Page 10 - AfrOil Week 46 2021

AfrOil POLICY AfrOil

However, upon its announcement, VEB deputy have been announced.
chairman Daniil Algulyan said: “The project However, there have been reports suggesting
will be financed on an inter-bank lending basis. that the 100,000 bpd figure is a start-up capac-
VEB is willing to provide funding for Morocco’s ity, with a longer-term target of reaching 200,000
partner to buy equipment and services from bpd.
Russian counterparties. The direct lender of the Given the cost of building a refinery of this
project’s company will be a bank of the Kingdom scale, and the availability of the Mohammedia
of Morocco.” unit, a greenfield investment would appear to
Aside from a planned slate that is to include make little sense. Indeed, no updates have been
gasoline, Euro V diesel, jet fuel, Euro IV fuel and provided by either of the parties involved since
bitumen, few details about the planned refinery last year. ™

Senegal calls for equitable energy

transition based on natural gas

SENEGAL SENEGAL is taking a proactive approach to just by using renewable energy. We need to
ensuring recently discovered hydrocarbon ensure a just, equitable energy transition and it
reserves and the country’s burgeoning oil and is our right to develop these natural resources
gas sector are developed responsibly, Minister in Senegal.”
of Petroleum and Energies Sophie Gladima told Since the discovery of large-scale oil and gas
investors at the ongoing African Energy Week discoveries in the offshore waters of Senegal and
event in South Africa. Mauritania between 2014–2017, the country
Since the Emerging Senegal Plan was and the MSGBC Basin as whole is considered
launched in 2012 by President Macky Sall, tar- among the top oil and gas plays underway in
geting universal access to electricity, 32% of the West Africa.
country’s energy production comes from solar “MSGBC” is an acronym consisting of the
and wind energy, Gladima said, noting the initial letters of the countries situated in what is
adoption of mini-grid solutions particularly in in fact a collection of sub-basins, namely: Mau-
more remote and less-populated areas. ritania, Senegal, Gambia, GuineaBissau, and
“[We] are working hard to achieve universal Guinea (Conakry).
access as soon as possible and hopefully by 2025. The Grande Tortue/Ahmeyim (GTA) gas
We want to be able to also export electricity to project, located between Senegal and Maurita-
neighbouring countries, and want to do the nia, and the Sangomar field are reshaping the
same for natural gas,” Gladima said in a state- sub-Saharan African oil and gas sector and sup-
ment on November 11, Energy Capital & Power porting growth, Gladima said. These major pro-
reports. jects are set to come onstream over the course of
“Developing our natural gas industry is one 2023–2024 and position Dakar as West Africa’s
of our top priorities and it is important for Africa strategic hub for the oil and gas sector, and Sene-
to work together and develop as other countries gal as the gateway to the MSGBC Basin, accord-
do. But our industrialization will not be done ing to Energy Capital & Power. ™

Sophie Gladima (L) discussed Senegal’s gas plans last week (Photo: African Energy

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 46 17•November•2021