A gas platform off the coast of northern Senegal looms over the sea near the fishing community of Guet Ndar, its flare stack burning continuously above the waves.
The natural gas project, a joint venture between British energy company BP and U.S.-based Kosmos Energy, began operations on the final day of 2024.
It was designed to bring economic benefits and jobs to the densely populated coastal area near Saint Louis, Senegal’s old colonial capital.
The gas extraction plant is the deepest of its kind in Africa and is part of broader efforts to revitalize Senegal’s stagnant economy following the discovery of offshore oil and gas reserves just over a decade ago.
The country’s first offshore oil project also started production last year.
Mariam Sow, a longtime fish vendor in Guet Ndar’s once-bustling market, described how the community’s livelihood has declined since 2020 when construction of the platform began.
“This market used to be full every day,” she said, gesturing to the now mostly empty space. Nearby, hundreds of fishing boats remain unused on the beach.
Fishing plays a vital role in Senegal, employing more than 600,000 people, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2022, the country exported nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of fish, according to international trade data cited by think tank Chatham House.
The Grand Tortue Ahmeyim project, which involves gas extraction off the coasts of Senegal and neighboring Mauritania, is expected by BP to produce up to 2.3 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually.
Last year, Senegal elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who ran on an anti-establishment platform promising to better leverage the country’s natural resources. In his inaugural address, he pledged, “I will proceed with the disclosure of the effective ownership of extractive companies (and) with an audit of the mining, oil, and gas sector.” However, it remains unclear if any contract renegotiations involving the gas project have been initiated.
Local fishermen say that the promised benefits of the project and government efforts have yet to materialize. The cost of living remains high, and prices for natural gas—a key cooking fuel in Senegal—have continued to rise, despite earlier assurances of more affordable energy.
Mohamed Sow, a shopkeeper in Dakar, shared customer complaints about the rising gas prices. “A 12-liter gas canister has gone from 5,000 CFA ($8.50) to 8,000 CFA ($13.80) in the past few years. It’s impossible to keep raising the price,” he said. The government did not respond to requests for comment.
Environmental and community concerns have also emerged since production began. Fishermen reported seeing numerous bubbles in the sea near the platform shortly after operations started. BP acknowledged a temporary gas leak, describing it as “having no immediate impact on ongoing production activities from the remaining wells.” The leak, which took weeks to repair, involved methane but BP did not specify the volume released or the cause.
BP stated in response to questions that the environmental impact was “assessed as negligible” due to the “low rate” of gas release. Greenpeace, however, warned of serious environmental risks. “The GTA field is home to the world’s largest deep-water coral reef, a unique ecosystem. A single spill can wipe out decades of marine biodiversity, contaminate food chains and destroy habitat,” the group said.
Mamadou Sarr, president of the Saint Louis fishermen’s union, voiced worries about how the project has disrupted fish patterns. He explained how fish are drawn to the platform’s lights and underwater structures, moving away from traditional fishing reefs that communities have depended on for centuries. Additionally, an artificial reef being built by BP obstructs regular shipping routes to the platform, further discouraging fish from returning.
One fisherman, Abdou, showed his catch after two days at sea: two insulated boxes of fish, roughly the size of oil drums. “Before the gas project, I used to bring four or five boxes on a trip,” he said. “Now, two boxes is a win.”
The declining fish supply worsens existing challenges caused by overfishing from foreign vessels.
BP highlighted ongoing community engagement efforts, including microfinance and vocational training programs. Yet fishermen like Sarr say their concerns have been largely ignored by both the company and the government. “This is our land and sea, why don’t we get a voice?” he asked.
Sarr also pointed out the irony of a BP-built fish refrigeration unit meant to support local fishermen. Locked and unused, the key is reportedly “somewhere in Dakar,” and locals say they have never been able to access it.
