Ansaldo Energia has been working in Algeria since the seventies, when a multi-fuel electrical power plant with a power of 75 MW was built for Sonelgaz in Annaba. Ansaldo Energia went on to consolidate its role in Algeria, and only three years later, in 1973, the company was awarded a contract for construction of the multi-fuel thermoelectric plant of Ravin Blanc (1x75 MW) in the port city of Orano. In 1981 Ansaldo Energia was awarded a contract for construction of three multi-fuel power plants in Mers el Hadjadj (Orano) with a power of 3x168 MW: an important success, as Orano was, at the time, the biggest complex of electrical power plants ever built in Algeria. Ten years later, Ansaldo Energia was awarded a contract for expansion of the Mers Hadjadj plant, adding two more units with a power of 168 MW each.
Following the introduction of gas turbine technology in Algeria, in 1999 Ansaldo Energia was awarded a contract for construction of an open-cycle power plant in Hamma (2x225MW). In 2007 the company was awarded two more contracts for turnkey construction of three open cycle power plants: four 140 MW units in Larbaa (Blida), two 130 MW units in Ain Djasser (Batna), and two 215 MW units in M'Sila, all of which began operation in 2010.
In 2011 Sonelgaz confirmed the success of its work with Ansaldo Energia over the decades by placing an order for construction of two more open-cycle power plants: two 130 MW units as an extension of the Ain Djasser plant, and two 140 MW units in Labreg. These two power plants were equipped with two model AE 94.2 gas turbines permitting use of either natural gas or fuel oil, meeting the limits on emissions in effect in the country. In the event of a natural gas shortage, the plant would continue to supply power to the Algerian grid using fuel oil. The AE 94.2 gas turbine is particularly suitable for installation in North Africa as it is highly dependable even while guaranteeing a good level of efficiency for a machine in its class.
The contract for the Hassi Messaoud power plant was awarded following an international public call for tenders with the participation of the most prominent players on the global energy market, such as the American company General Electric and Siemens of Germany. Ansaldo Energia supplied the customer, Sociéte Algérienne de Production de l'Electricité (SPE), a member of the Sonelgaz group, with the Hassi Messaoud (Wilaya d'Ouargla) open-cycle plant in central-eastern Algeria, about 850 km southeast of the capital city, Algiers, with a total power of more than 660 MW. The plant includes three model AE 94.3A gas turbines with alternators manufactured in the Genoa plant.
The company has been working in Algeria for forty years now and has confirmed its position as a key partner in development of the country's strategic plan for generation of electricity in Algeria and a partner in the delicate phase of the energy transition.
