Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will travel to Algeria this week as Rome looks to secure alternative gas supplies amid prolonged disruptions in deliveries from Qatar, Reuters reported.
The prime minister's office said Meloni will be in Algiers on Wednesday, without giving a detailed schedule for the official trip.
Algeria is one of the countries Italy is in talks with to secure gas supplies after Iranian strikes on Qatar appeared to have halted its exports for an extended period, Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on Friday.
The minister said Italian state-controlled energy companies were talking to suppliers from Algeria, the United States and Azerbaijan to receive more gas, and the government was trying to assist them.
Algeria has become one of Italy's top gas suppliers after Rome moved to replace Russian gas following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and now covers around 30% of the country's annual gas consumption.
Qatar used to cover around 10% of Italy's consumption, but after Iranian attacks it told Italian customer Edison it would not be able to fulfil its contractual obligations for April.
The pause in supplies is likely to be longer-lasting after gas facilities were hit hard last week, QatarEnergy's CEO said.
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