Nigeria, Niger and Algeria launch full construction of Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline to carry West African gas to Europe

Summary

Nigeria, Niger and Algeria held a formal full-construction launch ceremony for the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline in Aoulef, Algeria on June 4. The pipeline runs 4,128 kilometres from Nigeria's gas fields through Niger to Algeria's Mediterranean coast, with planned capacity of up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year to European markets. The project costs approximately $13 billion. The pipeline was reported 60 percent complete as of February 2026. Energy ministers from all three countries attended. The TSGP has been under discussion for decades; sustained construction began in late 2025 after Nigerian and Algerian state energy companies secured long-term financing.

The split

European energy officials and the African Union framed the ceremony as a milestone in continental energy integration that diversifies supply away from Russian pipeline gas. Nigerian commentary focused on monetising gas reserves that currently flare at the wellhead and generating export revenue without building domestic LNG capacity. Algerian state media emphasised transit-fee income and Algeria's position as Europe's gateway for West African gas. Environmental groups criticised the project as locking in fossil fuel infrastructure across a region severely affected by Sahel droughts. Niger's military government, which seized power in a 2023 coup, prioritised the pipeline as a source of hard-currency transit income after severing ties with Western donors.

By the numbers

• 4,128 kilometres, total pipeline length from Nigeria through Niger to Algeria
• 30 billion cubic metres, planned annual gas capacity to Europe
• $13 billion, estimated total project cost
• 60%, estimated construction completion as of February 2026, before the June ceremony

Why it matters

The TSGP is the most significant new gas pipeline in Africa in a generation and the first to connect Sub-Saharan gas fields directly to the European grid via Algeria. For Europe it offers a non-Russian, non-LNG supply route with volumes large enough to register in the continental energy balance. For Nigeria, it converts gas that is currently flared into a revenue stream. Niger's transit role is a structural constraint: the route crosses Sahel territory where armed groups have been active, and the junta's political continuity affects the project's long-term viability.

What to watch

• Pipeline security through Niger's central corridor, where armed groups affiliated with JNIM have previously attacked infrastructure.
• European government decisions on financing guarantees that could accelerate the remaining 40 percent of construction.
• Niger's political stability after the junta's aid severance from France and the US; transit continuity depends on Niamey's cooperation.
• Whether the pipeline affects LNG pricing in Southern European markets as a competing supply signal once operational.