Most of these bilateral investment agreements contain provisions against double taxation. OPIC insures against political violence, expropriation, and currency inconvertibility. It offers special insurance encouraging oil and gas exploration, development, and production. OPIC also insures against wrongful calls of bid performance or advance payment, and losses due to unresolved contractual disputes with foreign buyers. U.S. investors who want OPIC coverage must register their projects with OPIC before investments have been made or irrevocably committed.
Registration is free and treated as privileged information.
OPIC may finance up to 50 percent of total project costs of new ventures. It may lend slightly more for the expansion of a successful enterprise. Major Foreign Investors Algeria's dangerous security environment has impeded foreign investment. Oil companies from Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States are nonetheless active in the oil and gas sectors. These companies have production-sharing agreements with Sonatrach.