From 1968, the public distribution of natural gas has recorded a rapid growth and sustained by voluntarist measures according to the national decisions of development and economy aiming at the use of natural gas in the industrial and household sectors.

The abundance of this resource and the promotion policy of this energy on the other hand, have favoured the widespread use of the natural gas.

1. Physical investments:

The investments achieved in the infrastructures sectors are as follows:

• Large transportation networks

Since 1968, the national company Sonatrach has been developing large capacity pipes that have allowing the achievement a wide programme of gas export and supply of the domestic market.

In addition to the first 24/20'' Hassi R'mel - Arzew gas pipeline of 509 km, completed in 1961, the current system is composed of more than 41510 km of gas pipelines.

From this network, the national company Sonelgaz in charge of distributing gas on the national market had been able to develop a system of high-pressure transportation secondary lines to supply:

• Power plants;
• High pressure industry customers
• Public distributions in medium and low pressures.

The Sonelgaz transport network comprises today more than 4,580 km of pipes of 4 to 28 inch-diameter of which 3,800 km have been realized after 1968.

• Public distribution networks

From 1962 to 1968 the network remained virtually unchanged (from 1558 km to 1566km) of which 1,326 in low pressure. At the end of 2001 the length of this network reached 17,668 km by the help of public distribution schemes introduced by the Government and the promotion of connecting programmes to the new customers.

2. Customers

From the seventies a significant speeding-up of gas connections has been recorded due to the development of small and medium sized enterprises and industries and the impact of the national Public gas distribution programme.

The number of high pressure customers increased from 15 in 1969 to 188 in 2001, while the one of medium pressure grew from 62 to 2456, and the one of low pressure increased from 705,000 to 1,462,244 customers.

3. Financial investments

Major outlays have been engaged in order to allow a greater gas penetration, resulting in an important rate of finance resources mobilization. In this way about 2.5 bn US$ have been invested in the period 1968-1999.