Turtle Ahmeim gas field is shared between Mauritania and Senegal: The crisis between Dakar and Nouakchott seems to have been buried by the signing of an intergovernmental cooperation agreement on the management of the Great Turtle Ahmeyin gas complex in Nouakchott. An agreement that should facilitate the start of the exploitation of a field whose reserves are estimated at 450 billion cubic meters of gas and which straddles the territorial waters of both countries.
Turtle Ahmeim gas field is shared between Mauritania and Senegal.
The crisis between Dakar and Nouakchott seems to have been buried by the signing of an intergovernmental cooperation agreement on the management of the Great Turtle Ahmeyin gas complex in Nouakchott. An agreement that should facilitate the start of the exploitation of a field whose reserves are estimated at 450 billion cubic meters of gas and which straddles the territorial waters of both countries.
British oil giant “BP” (BP) has announced new developments in the “Turtle – Ahim Al-Kabir” LNG project off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal.
BP, the world’s third largest private oil company, said that the floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel has begun its cruise in the region.
The British oil company is conducting a series of sea trials on the vessel ahead of its commissioning, as it sailed this weekend from the Chinese city of Qidong to Singapore.
BP is counting on the floating production, storage and offloading vessel to become a major part of the development of the Ahim LNG project, which includes missions including the development of subsea gas fields and near-shore floating LNG facilities.
In addition, the vessel, which was built three years ago, will process natural gas by removing condensate, water and other impurities before it is pushed through the pipeline to gas facilities 10 kilometers offshore.
According to the company, the vessel will process approximately 500 million cubic feet of gas per day.
In this regard, BP’s deputy in charge of projects in Mauritania and Senegal, Rahman Rakhmonov, said that work is underway to “develop one of the most unique and innovative gas projects in the world”.
And he added that the floating production, storage and offloading vessel is the most important element of the project, and that the “successful navigation” of the vessel “testifies to the very important partnership with contractors Cosco Shipping and Technip Energies”.
On the other hand, Gordon Pearl, BP’s executive vice president of production and operations, praised the “continued support” of the Mauritanian hydrocarbon company, and its Senegalese counterpart.
Ahimim field
It should be noted that Mauritania and Senegal signed in 2020, in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, an agreement to buy and sell gas in the Ahim project, after years of disagreement.
The volume of gas exports during the first phase of operation of this field amounts to about 2.5 million tons per year, including the production of both countries, while about 70 million cubic feet per day of gas will be allocated for consumption in local markets of the two countries.
The field was discovered in 2016 and is considered the largest gas field in West Africa, with reserves amounting to 450 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas.
It is also one of the largest prospective gas fields discovered in the world, and is expected to change the course of the economies of Mauritania and Senegal.
The field is located 120 miles offshore and has a depth of 2,800 meters.
“Bir Allah” and clean alternatives
Although Mauritania currently produces only 5,000 barrels of oil and small amounts of gas, government officials have confirmed more than once that their country is in a position to enter the club of gas exporting countries within a few years.
In addition to the “Turtle – Ahmeim Al-Kabir” field, which is expected to start exporting its gas by the end of the current world, attention is also being paid to the “Bir Allah” field, whose reserves are estimated at more than 80 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
And last October, the Mauritanian government signed a contract with the British company “BP” and the American “Cosmos Energy” to explore and produce gas in the field located 60 km from Ahmeim.
In addition to investments in fossil fuels, the country has developed an energy transition strategy in several phases: the first phase focuses on the development of traditional energy projects that have been discovered (such as the floating field “Ahmim”/shared with Senegal) and the onshore field “Bir Allah”. 2027 to 2030 is the beginning of green hydrogen projects.
Mauritania has signed a partnership agreement to develop a green hydrogen production project with the British company Chariot Limited and the French energy giant Total Erin, with the aim of including the country in the ranks of hosts of clean energy projects.