The Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline (''TransMed''; also ''Enrico Mattei gas pipeline'') is a natural gas pipeline from
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, religi ...
via
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
to
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
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, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
and thence to mainland
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. An extension of the TransMed pipeline delivers Algerian gas to
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
.
History
The pipeline from Algeria to Italy was proposed in 1960s. A preliminary feasibility study was conducted in 1969 and the first route survey in 1970. In 1974–75, technical tests of laying pipes in the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
were carried out. In 1977, supply and transit agreements were signed.
The first phase of pipeline was constructed in 1978–1983 and second phase in 1991–1994.
The capacity of the pipeline was doubled in 1994. In 2000, the gas pipeline was named after
Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei (; 29 April 1906 – 27 October 1962) was an Italian public administrator. After World War II he was given the task of dismantling the Italian petroleum agency Agip, a state enterprise established by the Fascist regime. ...
.
In the fall of 1997, a terrorist attack severed the pipeline in Algeria for five days.
The pipeline was listed under the
Critical Foreign Dependencies Initiative by the United States in a diplomatic cable leaked to
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...
.
On February 28, 2010, a new section was completed in
Bir El Ater
Bir el Ater ( ar, بئر العاتر) is a city located in far eastern Algeria. It is located towards the border with Tunisia, around 87 kilometers south of Tebessa and just beyond the Sahara. The town has a population of approximately 80,000 inh ...
,
Tebessa Province, which was expected to increase transport capacity by .
Route
The pipeline begins from the
Hassi R'mel
Hassi R'Mel ( ar, حاسي الرمل, Berber language: Ḥasi Eṛṛmel) is a town in Algeria located near the 18th largest gas field worldwide. Hassi R'Mel is located in Laghouat Province northwest of Ghardaïa. It is the capital of Hassi R' ...
field in Algeria and runs to the Tunisian border. In Tunisia, the pipeline runs for to
El Haouaria
El Haouaria is a coastal town and commune in the Nabeul Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,273.
See also
*List of cities in Tunisia
This is the list of 350 cities and towns in Tunisia. In the list by governorate, c ...
, in the
Cap Bon
Cape Bon ("Good Cape") is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia, also known as Ras at-Taib ( ar, الرأس الطيب), Sharīk Peninsula, or Watan el Kibli;
Cape Bon is also the name of the northernmost point on the peninsula, also known as Ra ...
region, after which it crosses the -wide
Channel of Sicily.
[ It landfalls in ]Mazara del Vallo
Mazara del Vallo (; ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Trapani, southwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river.
It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its port gives shelter to the ...
in Sicily. From there, the pipeline continues in Sicily, across the Strait of Messina
The Strait of Messina ( it, Stretto di Messina, Sicilian: Strittu di Missina) is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily ( Punta del Faro) and the western tip of Calabria (Punta Pezzo) in Southern Italy. It connects the Tyrrhenian ...
and in Italian mainland to northern Italy with a branch to Slovenia.[
]
Technical description
The Algerian section consists of a compressor station and two lines with diameter. The Tunisian section consists of three compressor stations and two lines of diameter.[ In 2007, SCOGAT (''Société pour la Construction du Gazoduc Transtunisien'') awarded the Italian contractor ]Saipem
Saipem S.p.A. (Società Anonima Italiana Perforazioni E Montaggi lit. ''Drilling and Assembly Italian Public Limited Company'') is an Italian multinational oilfield services company and one of the largest in the world. Until 2016 it was a subsi ...
a contract for two new gas compression stations and the upgrading of the existing compressor stations allowing to increase the capacity of Tunisian section by 6.5 bcm.[
] The royalties for the gas transport received by Tunisia are 5.25 — 6.75 percent value of the transported gas. The offshore section across Channel of Sicily consists three lines with diameter of and two lines with diameter of . In Italy, the diameter of two lines varies between and .[
In 2012 the capacity of the pipeline increased from 30.2 billion cubic meter (bcm) of natural gas per year up to 33.5 bcm by 2012.][
]
Operators
Algerian section is operated by Algerian state-owned company Sonatrach
Sonatrach ( ar, سوناطراك; french: Société Nationale pour la Recherche, la Production, le Transport, la Transformation, et la Commercialisation des Hydrocarbures) is the national state-owned oil company of Algeria. Founded in 1963, it is ...
. The Tunisian section is owned by the state-owned Sotugat (Société Tunisienne du Gazoduc Trans-tunisien) and operated by TTPC (Eni group, 100%). The section across the Channel of Sicily is operated by TMPC, a joint venture of Eni
Eni S.p.A. () is an Italian multinational energy company headquartered in Rome. Considered one of the seven " supermajor" oil companies in the world, it has operations in 69 countries with a market capitalization of US$54.08 billion, as of 11 ...
and Sonatrach. The Italian section is operated by Snam Rete Gas
Snam S.p.A. is an Italian energy infrastructure company.
As of 31 December 2019, it had a market capitalization of €15.4 billion.
Snam was originally a subsidiary of Italian energy company Eni.
It has since become an independent company, whos ...
.
See also
* Medgaz
* GALSI
GALSI ( it, Gasdotto Algeria Sardegna Italia) was a planned natural gas pipeline from Algeria to Sardinia and further northern Italy, as an extension to the TransMed Pipeline.
History
The feasibility study was completed in 2005. The intergover ...
* Greenstream pipeline
* Maghreb–Europe Gas Pipeline
* Trans-Saharan gas pipeline
References
{{coord, 44.6080, N, 11.5004, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Energy infrastructure completed in 1983
Natural gas pipelines in Italy
Natural gas pipelines in Algeria
Natural gas pipelines in Tunisia
Italy–Tunisia relations
Eni
Algeria–Italy relations
Algeria–Tunisia relations
Pipelines under the Mediterranean Sea
1983 establishments in Algeria
1983 establishments in Tunisia
1983 establishments in Italy