Exxon’s negotiations with Algeria for the development of local shale gas resources are being delayed because of the widespread anti-government protests in the North American country, Reuters reported this week, citing industry sources. The news is no surprise as it comes on the heels of other media reports that energy companies are getting nervous about their Algerian plans as the protests show no sign of subsiding despite the fact long-term president Abdelaziz Bouteflika dropped his plan to run for a fifth term in office this year. They even intensified after Bouteflika pulled out of the race—a fact that does not bode well for the near-term future of the Algerian energy industry. Oil and gas companies, like any other business, like stability. They like to do business in places where the risk of field blockades and pipeline bombings is manageable. Nigeria is an obvious exception, but its oil wealth seems […]