One round of ten last year attracted only two interested parties, one of which was Sonatrach.
The In Amenas field is operated as a joint-venture between Algeria's Sonatrach, Norwegian operator Statoil and UK energy giant BP.
Both groups worked on short-term renewable contracts for the Algerian staffing firm SARL BAAT but wanted permanent contracts with Sonatrach.
WSJ: Algeria Probes Possible Role of Local Workers in Attacks
In 2009 alone, production dropped 5 percent as frustration grew over possible retroactive renegotiations of contracts and allegations of widespread corruption at Sonatrach.
In recent months, Sonatrach had been hiring technical and administration workers on direct contracts but stopped hiring drivers years ago, a technical staffer said.
WSJ: Algeria Probes Possible Role of Local Workers in Attacks
The technical and administration workers ended their strike last fall after receiving a pay increase and extra benefits but no direct contract with Sonatrach.
WSJ: Algeria Probes Possible Role of Local Workers in Attacks
Last year, this decline led to an overhaul of energy sector leadership at Sonatrach and promises of new tax and profit sharing agreements.
The In Amenas gas field and its facilities are operated by a joint venture of the Algerian national oil company Sonatrach, BP and Statoil.
In one particularly dismal case, a oil and gas license round last year saw only two of ten bids claimed, one of which came from Sonatrach itself.
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"Proven reserves of hydrocarbons are estimated at 12.2 billion barrels of crude oil and 4.5 trillion cubic meters of natural gas, " said Abdelhamid Zerguine, head of Sonatrach.
Contract disputes and a culture of corruption at the state-backed firm Sonatrach, culminating in an expansive leadership shake up last year, have kept new investment and interest low.
FORBES: Algeria Takes Solar Steps with Tender and Grand Plans
Beginning late last Fall, Italian investigators began exploring charges that members of energy giant Eni had paid bribes to Sonatrach officials to ensure contracts for a local subsidiary, Saipem.
To hammer home the message of Europe's vulnerability, Putin sent his energy minister, Viktor Khristenko, to Algeria in January to discuss tighter business ties with its state-owned gas company, Sonatrach.
Spokespeople for Sonatrach didn't respond to requests for comment.
WSJ: Algeria Probes Possible Role of Local Workers in Attacks
Former Sonatrach boss Abdelmajid Attar has told Algeria's Le Soir's newspaper that BP and Statoil - which evacuated their foreign staff after the siege - risked huge financial losses if they disinvested from In Amenas.
The In Amenas plant - a joint venture between state-owned oil firm Sonatrach, UK multinational BP and Norway's Statoil - has been operating since 2006 and has a production capacity of nine billion cubic meters per year.
The gas field, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) west of the Libyan border and 1, 300 kilometers (about 800 miles) from the Algerian capital, Algiers, is run by Algerian state oil company Sonatrach in partnership with Britain's BP and Norway's Statoil.
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