According to the US government’s Energy Information Administration, Algeria

has vast shale oil and gas resources with an estimated 5.7 billion recoverable
barrels of shale oil and the biggest shale gas deposits in the world after those of
China and Argentina. “All energy sources, whether conventional or not, are a gift
from God and it is our duty to use them for the development of the country,”
says Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria’s ageing president.
However, the local people did not share the government’s enthusiasm for
shale exploration. In moves which seemingly caught the government by surprise,
thousands gathered in In Salah and nearby towns in early 2015 to protest. People
living in the south of Algeria depend for almost all their water on pumping
supplies from an aquifer system deep under the Sahara.
Demonstrators said that shale drilling would rob local people of water and
chemicals could pollute the aquifer – already under threat from excess
exploitation of its resources. “We are not people to be experimented on,” said
one protester. “All we have is our water – we need it to water our crops and feed
our animals.” Moreover, some energy experts say that rather than sinking billions
of dollars into shale development, Algeria should be following Morocco’s
example in investing in renewable energy, particularly solar power.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/algerias-shale-gas-dreams-are-nightmare-locals?
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