TUNIS: Tunisia will almost double production of natural gas to about 65,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day this year, the industry and energy minister, Slim Feriani, told Reuters on Friday.
The country’s gas output will jump from 35,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) when the southern Nawara gas field comes onstream in June, Feriani said.
“We will raise our production by about 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent when the Nawara project in the south will start,” Feriani told Reuters in interview.
This project will be jointly owned by Austria’s OMV and Tunisian National Oil Company ETAP with investments of about $700 million.
Feriani also said Tunisia was seeking to attract about $2 billion in foreign investment to produce 1,900 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy in three years. “We will start launching international bids for the production of renewable wind and sun energy. We aim to produce 1,900 MW by investment of up to $2 billion until 2022,” he said.
This would represent about 22 percent of the country’s electricity production.
PHOSPHATE
Tunisia also plans to raise production of phosphate from 3 million tons to 5 million in 2019, he said.
Raising the output will boost economic growth and provide revenue to revive its faltering economy, the minister said.
Phosphate exports are a key source of foreign currency reserves, which have dropped to levels worth just 82 days of imports, according to Tunisia’s central bank.
Tunisia produced about 8.2 million tons of phosphate in 2010 but output dropped after its 2011 revolution. Annual output has not exceeded 4.5 million tons since 2011.
Feriani said lower production has caused Tunisia to lose markets and about $1 billion each year.
Phosphate exports were hit by repeated protests in the main producing region of Gafsa, where unemployed youth demanding jobs blockaded rail transport.
Tunisia to almost double gas production this year
Tunisia to almost double gas production this year
- The project will be jointly owned by Austria’s OMV and Tunisian National Oil Company ETAP
- It will include investments of about $700 million
Saudi POS stays above $4bn as Ramadan spending lifts outlays on home goods
RIYADH: Saudi point-of-sale transactions remained above $4 billion in the week ending Feb. 14, with spending on furniture and home supplies rising ahead of Ramadan, central bank data showed.
Overall POS activity totaled SR15.34 billion ($4.09 billion), representing a 4.8 percent week-on-week decrease, while the number of transactions dipped 1.6 percent to 252 million, according to the Saudi Central Bank.
Spending on furniture and home supplies rose 5.9 percent to SR697.35 million, marking the strongest weekly increase among major retail categories.
Expenditure on electronics increased 2.9 percent, while spending on construction and building materials rose 1.1 percent.
Sectors that saw declines includes freight transport and courier services, which posted a drop of 5 percent to SR64.86 million.
Pharmacy and medical supplies spending fell 8.2 percent to SR223.81 million, but outlays on medical services rose 5.7 percent to SR539.68 million.
Food and beverage expenditure decreased 4.3 percent, but the total spend of SR2.57 billion meant it retained the largest share of POS activity.
Restaurants and cafes followed with SR1.73 billion, despite a 4.7 percent decline. Apparel and clothing outlays represented the third-largest share of POS spending during the monitored week, up 0.5 percent to SR1.38 billion.
The Kingdom’s major urban centers mirrored the mixed national changes. Riyadh, which accounted for the largest share of total POS spending, saw a 3.4 percent drop to SR5.32 billion. The number of transactions in the capital reached 80.7 million, down 0.8 percent week on week.
In Jeddah, transaction values decreased 4.4 percent to SR2.12 billion, while Dammam reported a 3.3 percent decrease to SR746.29 million.
POS data, tracked weekly by SAMA, provides an indicator of consumer spending trends and the ongoing growth of digital payments in Saudi Arabia.
The data also highlights the expanding reach of POS infrastructure, extending beyond major retail hubs to smaller cities and service sectors, supporting broader digital inclusion initiatives.
The growth of digital payment technologies aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives, promoting electronic transactions and contributing to the Kingdom’s broader digital economy.
