Militants attacked an Algerian gas plant operated by Norway’s Statoil and BP with rocket-propelled grenades on Friday, causing no casualties or damage but forcing the facility to be closed as a precaution.
Algeria’s energy infrastructure is heavily protected by the army especially since the 2013 Islamist militant attack on the In Amenas gas plant, also operated by BP and Statoil, during which 40 oil workers were killed.
Statoil said in a statement that the In Salah gas facility was hit by explosive munitions from a distance.
“In the early morning, three or four rocket propelled grenades hit a central processing facility, there were no casualties or damage reported,” an industry source.
The Algerian army were controlling the area and pursuing the attackers.
BP said in a statement that the facility had been closed down as a safety precaution.
According to BP’s website, In Salah started production in 2004 from three fields Krechba, Teguentour and Reg. In February, it announced the start up of development of the Gour Mahmoud, In Salah, Garet el Befinat and Hassi Moumene fields, to bring output to 9 billion cubic metres a year.
Attacks and bombings in Algeria, one of Europe’s main gas suppliers, have become rarer since the North African country emerged from a 1990s war with Islamist fighters that killed around 200,000 people.
Source: REUTERS,18 March 2016
