ALGIERS- Minister of State, Minister of Hydrocarbons Mohamed Arkab chaired Sunday, in Algiers, the official launch of "Algeria Bid Round 2026," an international competitive tender covering seven new zones open for hydrocarbon exploration.
The ceremony was held at the Abdelatif-Rahal International Conference Centre, in the presence of several members of the government, including the Minister of Energy and Renewable Energy, the Minister of Mines and Mining Industries, the Minister of Industry, and the Minister of Knowledge Economy, Startups and Micro-enterprises, along with Sonatrach's CEO and representatives of major international energy companies.
The offered zones include: El Borma 2 (Ouargla), El M'Zaid North (Ouargla), Central Illizi 1, East Bordj Omar Driss 1 (Illizi), El Hadjira 3 (Touggourt), Touggourt South, and East Benoud (El-Bayadh).
According to the technical presentations, the technical phase of the round is scheduled to begin on June 1st, 2026, with the release of tender documents and the organization of online presentations, followed by "data room" access and clarification sessions that will continue until October 31st, 2026.
The National Agency for the Valorization of Hydrocarbon Resources, "ALNAFT," has set November 26th, 2026, as the final deadline for submitting bids and announcing results, paving the way for the signing of hydrocarbon contracts with Sonatrach on January 31st, 2027.
The "Algeria Bid Round" is an open international mechanism through which oil and gas companies can submit bids for exploration permits in designated zones, as part of broader efforts to boost investment in Algeria's hydrocarbon sector.
These areas include several oil and gas discoveries, as well as promising reservoirs and exploration targets with varying estimated reserves and prospective resources. In some areas, these exceed hundreds of millions of barrels of oil alongside significant quantities of natural gas, according to the technical data presented.
Regarding project objectives, the focus is primarily on developing existing discoveries, enhancing production levels, and intensifying exploration efforts, especially as these zones are located close to processing facilities and transport networks, which will facilitate connection and development operations while reducing costs.
The exploration and production zones have been offered under various contractual frameworks, led by the "Central Illizi" area, proposed under a production-sharing contract (PSC), which includes 10 potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. The "El M'Zaid North" area has also been offered under a PSC, containing five promising reservoirs with estimated resources of around 100 million barrels of oil.
As for the "El Borma 2" area in the Berkine Basin, it has also been proposed under a production-sharing contract due to the presence of two confirmed oil reservoirs. The "East Bordj Omar Driss" area in the Illizi Basin has been included under a partnership contract, supported by previous gas and oil discoveries, while the "El Hadjira 3" area is also part of a production-sharing contract, benefiting from confirmed production indicators in adjacent fields.
The "East Benoud" area, which holds a strategic position between producing fields, and the "South Touggourt" area, which is of significant importance given its resource potential exceeding 576 million barrels, have also been offered under production-sharing contracts.
== Consolidating Algeria’s position as a regional energy hub ==
In a speech on the occasion, Arkab stressed that the launch of this round comes as a continuation of the "strong momentum" achieved by the 2024 round, which attracted "widespread" international interest.
This reflects growing confidence in Algeria’s investment climate and the "clear will of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to continue developing the hydrocarbons sector on modern foundations based on transparency, efficiency, balanced partnership, and the optimal use of national resources."
The Minister of State added that the launch of this round also reflects Algeria’s commitment to providing a clearer and more attractive business environment that facilitates investment, technology transfer, expertise enhancement, and the expansion of exploration, development, and production activities.
This comes amid a rapidly evolving global context marked by accelerating geopolitical and energy shifts, increasing the need for new investments that ensure supply sustainability, meet future demand, and strengthen energy security.
In this regard, Arkab highlighted "Algeria’s role as a leading and reliable energy destination working to ensure secure and sustainable supply flows to global markets."
He affirmed that "Algeria acts as a committed partner in guaranteeing stable and regular energy supplies even under the most challenging conditions."
The Minister of State emphasized that "Algeria Bid Round 2026" represents a real opportunity to reinforce global energy security, noting that Algeria seeks to consolidate its position as a "regional energy hub" through the development of major strategic projects, such as the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline, which is expected to open new prospects for energy integration.
Arkab further noted that the 2026 round is part of a vision aimed at maximizing the exploitation of the country’s abundant natural resources through the latest technologies, offering some of the most competitive tax and contractual incentives in the region, and ensuring transparency and efficiency in the awarding of contracts by the "ALNAFT" agency, while ensuring that hydrocarbon development aligns with modern environmental standards.
On this point, Arkab stated that natural gas "will remain a key component of the energy mix during the transition phase," adding that "efforts are underway to develop promising hydrogen projects, opening new horizons for partnership and investment."
For his part, the President of the "ALNAFT" agency, Samir Bekhti, confirmed that the offered zones were carefully selected based on basins with demonstrated performance, zones with "enormous" untapped potential, and clear development prospects, making them genuine, well-documented, and ready for immediate implementation.
He added: "Algeria is seeking partners capable of investing, innovating, and executing, in exchange for access to significant resources and a stable environment. We are not looking for short-term commitments, but for long-term strategic partnerships."
He further emphasized that the objective of this round is to position Algeria as a credible and competitive option within the investment portfolios of global companies and to strengthen Algeria’s standing in international energy markets.
