Australian company Woodside Energy has announced that it has started extracting oil from the Sangomar field, located off the coast of Senegal, marking the country’s debut as an oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Woodside has successfully extracted the first oil from the Sangomar field, completing the delivery of the country’s first offshore oil project,” the company stated.
Woodside is developing the field in partnership with the Petroleum Society of Senegal (Petrosen), as reported by international media.
The Sangomar field, situated approximately 100 km south of Dakar, contains both oil and gas. Launched in 2020, the project has seen an investment of around $5 billion, aiming to produce 100,000 barrels per day.
Senegal’s oil and gas production is intended for both export and domestic consumption. However, it remains significantly below the production levels of regional giants such as Angola and Nigeria, which produce over 1 million barrels per day.