The next SIEPA (International Exhibition for Energy and Hydrocarbons in Africa) will take place on May 6 and 7 in Dakar

It will discuss many issues

Hydrocarbons

Gas liquefaction from the GTA field (Grand Tortue Ahmeyim - a large offshore field on the border of Senegal and Mauritania) has begun. The gas processed by the FPSO is being received by the FLNG unit built in the breakwater offshore Saint Louis.

Gas reserves in the MSGBC basin (Mauritania Senegal Gambia Guinea Bissau Guinea Conakry) are considerable. For the moment, only the GTA field is in operation. Due to their size, two other deposits are receiving particular attention. Firstly, the Yakaar Teranga field in Senegal, which is expected to supply gas to Senegalese power plants currently running on heavy fuel oil, and Bir Allah in Mauritania, which could supply large quantities of gas. However, BP has withdrawn from these two projects, and their start-up undoubtedly depends on the arrival of a major operator.

The Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project, initiated in 2016 during a visit to Nigeria by the King of Morocco, would collect gas now produced in a number of countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Mauritania), supply West African countries that do not currently produce gas, and then supply Morocco and Europe. Given the scale of Morocco's needs, and above all those of Europe, such a project seems desirable. However, it faces a number of difficulties: the scale of the investment required ($25 billion and probably more), competition from American LNG (Donald Trump's rise to power will accelerate all export projects, even though the United States is already the world's leading LNG exporter), and a certain reluctance to use pipelines, as LNG appears to be more flexible and safer since the Nord Stream2 pipes were sabotaged. But the first phase of the project, linking the Senegalese and Mauritanian fields to Maric and Europe, looks very attractive.

Meanwhile, crude oil production at Sangomar is about to celebrate its first anniversary. The first shipment was delivered in February to SAR, where Sangomar crude, thanks to recent expansion and upgrading work, can now be processed in blends with Ehra crude from Nigeria. Production from the field is just under 100,000 barrels a day, and around 20,000 barrels could be processed by SAR. In the ECOWAS region, hydrocarbon production remains high, but production in Nigeria, the main producer, has been declining in recent years, despite a recent upturn, and Ghana, where potential was high, is producing less than predicted. Only Côte d'Ivoire, thanks to the Baleine and Calao discoveries, should see its extractions increase significantly in the coming years.

Renewables and electricity

West Africa's solar potential is considerable, and many solar power plants have been commissioned in the region over the past few years. However, the contribution of solar power remains limited, and hydropower remains both a major source of electricity and the main renewable resource.

On the other hand, investments in the West African Power Pool (WAPP) are significant and will facilitate access to energy in many regions. They include in particular

• CLSG interconnection project: a 1,303 km, 225 kV transmission line linking Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. This project provides affordable, renewable electricity to around 2.8 million people –
• North interconnection project: a 913 km 330/225 kV transmission line linking Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria. The project is expected to provide 600 MW of affordable, renewable electricity, benefiting around 1.2 million people.

OMVS and OMVG also have major projects in the pipeline

Jean-Pierre Favennec
Président
Association pour
le Développement
de l'Énergie en Afrique