Algeria has opened international bidding for seven hydrocarbon blocks under its "Algeria Bid 2026" tender, as the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran pushes up global energy prices through the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and damage to Gulf infrastructure. Six blocks will be offered as production-sharing agreements with state energy firm Sonatrach, with a seventh structured as a participation contract in which Sonatrach retains at least a 51% stake; bids close on 26 November, with results expected in late January. Already Africa's largest gas exporter and a critical supplier to Europe since Russian imports were suspended after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Algeria is targeting a doubling of gas output to 200 billion cubic metres by 2030 through $50–60 billion in investment, and is also in talks with Chevron and ExxonMobil over offshore and shale gas opportunities.