• Training has been provided to 15 unemployed youths with a commitment to hire 60% of the students.
• MEDGAZ expects to create 100 direct jobs in the operational phase of the gas pipeline, half of which will be in Almeria.

At a ceremony held today, the General Manager of MEDGAZ, Juan Antonio Vera, and the regional government’s Provincial Delegate for Employment, Francisca Pérez Laborda, handed out diplomas to the 15 students who completed the Professional Development and Occupational Training (FPO) course in Almeria. This joint initiative between the Andalusian regional government and MEDGAZ is aimed at training young unemployed persons to become chemical plant operators. The agreement includes a commitment from MEDGAZ to hire at least 60% of those who successfully finish the course.

Lasting a total of six months — from September 2008 to March 2009 — the course involved 474 instructional hours and 200 practical training hours. Theoretical training focused on chemical plant operations and instrumentation and control. The course content and study plan also included modules on job market access and placement, risk prevention and environmental awareness. In addition to this training, daily one-hour English and French lessons were provided to meet the particular requirements of the positions available in MEDGAZ.

Between January and March 2009, on-the-job training was offered at CEPSA’s Gibraltar-San Roque Refinery in Cádiz. Students were given the opportunity to work with chemical components, control chemical processes, learn about and use proper safety and environmental protection standards in manufacturing, prepare facilities and operate auxiliary services for chemical processes.

Nine women and six men took part in the course, 53% of whom were under 25 years of age. More than half of the participants are graduates and the rest have had vocational training (FP 1 and FP II in Spain). At least 60% will join MEDGAZ’s workforce in the operational phase of the gas pipeline.

During the diploma-presentation ceremony, Juan Antonio Vera said he was highly satisfied with the results of the course, which for MEDGAZ meant "taking a further step forward in our contributions towards sustainable development and the social, cultural and economic progress of the province of Almeria."

From the start, MEDGAZ has been committed to generating value in Almeria through the creation of local employment. As part of its hiring policies, MEDGAZ has striven to offer more opportunities to youths and women. Out of its current workforce of 20 employees, over 50% are women. MEDGAZ plans to create 100 direct jobs in the operational phase, half of which will be in Almeria, where the head offices and control room are located.

MEDGAZ is the company in charge of building and operating the Algerian- European Pipeline, via Spain. With an initial capacity of 8 BCM/year, MEDGAZ will transport natural gas from Beni Saf on the Algerian coast up to landfall in Almeria beginning in the second half of 2009. Its start-up will improve security of supply, provide a more direct and therefore cost-effective way of delivering gas to southern Europe and make a positive contribution towards the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol through the use of cleaner energies such as natural gas.

Almeria, March 24, 2009
MEDGAZ SA
External Relations
Tlf. +34 91 312 54 24
www.medgaz.com