- Senegal’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy H.E. Sophie Gladima announced that the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim gas field development, straddling the offshore waters of Mauritania and Senegal, is now only expected to produce its first gas in 2023 following delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The two countries, BP Plc and Kosmos Energy Ltd. are collaborating on the USD 4.8 billion project set to produce 2.5 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually and 70 million cubic feet of natural gas a day in its first phase. It is to be equally shared between Senegal and Mauritania.
Related: Senegal has significant offshore LNG reserves
The delay from a planned 2022 start has denied Senegal much-needed oil and gas revenues as its economy seeks to recover from the impact of the pandemic, which pushed down its 2020 economic growth target to 0.7%.
Between 2014 and 2017, reserves of more than 1 billion barrels of oil and 40,000 billion cubic feet of gas were found in Senegal, most of them shared with Mauritania, according to the International Monetary Fund. It has prompted Senegal to be hailed as one of the most promising new producers in the region and a possible future member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Related news: Avoiding the gas curse in Senegal’s energy sector renaissance
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
