Algeria's Sonatrach says makes new gas find

ALGIERS, May 14 (Reuters) - Algerian state-owned energy group Sonatrach announced on Wednesday a new gas discovery in the Sahara desert, bringing to six the number of hydrocarbon finds this year.

The gas was found after drilling a well at block 337b in Ahnet perimeter in In Salah area, and tests showed a flow rate of 2,072 cubic metre per hour, Sonatrach said in a statement posted on its website.

The total number of oil and gas discoveries in OPEC-member Algeria rose to 20 finds in 2007 from 18 in the previous year.

Algeria pumps about 1.4 million barrels of oil per day and exports 62 billion cubic metres of gas a year, mostly to Europe. (Reporting by Hamid Ould Ahmed; editing by James Jukwey)