Madar (Algiers) - Sonatrach chief executive Noureddine Daoudi held two working meetings in Houston with executives from US companies Baker Hughes and KBR focused on energy technology, engineering and innovation, according to a statement released by the Algerian state energy group on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Talks with Baker Hughes covered drilling, well construction, production and facility optimisation, as well as artificial intelligence, digitalisation and localising activities in Algeria. Sonatrach noted that the partnership already includes the third-phase gas pressure maintenance project at the Hassi R'Mel field, awarded in May 2024 to a consortium of Baker Hughes, Nuovo Pignone and Tecnimont, and the joint ventures ALGESCO and APAC.
The KBR meeting looked at industrial projects, particularly in upstream oil and gas. KBR, which according to the statement has worked in Algeria since the early 1980s on LNG and hydrocarbon processing, presented its expertise in clean technologies, ammonia production and AI-assisted plant management.
The meetings took place during a working visit to the United States from October 12 to 16. According to a second Sonatrach statement, Daoudi gave the keynote address at the 19th Algeria Energy Day in Lake Charles, Louisiana, alongside Algeria's ambassador in Washington, Sabri Boukadoum, and the secretary general of the hydrocarbons ministry, Miloud Medjelled.
A panel on "the future of US energy investment in Algeria" brought together representatives of Baker Hughes, ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum, while another session discussed green hydrogen and the SoutH2 Corridor project designed to link Algeria to the European market.
