Senegal has successfully refined its own crude oil for the first time, marking a major milestone in the country’s energy sector, the African Refinery Company (SAR) announced.
Although SAR was founded in 1961, it had previously only processed imported crude oil. Now, the company has successfully refined Senegal’s first domestically produced crude from the Sangomar field.
Following a successful refining process, SAR has transported the refined products—including heating oil and diesel—to designated storage facilities.
Since February 8, 2025, the refinery has processed 650,000 barrels of crude oil, yielding 90,000 metric tons of petroleum products such as diesel, kerosene, petrol, and butane gas.
Oil production at the Sangomar field, operated by Australia’s Woodside Energy, began in June 2024. In December, Senegal also launched natural gas production from a shared offshore field with Mauritania.
While Senegal’s oil and gas production remains far below the levels of major African producers like Nigeria, the country expects to generate billions of dollars in revenue, supporting both exports and domestic consumption while accelerating economic transformation.
