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According to Senegal's President Macky Sall, Phase II of the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) offshore LNG development will require $5bn investment, with production start anticipated in 2024 or 2025.

Mauritania’s energy minister Abdessalam Ould Mohamed Saleh has said the government hopes to agree a business plan with BP for the 50tcf BirAllah gas project in the next two to three years.

The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project’s phase one remains on track for first exports by end-2023, with a Phase II development decision expected in Q3 22 for first gas from end-2026. Kosmos Energy says that in a booming global market, it is looking to sell its share of gas into spot markets, even if that means paying penalties to partner BP, writes Marc Howard.

BP and Kosmos Energy are finalising a new production-sharing contract (PSC) with the government of Mauritania for block C8 offshore, where the Orca-1 exploration well discovered gas in 2019. 

In planning “to optimise the commercial value of sales for the gas production” from its Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquified natural gas (LNG) project, Kosmos Energy is looking to leverage high spot market prices for its product, even if it incurs a penalty charge for making the sales.

Brave efforts are being made to continue with business as usual in the Sahel, despite an apparently never-ending security crisis, which has been further aggravated by a split in the western-backed G5 Sahel (G5S) alliance of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, as the military-led regime in Bamako seeks to distance itself from France and its allies.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has overturned global calculations about natural gas supply, especially in Europe, meaning projects previously thought unfeasible are now making progress. One possible beneficiary is the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, strongly pushed by King Mohammed VI and supported by his friend President Muhammadu Buhari, which could now undergo a radical change to supply the European network.

The four-nation Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) has issued a tender seeking an operator to raise financing, conduct studies and build a 225kV transmission line, as part of the Manantali II project to supply Mauritania with electricity from hydroelectric power (HEP) plants in Mali.

The cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) development is proceeding on schedule, according to BP. The UK major said first exports were expected in Q4 2023 – news that will be warmly welcomed by LNG buyers world-wide given surging demand and prices.

Finland’s Wärtsilä has announced a five-year performance-based service agreement for a 20MW power plant combined with a 40MW plant extension at a gold mine in Africa. The Helsinki-headquartered firm did not name the mine, but industry sources told African Energy it is the open-pit Tasiast gold mine.

Tullow Oil has awarded a contract to Petrofac to provide well decommissioning services in Mauritania. The deal has a potential value of more than $60m and involves the plugging and abandonment of seven subsea wells.

The 2.3m t/yr Tortue liquified natural gas (LNG) project – phase one of the cross-border Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) development – is 70% complete, with first gas expected “at the end of 2023”, Strategic Oil and Gas Committee deputy head Mamadou Fall Kane said following a meeting with BP at President Macky Sall’s office.

European leaders are confronting the urgent need to diversify energy supplies away from Russia, while also somehow keeping to their commitments to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, that they made – indeed pioneered – at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, just four months ago.  African Energy examines the options and projects under discussion including gas and electricity imports and hydrogen prospects.

Political and security conditions may be acutely difficult in the G5 Sahel countries, but a new era beckons for solar projects in the region, symbolised by AfDB approval of a plan to develop 500MW of PV capacity. Sector insiders believe that short-term problems such as rising risk premiums may be offset by the positive medium-to-long-term prospects for the rollout of solar PV across the Sahel, writes Marc Howard

Thanks to a combination of high solar radiation and superlative wind resources, the massive, largely desert zone along north-west Africa’s Atlantic coast has become a focus for huge projects in what is starting to look like a new scramble for Africa. Recent developments include Chariot and Total Eren positioning themselves to take advantage of the emerging business opportunity in the production of green hydrogen in Morocco and Mauritania. This follows close on the footsteps of CWP Global and Xlinks. Others such as Harmattan Energy are looking at the disputed Western Sahara (under a UN mandate). As the number of prospective schemes grows, so too will the pressure to secure land rights and authorisations – a familiar issue for businesses with long track records in securing upstream and mineral rights across the continent.