Eight years after the Hassi R’Mel Field was discovered, Algeria began commercial production of LNG with deliveries to Europe. The field supplies natural gas to LNG plants at Arzew and Skikda as well as four export pipelines to Europe—Medgaz, Trans-Mediterranean, Maghreb-Europe and Galsi.

The giant Hassi R’Mel gas field was discovered in 1956 along with the giant Hassi Messaoud oil field. Gas production started in 1961. It is the largest gas field in Algeria and one of the largest gas fields in the world, with annual production of about 100 Bcm (3.5 Tcf). The field has estimated reserves of 2.4 Tcm (85 Tcf) of gas and probable reserves between 2.7 Tcm and 3 Tcm (95.3 Tcf and 106 Tcf). The areal extent of the field is about 70 km (43 miles) from north to south and 50 km (31 miles) from east to west.

The field is located near the village of Hassi R’Mel, which is 550 km (340 miles) south of Algiers.

Hassi R’Mel is a Triassic gas field, which was discovered by the HR-1 well. The field is in a Cretaceous anticline of the M’zab dorsal structure, which separates the Western Org Paleozoic Basin from the Oued Mya Basin to the east.

Geologically, Cambrian rhyolite forms the basement. It is overlain by the Tassili Cambro-Ordivician sandstone group, a Siluro-Devonian shale and Mesozoic sediments. The A, B and C reservoir sandstones are Permo-Triassic and about 115 m (377 ft) thick, which are sealed by Late Triassic salt and shale.

In 1964 Algeria officially launched the first LNG complex at Arzew called Camel (GL4Z), which was capable of processing 1.8 Bcm/year (63.5 Bcf/year). That was followed in 1972 with the opening of the Skikda LNG plant (GL1K). The LNG plant had a production capacity of 6.5 MMcm/year (229 MMcf/year) of LNG, 170,000 mt/year of ethane, 108,400 mt/year of propane, 92,600 mt/year of butane and 60,250 mt/year of natural gasoline, according to Sonatrach’s history.

The Hassi R’Mel Module 1, with a production capacity of 18 Bcm/year (635 Bcf/year) of gas and 3 MMmt/year of condensate, started in 1978. Another LNG plant at Arzew also was brought into service with a production capacity of 17.5 MMcm/year (618 MMcf/year) of LNG.

Two more modules began production in the field in 1979, each with a production capacity of 20 Bcm/year (706 Bcf/year) of gas, 4 MMmt/year of condensate and 880,000 mt/year of LPG.

There are four LNG complexes, three in Arzew and one in Skikda, with a full production capacity of 44 Bcm/year (1.5 Tcf/year) of LNG along with two LPG complexes in Arzew, with a full production capacity of 10.4 MMmt/year. Since then the LNG complex GL4/Z, previously known as Camel, was shut down in April 2010. New LNG plants are under construction at Arzew and Skikda, according to Sonatrach.

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