Meloni, an Italian LNG expert, will travel to Algeria to replace Qatar LNG as a result of the Iran War.

Giorgia meloni, the Italian prime minister, will visit Algeria this week to secure an alternative supply of gas amid a prolonged interruption in deliveries from Qatar.

The 'prime minister’s office' said that Meloni would be in Algiers Wednesday without providing a detailed itinerary for the official visit.

Algeria is among the countries Italy has been in contact with to secure its gas supply after Iranian'strikes' on Qatar seemed to have stopped its exports for a?extensive period, said Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin on Friday.

The Minister said that Italian state-controlled energy firms were in contact with suppliers from Algeria and the United States to receive more gas. And the government is 'trying to help them.

Algeria has become Italy's largest gas supplier after Rome decided to replace Russian gas in 2022 following Moscow's invasion into Ukraine. It now accounts for around 30% of its annual gas consumption.

Qatar used to cover around 10% of Italy's energy consumption. However, after the Iranian attacks, it informed Italian Edison that it would be unable to meet its contractual obligations in April.

QatarEnergy CEO says that the pause in supply is likely to last longer after gas plants were severely damaged last week.

Eni, the state-controlled energy company, which has long-term agreements with Algeria, announced on Friday that it received volumes in accordance with existing contracts.

Meloni met Algeria's President in Rome in July 2025, when several deals in the energy and telecoms sectors were signed. Reporting by Francesca Landini, Milan Editing Tomaszjanowski

(source: Reuters)