SIEPA 2026: Encouraging Prospects
The International Energy and Petroleum Exhibition in Africa was held on May 12 and 13 in Dakar. It provided an opportunity to review and discuss the various energy-related challenges: oil and gas production, refining and distribution of petroleum products, electricity generation, development of renewable energies, and action against climate change.
Oil and Gas Production
The Sangomar field, the first oil field discovered in Senegal in 2014, entered production in 2024 and is supplying 100,000 barrels per day in line with forecasts. The technical outlook is excellent.
The GTA (Grand Tortue – Ahmeyim) gas field, discovered in 2015 by Kosmos about one hundred kilometers offshore, straddling the border between Senegal and Mauritania, entered production in 2025. A consortium bringing together BP (47%), Kosmos (24%), Petrosen (12%), and the Mauritanian Hydrocarbons Company (SMH) oversees operations. It produces around 2.5 million tonnes of LNG per year. In addition, GTA will soon supply 300 million cubic meters of gas to Senegal and Mauritania. In Senegal, a gas pipeline will transport GTA gas to a 300 MW power plant located in Gandon near Saint-Louis.
It is worth recalling that exploration carried out by Kosmos starting in 2015 led to the discovery of several other gas fields, particularly Yakaar Teranga in Senegal, offshore between Dakar and Saint-Louis, and Bir Allah in Mauritania.
However, BP has withdrawn from the project, and Kosmos has also recently left Senegal. Yet the Senegalese government is determined to develop Yakaar Teranga to supply, as a priority, the power plants in the Dakar region, which currently run on heavy fuel oil, then to develop fertilizer production and provide energy to local industries. Petrosen is now responsible for developing Yakaar Teranga. Two major challenges lie ahead: financing and technical operations. Financing is the subject of extensive discussions. Several billion dollars must be raised. Petrosen is counting on savings mobilized in Senegal and within the diaspora, as well as collaboration with other African countries, as recently indicated in Nairobi by the head of Petrosen Holding, to fund the development. The technical aspects will require the support of external consultants and service companies. Senegal now has teams of well-trained engineers and technicians to support the project’s development.
It should be noted that the government intends to renegotiate oil and gas contracts. Discussions are therefore underway to improve state revenues.
Refining
In Senegal, as confirmed during SIEPA, the Société Africaine de Raffinage, created in 1963, operates a refinery with a capacity of 30,000 barrels per day (initially lower, but increased several times). However, this refinery now covers less than half of Senegal’s needs, and SAR is focusing on the SAR 2.0 project, which aims to build a new refinery with a capacity of 4 million tonnes per year (80,000 barrels per day) to reduce imports. A decision is expected by the end of the year.
In the subregion, the key development is the construction and commissioning of the Dangote refinery, which has reached full capacity—630,000 barrels per day or slightly more, and 31 million tonnes per year, nearly 20 times SAR’s capacity. This refinery, whose construction took more than 10 years and cost over 20 billion dollars, now operates at full capacity and can supply the Nigerian market as well as export to other African countries and Europe, at a time when the Middle East crisis is creating shortages not only of crude oil but also refined products. Billionaire Aliko Dangote recently announced plans to double the capacity of the Lagos refinery and to build a large refinery in East Africa, where most refineries have closed due to competition from Persian Gulf refineries, which operate under highly competitive conditions thanks to local crude supply, scale, and complexity.
Electricity
The objective in most countries remains universal access to electricity in the coming years. In West Africa, this goal seems achievable in a few countries such as Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and of course Senegal. Discussions revolve around the strategy to achieve this objective: either through grid expansion alone or through grid expansion combined with autonomous systems—particularly solar—in the most remote villages. Noteworthy are the efforts of the WAPP (West African Power Pool) to interconnect the grids of different countries.
Next SIEPA
The next SIEPA, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the event, will take place on April 27 and 28, 2027. Save the dates!
Jean-Pierre Favennec
President
Association for
Development
Energy in Africa
