Hassi Messaoud New Town*

The Hassi Messaoud New Town project is a large-scale state-led urban development initiative in southern Algeria, ¹ designed to support the national oil and gas industry while promoting sustainable urbanization in a remote industrial zone. ^{2 3}
The project envisions a “company town” tied to resource extraction, to support Algeria’s strategic hudrocarbon industry while offering sustainable, livable conditions for workers and residents. ^{4 5} With plans for housing, community facilities, and educational and administrative campuses, ⁶ the project aligns with national goals to structure urban growth in sensitive industrial areas. ⁷ It aims to integrate industrial expansion with planned urban development and balanced sustainable urbanization in one of Algeria’s most important oil-producing regions. ⁸

To implement the vision, a master plan was developed around 600 kilometers south of Algiers, near Ouargla city, ⁹ covering an area of 8.5 Square kilometer, ¹⁰ with plans to house up to 80,000 residents, ^{11 12} encompassing: ¹³
170 kilometers road network, connecting the city and its industrial zones.
31 kilometers drinking water supply pipeline.
245 kilometers water distribution networks.
190 kilometers drainage systems.
Wastewater and solid waste treatment facilities.
deep borehole-based water sourcing.
Extensive earthworks and infrastructure development, including roads and residential block construction, water extraction for human consumption, water treatment, and distribution systems.
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In terms of sustainability, the Hassi Messaoud New Town project focuses on sustainable water management, given the region’s dependence on groundwater. It integrates:
· Water-efficient infrastructure,
· Advanced treatment systems,
· Renewable energy installations to reduce reliance on non-renewable energy sources ¹⁶
· Traditional and modern waste management systems. ^{17 18}
· Energy-saving and climate-adaptive construction methods.
These features tend to reduce environmental impacts and secure sustainable long-term livable urban environment. ^{19 20 21}

The Hassi Messaoud New Town project is led by the national oil company, Sonatrach, in coordination with the Algerian Ministry of the Energy and Mining. ^{22 23} The planning phase involved several international consortia, including firms from China (Shanghai Xian Dai), Canada (SNC Lavalin), Lebanon (Dar al-Handasah), and South Korea (Korea Land Corporation, Saman Corporation, Samoo Architects and Korea Telecom). National and foreign contractors are involved across various development phases including firms from the US (Louis Berger), France (Losis and Sogreah), and Tunisia (Studi International France’s. ²⁴
Proposed in 2006 and initially tendered in 2008, ²⁵ the project was re-tendered in 2011 ²⁶ . While Sonarch has developed some facilities, large-scale implementation has slowed. ²⁷ Recent shifts have redirected development efforts toward the nearby city of Ouargla. ²⁸