By: The Fatu Network News Desk
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has issued an ultimatum to British Petroleum (BP), demanding that the company supply Senegal with its share of domestically produced natural gas from the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) field.
The GTA, a major offshore project jointly developed by Senegal and Mauritania, is already producing gas, yet the country is still being forced to rely on costly imports.
Speaking at a meeting with the national private sector, Sonko stressed that running power plants on local gas instead of fuel oil would lower electricity costs for households and businesses while saving the state an estimated 143 billion CFA francs (about 257 million US dollars).
He warned that by 2026 Senegal should not still be importing nine gas shipments when production is already taking place at home.
The standoff with BP comes even as Dakar has managed to refine its own oil from the Sangomar field. It also contrasts with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s earlier reassurances that contract renegotiations with multinationals were moving in the right direction, a gap that Sonko’s ultimatum now exposes.
