|
 SENEGAL
North West Africa
Senegal lies in the central part of the Northwest
African Coastal passive margin sedimentary basin that extends from
Mauritania in the north to Guinea Bissau in the south. It developed as a
result of the opening of the North Atlantic Ocean commencing in the late
Triassic.
 Exploration in Senegal began in 1953 with its first
exploration well drilled. Several small onshore oil and gas fields have been
discovered plus a large heavy oil deposit offshore. The only commercial
oil find has been the Diamniado Field, discovered in the early 1960s
by the French Bureau de Recherches Pétrolières.
From 1986 Petrosen has represented the state and this
company jointly owned, with Tullow Oil, the rights to this field, which
began production of oil in 1986 and ceased production in 2000. Small quantities of gas
were marketed to the National Electricity Company from 1993. Another
small gas filed, Gadiaga, came onstream in 2002.
 The offshore heavy oil Dome Flore accumulation, estimated
to hold in-place reserves of over 500 MM Bbls, was also discovered but has
never been produced.
Exploration of the deep waters is now planned after
the modest successes in Mauritania in the north. However major oil
discoveries are unlikely and success is very uncertain.
|
Back to AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST