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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi will visit Algeria on Monday to sign an agreement to boost natural gas imports.
Draghi will travel with a delegation expected to include the head of the Italian energy group (Eni), Claudio Descalzi, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and Energy Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani, a government source told Reuters.
Italy, which imports about 40 percent of its gas from Russia, has sought to diversify its energy supplies as the conflict in Ukraine escalates.
Earlier this week, Cingolani said Italy was in talks with seven countries to secure more gas and the talks were “at a very advanced stage”.
Di Maio and the chief executive of the Italian energy group, Claudio Descalzi, have visited Algeria in recent weeks to discuss strengthening energy ties.
Algeria is Italy’s second largest gas supplier and the Transmed pipeline has been pumping Algerian gas off the Italian coast since 1983. It has a daily capacity of more than 110 million cubic meters (mcm) but currently transports less than 60 million cubic meters.
Rome has said it is seeking to secure 9 mcm more from the North African country.
“Draghi will sign the institutional agreement between the countries and then Eni and Sonatrach will complete the technical aspects,” said the source.
The source said the agreement will also include co-investments in renewable energy projects
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