Senegal has confirmed the start of the exploitation of its gas.
This will be in common with neighboring Mauritania since December 31, 2024.
This is a step “historical”declared the Senegalese Minister of Oil, Birame Souleye Diop.
In a press release received this Saturday, January 4, 2025 by AFP, one of the companies responsible for operating the project, the British BP, announced that it had “started producing gas from the wells of the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) Phase 1 Liquefied Natural Gas Project to its floating production, storage and offloading vessel.”
Senegal and Mauritania had already announced the opening of the first well in their marine deposit.
The Grand Tortoise/Ahmeyim (GTA) project is expected to produce approximately 2.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year.
Its exploitation should allow this poor West African country to transform its economy.
“What we have had since December 31, 2024 is historic,” declared the Minister of Oil to the national channel RTS.
According to him, Senegal will benefit from 35 million cubic feet per day as will Mauritania.
“The final goal is to use gas for domestic consumption and export,” he added.
The project began 6 years ago and cost about $7.5 billion, he said.
Its development is ensured by BP, with the American Kosmos Energy, the Société du petroleum du Sénégal and the Société mauritanienne des hydrocarbures (SMH).
The start of production comes 7 months after Senegal entered the circle of hydrocarbon producing countries.
And this, with the launch since June 2024 of oil extraction from the Sangomar field off the African coast.
In his New Year’s speech, the new Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, said “guarantee optimal and transparent exploitation of oil and gas resources for the benefit of the national economy and current and future generations”.
The new Senegalese authorities have announced an audit of oil and gas contracts.
© AFP
