Algeria Expects Foreign Reserves to Decrease to $76bn in 2020

A general view of the upper parliament chamber is pictured in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)
A general view of the upper parliament chamber is pictured in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)
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Algeria Expects Foreign Reserves to Decrease to $76bn in 2020

A general view of the upper parliament chamber is pictured in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)
A general view of the upper parliament chamber is pictured in Algiers, Algeria. (Reuters)

Algerian Finance Minister Abderrahmane Raouia expected foreign reserves in his country to decrease to $76.2 billion by the end of 2020.

Over the past few years and wit the drop in oil prices, financial pressure increased on Algeria and its major dependency on oil revenues.

Oil and gas revenues comprise about 60 percent of Algeria's budget and 95 percent of total exports.

The status of international energy markets reflected on the country's foreign reserves, which fell from $192 billion in 2014 to $108 billion in mid 2017.

During his presentation of the 2018 Algerian budget before the People's National Assembly, Raouia stated that Algeria's foreign reserves reached $102.4 billion at the end of September, expecting it to decrease to $85.2 billion at the end of 2018.

The minister also stated that the reserves will drop to $79.7 billion at the end of 2019.

Algerian daily Akhbar el-Youm reported that the 2018 budget includes procedures to increase oil prices and impose the new wealth tax.

The tax applies to people who own a wealth exceeding 50 million Algerian dinar, according to the newspaper.

In October, the parliament approved amendments to the Money and Credit Law to allow the central bank for the first time to lend directly to the public treasury to finance budget deficits and internal public debt and provide resources for the coming five years.

Algeria’s economy should grow by 4 percent in 2018, up from the 2.2 percent forecast for this year, as oil prices recover, the government said in a document according to Reuters.

The government anticipates inflation reaching 5.5 percent next year, unchanged from its projection for 2017, according to the document, which is part of the draft budget for 2018.



UAE's Masdar Launches Facility to Produce 1GW of Uninterrupted Renewable Energy

Windmill turbines stand in Masdar's wind farm on Sir Bani Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File photo
Windmill turbines stand in Masdar's wind farm on Sir Bani Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File photo
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UAE's Masdar Launches Facility to Produce 1GW of Uninterrupted Renewable Energy

Windmill turbines stand in Masdar's wind farm on Sir Bani Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File photo
Windmill turbines stand in Masdar's wind farm on Sir Bani Yas Island, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File photo

UAE state-owned renewables firm Masdar has launched a renewable energy facility that will produce 1 gigawatt of uninterrupted clean power and that is expected to cost around $6 billion, company executives said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, chairman Sultan Al Jaber, who also serves as the chief executive of energy giant Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) and is the UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, called the project a significant step in transforming renewable energy into baseload power, Reuters reported.

"This will, for the first time ever, transform renewable energy into baseload energy. It is a first step that could become a giant leap," Al Jaber said.

"How can we power a world that never sleeps with energy sources that do? How can we transform renewable resources into reliable power? Today...we have an answer," Al Jaber said before announcing the project.

The project is expected to start operations by 2027, Masdar's chief operating officer Abdulaziz Alobaidli said during the event.

It is expected to cover 90 square kilometres (34.75 square miles) in "the desert of Abu Dhabi" and cost around $6 billion, he said, adding it will be "equity and project finance debt funded."

The facility "is just the beginning for more projects here and in the region, where we can unlock the full potential of solar," the UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei told the public at a summit taking place in the same Abu Dhabi venue.

Earlier on Tuesday, Al Jaber had said that the rapid growth of energy-hungry applications like ChatGPT could lead to a 250% increase in energy demand by 2050, reaching 35,000 GW. This highlights the need for diverse power sources to meet the unprecedented demand, he added.