Senegal will join the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) today as an observer, before graduating to full membership next year with the start of LNG exports.
GECF, today, holds its 24th Ministerial Meeting. The forum, sometimes called “gas OPEC”, took place in Cairo.
Senegal has grown towards GECF since 2019.
The group held talks with Senegalese Minister of Petroleum and Energy Sophie Gladima in 2021 on ways to increase co-operation. In addition to its gas export plans, Senegal also aims to provide domestic power through the commercialisation of its gas resources.
In June this year, GECF Secretary General Mohamed Hamel invited Senegal to attend the Cairo meeting. Senegal could use GECF data and models to aid the development of its local industry, Hamel said.
Technip Energies recently held the completion ceremony for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) FPSO, which will be moored offshore Senegal and Mauritania. The BP-operated LNG project was 80% complete at the end of the second quarter, with first LNG expected by the end of 2023.
BP and partner Kosmos Energy are working on a development concept for the Yakaar-Teranga fields. This would focus on delivering gas to local demand, for power generation.
Rising demand
Hamel, speaking this week at the GECF, said natural gas “is set to play a pivotal role as an enabler of the energy transition”.
The forum expects gas demand to continue growing by 1.1% per year. This would see it rise from 4.4 trillion cubic metres in 2021 to around 5.5 tcm by 2050.
Attending meetings this week were a number of African energy ministers. These included Equatorial Guinea’s Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima and Mozambique’s Carlos Zacarias.
Equatorial Guinea will host the next ministerial meeting in Malabo, in October 2023, as GECF president. The West African state has said attracting new African gas producers to GECF is a main objective.
Mozambique joined the GECF in February this year, becoming the seventh African member. The country is on the brink of exporting its first LNG cargo, from Eni’s Coral Sul project. According to reports, a tanker currently loading at the floating LNG (FLNG) site.
Mauritania may be next. A delegation attended GECF talks this week with talks on joint projects. GECF said the aim was to “assist Mauritania in joining the club of the gas exporters and unlocking full potential of its natural gas reserves”.