Algeria secures dominant position in Italian gas market, supplying 56% of imports
Algeria has significantly strengthened its role in Italy's energy security, accounting for nearly 56% of Italian gas imports via pipeline during the first half of 2026. This comes as Italy seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian gas and navigate global energy market uncertainties. The TransMed pipeline, which connects Algeria to the Italian peninsula, has seen a substantial increase in its operational indicators at the Mazara del Vallo terminal in Sicily. While overall gas entries into Italy decreased to 20.52 billion cubic meters in the first six months of the year, the Sicilian interconnection point recorded an increase to 11.41 billion cubic meters, up by 470 million compared to the same period in 2025. The Algerian pipeline alone supplied over a third of all gas injected into the Italian network, with an average daily flow of approximately 63 million cubic meters. This contribution now surpasses the combined deliveries from Italy's five regasification terminals by more than 8%, despite efforts to diversify with liquefied natural gas. Other traditional supply channels, such as the Passo Gries point for North European gas, saw a 17% decrease, and the GreenStream pipeline from Libya experienced a more than 63% drop in volumes. The Alger-Rome axis, supported by the SeaCorridor joint venture between Eni and Snam, operates near maximum capacity, benefiting from long-term supply contracts that protect against market volatility. Snam reported 15 million euros in dividends from it
