We need to make more discoveries to increase our reserves. We are looking for companies [that] are strong in exploration,” Mourad Beldjehem, President of ALNAFT, said during the launch.
In the 2024 licensing round, TotalEnergies also bid for Algeria’s Zerafa II gas block, but it was outbid by China’s Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group (ZPEC), whose interest across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is growing.
The next licensing round, known as “Algeria Bid Round 2025”, is scheduled for October 2025.
