ALGIERS, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Algeria on Wednesday launched construction of its section of the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP), marking a major step forward of one of Africa's largest energy infrastructure projects.

The announcement was made during the fifth ministerial meeting of the Steering Committee for the TSGP project, held in Algiers and attended by energy ministers from Algeria, Nigeria and Niger, among others.

Algerian Minister of State and Minister of Hydrocarbons Mohamed Arkab said he and his counterparts reaffirmed their countries' commitment to close cooperation for the project's success.

The TSGP, a 4,128-km pipeline, is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Nigeria, through Niger, to Algeria's Mediterranean coast for export to Europe. ■