Mauritania announced – today, Sunday – that it will export the first shipment of discovered natural gas in the middle of next year.
This came in a speech by the Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Nani Ould Achrouqa, during his participation in a symposium on the sidelines of the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
Ould Achraouqa said, “Mauritania will produce, in the middle of next year, its first gas shipment for export from the large Ahmeem field shared with Senegal.”
He added that the gas expected to be produced from the “Ahmim Al-Kabir” and “Bir Allah” fields constitutes a great opportunity for Mauritania and will have repercussions on the country’s economy.
Yesterday, Saturday, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazouani said, “It is not at all fair to deprive developing countries of exploiting their energy resources because of the cost of the energy transition.”
Al-Ghazwani was speaking in a session dedicated to discussing the topic “Green Industrialization in Africa” within the program of the United Nations conference.
He added that he does not see any conflict or contradiction between the development of gas resources in Mauritania and its ambition to develop the green hydrogen industry.
Mauritania has huge gas reserves estimated at 110 trillion cubic feet, which places it third in Africa after Nigeria (207 trillion cubic feet) and Algeria (159 trillion cubic feet).
Mauritania outperforms Egypt, which has reserves estimated at 63 trillion cubic feet, and Libya, with about 55 trillion cubic feet.
The Mauritanian “Bir Allah” field has the largest share of this gas, as its reserves are approximately 80 trillion cubic feet, while the “Turtlefa” field has reserves of 25 trillion cubic feet.
Mauritanians are looking forward to the revenues from the country’s gas wealth contributing to improving their living conditions and providing opportunities for unemployed youth, as the unemployment rate reaches 30% in this Arab country with a population of about 4 million people.
Previous economic forecasts indicated that the large “Ahmim Turtle” project alone would generate significant revenues for Mauritania’s treasury, estimated at $100 million annually in the first phase of production, reaching $1 billion annually in the second and third phases.
