The Minister of Energy, Petroleum and Mines, Birame Souleye Diop, said that the preservation of the environment is a fundamental pillar in the process of renegotiation of petroleum and gas contracts led by the Senegalese government.
Speaking Thursday during the opening of a workshop dedicated to the presentation of the strategic environmental assessment of the petro-gazier sector and the Atlas of the Marine and Coast Environment of Senegal, the Minister stressed the commitment of the State to combine energy development and ecological responsibility. His colleague from the environment and the ecological transition, Daouda Ngom, was also present at this meeting.
“The renegotiation of contracts initiated by the State aims, among other things, to better take into account environmental protection,” said Diop. He recalled that several reforms have been initiated to strengthen this framework, including the revision of the petroleum code, the adoption of a new environmental code focused on hydrocarbon issues, as well as the promulgation of a local content law.
According to him, the strategic environmental and social assessment, the object of the workshop, should become a mandatory pre -step before any activity linked to oil or gas exploitation. He praised the development of this tool which he deems essential to guide the country’s future decisions in terms of energy projects.
The Minister also highlighted the usefulness of the Atlas of the Marine and Coastal Environment, which, associated with the strategic environmental study, helps to appease the concerns of the coastal communities often concerned about the consequences of extractive activities.
This approach of anticipation and environmental planning is carried by an inter -ministerial working group, established by a joint decree of the Ministries of the Environment and Energy. This group benefited from the expertise of universities, Senegalese research centers and the support of the Support project for oil and gas negotiations implemented by Ges Petrogaz.
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