The **Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA)** gas project, operated by US-based **Kosmos Energy** across the maritime border of Senegal and Mauritania, is once again in the spotlight. The Texas-headquartered company recently shared new details regarding the ramp-up of this significant cross-border gas field. Phase one of the project commenced commercial production in early 2025. This development is being closely monitored in Dakar, where Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has made the effective management of extractive resources a defining policy of his administration.

A transformative cross-border project for Dakar and Nouakchott

After years of negotiations between the two capitals, GTA is being developed on a gas field situated directly on their shared maritime frontier. The agreed-upon revenue split is an equal 50/50 partnership between Senegal and Mauritania, a rare structure within West Africa’s extractive industry. **Kosmos Energy** leads the development alongside **bp**, the long-standing operator of the permit, while national companies **Petrosen** and the Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures (SMH) represent the state’s interests.

The initial phase leverages a floating liquefaction unit (FLNG) designed to process gas for export to global markets. The targeted initial capacity is approximately 2.3 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually. Kosmos reports that production is steadily advancing towards its nominal plateau, following the successful technical commissioning completed last year and the shipment of the first cargoes.

Kosmos Energy navigates sénégalais political expectations

Since the Bassirou Diomaye Faye – Ousmane Sonko administration took office in March 2024, the project’s trajectory has been under intense scrutiny in Dakar. The Senegalese head of government has repeatedly stated his intention to renegotiate or audit contracts inherited from the previous regime, deeming them unbalanced and detrimental to the state. This stance has introduced a period of uncertainty for international operators, with Kosmos and bp at the forefront.

The recent communication from the American group aims specifically to provide reassurance regarding the operational timeline. Kosmos emphasizes the stability of its partnership with authorities in both nations and the continuation of technical discussions concerning subsequent phases. However, the company has scaled back some of its ambitions, with several financial analysts noting a discrepancy between initial targets and the actual volumes produced during the early months of operation.

Crucially, the successful ramp-up of the GTA field will generate substantial budgetary revenues for both states. For Senegal, projections indicate several hundred billion CFA francs in annual income once full capacity is achieved. These funds are intended to bolster the Intergenerational Fund and the national budget, two cornerstone mechanisms of the natural resource management framework adopted in Dakar.

Phase 2, local content, and energy sovereignty

Beyond the initial phase, attention is now shifting towards the project’s expansion. GTA’s Phase 2, long discussed to increase capacity to around 3 million annual tonnes, remains contingent on an agreement between industrial partners and governments. Kosmos has indicated that studies are ongoing, without committing to a firm timeline at this stage. The prevailing international LNG prices and the operator’s stated debt reduction strategy also factor into this equation.

For both Dakar and Nouakchott, the issue of local content remains a sensitive point. The Senegalese government has expressed its desire to see more national enterprises integrated into the value chain, from industrial subcontracting to logistics services. Ousmane Sonko has also raised the possibility of directing a portion of the gas production towards domestic supply, particularly to fuel thermal power plants and reduce the country’s energy import bill.

Nevertheless, the authorities’ room for maneuver is constrained by existing contracts and the imperative to maintain the attractiveness of the MSGBC sedimentary basin. Several adjacent blocks are still undergoing exploration, and the approach taken with Kosmos and bp will serve as a critical signal to investors. The credibility of Senegal’s gas ambitions hinges as much on the operational performance of the FLNG as it does on ministerial decisions in Dakar.