Petronas enters Senegal with Rufisque stake buy
KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has acquired a 30 per cent stake in Senegal-based Rufisque Offshore Profond Block, marking its entry into the country.
Petronas said the farm-in was aligned with the company’s upstream strategy to grow its exploration portfolio in West Africa, where it was operator of an ultra-deep water block in Gabon and currently looking to explore further in the region.
The national oil and gas company said its subsidiary, PC Senegal Ltd, recently signed a farm-in agreement with Total E&P Senegal SAS for the acquisition.
“Total, the parent company, will maintain operatorship with a 60 per cent equity alongside Société Nationale des Pétroles du Sénégal (Petrosen), which holds the remaining 10 per cent,” it said in a statement.
The Rufisque Offshore Profond block covers an area of 10,357 sq km offshore Senegal, with a water depth from 100m to 3,000m.
It is located in the vicinity of recent significant oil and gas discoveries in blocks, namely St Louis Profond and Cayar Profond and Rusfique Sangomar OffShore Deep.
Upon completion of the interpretation of the acquired 3D seismic data and once a prospect had been identified and evaluated, Petronad said exploration and drilling activities would commence in the Rufisque Offshore Profond Block next year.