Dakar — Senegal will be more a gas country than an oil country thanks to the exploitation and production from 2022 of its hydrocarbon reserves estimated at 910 billion cubic meters of gas and 3.7 billion barrels of oil, underlined Moumadou Makhtar Cissé, Minister of Petroleum and Energy in an interview with the daily newspaper Le Soleil.

“Based on the hydrocarbon discoveries made in Senegal, our country will be more of a gas-producing country than an oil-producing country. Gas discoveries are indeed greater. The potential is around 910 billion cubic meters. oil, the resources in place are estimated at around 3.7 billion barrels for the SNE (Shelf Nord Edge) deposit", he explained in particular in the interview published on Wednesday.

"We have 560 billion cubic meters of the Grand Tortue-Ahmeyim deposit, straddling Senegal and Mauritania, to be shared between the two countries (about 280 billion cubic meters for each country with the start of production expected for 2022", he recalled.

Concerning the Block of Cayar Offshore Profond, "we have respectively 420 billion cubic meters of recoverable resources on the deposit of Yakaar and 140 billion on that of Teranga", detailed the Minister of Petroleum and Energy.

Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé added 70 billion cubic meters of associated and non-associated natural gas for the Shelf Nord Edge (SNE) field, located approximately 90 kilometers from the Dakar coast, with the start of gas production planned from of 2024.

With regard to oil, he indicated that the resources in place are estimated at around 3.7 billion barrels for SNE, including 2.5 billion barrels of Fan-1 oil.

"Since 2014, SNE has been evaluated (with 8 exploration wells drilled and then plugged). Recoverable resources are estimated at approximately 563 million barrels with the start of production expected in 2022", indicated Cisse.

According to him, the gas resources discovered off Senegal rank the country 5th in Africa and 27th in the world based on data from the statistical review BP) in the world.

“Overall, our hydrocarbon resources (oil and gas combined) would place our country 7th in Africa and 25th globally,” he also argued.

“With the production of these various discoveries, Senegal will enter the court of the major hydrocarbon producing countries in Africa, particularly gas,” he insisted.