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Nigeria, Niger and Algeria are promoting the development of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline, a major infrastructure project designed to supply natural gas to Europe and reduce reliance on Russian energy imports.
The proposed pipeline could transport up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas annually to European markets once completed. The total length of the infrastructure is expected to be around 4,128 kilometers.
According to Business Insider, construction has already begun on a section in Algeria. The route would run from Warri in southern Nigeria to Algeria’s major gas hub at Hassi R’Mel, one of the continent’s largest gas production centers. The Algerian section alone is about 1,210 kilometers long.
Niger’s energy ministry said work on its 720-kilometer segment is expected to start in early 2027. Officials describe the project as historically significant, with expected economic and social benefits for communities along the route.
Algeria’s energy minister Mohamed Arkab said the pipeline would strengthen energy integration in Africa and enhance global energy security. Algeria currently supplies around 12% of the EU’s natural gas imports.
Interest in the project has grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which pushed the EU to accelerate diversification away from Russian energy. The EU plans to phase out Russian LNG imports by the end of 2026 and pipeline gas by September 2027.
At the same time, the Trans-Saharan project faces competition from an alternative Nigeria–Morocco pipeline plan that would run along the Atlantic coast through multiple West African countries before reaching Europe.
