An Australian-based energy company has announced that production has begun at the first offshore oil development in the West African country of Senegal, making it now an oil-producing nation.
The hope for Woodside Energy is that oil and gas development will transform the Senegalese economy and raise significant revenue for the government there.
The project involves a floating, production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel with 1.3 million barrels of storage capacity. This is moored about 60 miles offshore, and should eventually produce some 100,000 barrels per day of crude oil.
Meg O’Neill, the CEO of Woodside, said that starting production at the Sangomar field represented a milestone for the company’s strategy, adding:
“Delivering Senegal’s first offshore oil project safely, through a period of unprecedented global challenge, demonstrates Woodside’s world-class project execution capability. We are proud of the relationships we have formed with PETROSEN, the Government of Senegal and our key international and local contractors to develop this nationally significant resource.”
The country also has the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project for liquefied natural gas (LNG) production on its Mauritanian border, which could come online later this year.
Among the companies with an interest in the project is BP, the owner of the Castrol lubricant, coolant and metalworking range. Around 2.5 million tonnes of LNG should be produced every year once the project is fully realised.
The President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, came to power in April after promising a package of reforms, including a renegotiation of contracts for oil and gas production.
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