The Algerian Minister of Energy and Mines Youssef Yousfi announced on Sunday that the state-owned electricity and gas company, Sonelgaz, is preparing to invest 250 million Euros into Silicon exploration, according to the English language edition of the Algerian daily Echorouk. Sonelgaz hopes to start production of Silicon by 2013. Silicon is the main component of microchips and other semiconductors, but Yousfi said the quarter-billion Euro investment was intended to produce solar poles. After South Sudan's independence last week, Algeria is now Africa's largest country. But most of Algeria is unpopulated and devoid of resources—with the exception of the massive amounts of sunlight that fall on the Sahara desert every day. The state-owned company is planning to satisfy 40 percent of local electricity demands through 12 megawatts of solar energy by 2030. Sonelgaz's CEO told Algerian radio last week that the main goal of the firm is to reposition as oil and gas reserves decline, instead starting to export electricity to Europe. Algeria has its own solar electricity project separate from Desertec, an ambitious project aiming to provide electricity to Europe renewable sources such and wind and solar power stations in the Sahara Desert. Worldwide production of silicon topped 6.3 million metric tons of silicon, according to the US Geological survey. Algeria hopes to join China, Russia and Norway, the world's top producers. BM
