7283. SEA for a National Offshore Policy on a Sustainable Oil and Gas Sector in Senegal

The environment ministry of Senegal has invited the NCEA to coach an SEA for a policy for the offshore sector. This followed the 2018 3rd National Conference on Sustainable Development, which was dedicated to the oil and gas sector. NCEA had spoken at this conference, and the prime minister had proposed an SEA.

Significant details

Recently, large reserves of oil and gas have been discovered off the coast of Senegal. The country now faces the challenge of exploiting these resources in a sustainable manner. This was the topic of the May 2018 National Conference on Sustainable Development. The NCEA presented their experiences with similar challenges in the West-African region. At the conference, the prime minister proposed to develop a policy for sustainability of the offshore oil and gas sector, to be produced by means of an SEA. The environmental assessment agency, the DEEC, requested the NCEA to coach this process. Early 2019, an interministerial task force was under preparation, to be led by the ministry of petroleum and energy of Senegal, and the ministry of environment as secretary. The process is foreseen to take two years and be financed by the World Bank, with asociated support from the internationaloil and gas sector. 

One of the first fields to be developed is the Grand Tortue / Ahmeyim field, which is shared with Mauritania. The NCEA reviewed the ESIA that has been drafted by the BP/Kosmos consortium. This review generated invaluable insights for the SEA.

Parties involved

Members of the working group

Technical secretary: Mr S.G. Nooteboom

Further details

Country: Mauritania; Senegal

Last modified: 17 Apr 2020