Senegal has started producing various fuels at its own refinery near Dakar. This development brings new hope to the country of teranga.
Founded in 1961, the African Refining Company (Société Africaine de Raffinage - SAR) had previously only processed imported oil. This marks the first time it has refined oil produced domestically.
SAR "is proud to announce the successful refining of the first Senegalese crude oil, Sangomar," named after the offshore production site in the central-western part of the country, the company stated in a press release.
"After a successful processing phase and results meeting expectations, the transfer of derivative products, such as fuel oil and diesel, is currently underway to dedicated storage areas," the statement added.
The company reports that it has refined 650,000 barrels of crude oil, yielding 90,000 tons of various products, including diesel, kerosene, gasoline, and butane gas.
It is worth noting that Senegal began its oil production in June at the Sangomar field, operated by the Australian group Woodside Energy. The country also became a gas producer in late December, sharing production with Mauritania along their maritime border.
Oil and gas production in Senegal will be allocated for both export and domestic consumption. However, it will remain far from the levels reached by global and African giants such as Nigeria.
Billions of dollars in revenue are expected, along with an accelerated transformation of the economy.
