BP's big new gas plans in West Africa

Pirogues used by fishers in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Photo: Shanna Jones

 From Unearthed

Half a kilometre below the surface of the Atlantic ocean, stretching alongside most of Mauritania and down to Senegal, lies an ecosystem that is 100 metres high and 580 kilometres long, and which took around 200,000 years to grow. Scientists believe that it’s the largest known cold-water reef in the world. In the seas around it, endangered or vulnerable shark, turtle and whale species are likely present – and waterbirds stop to feed as they make their journey along one of their major global migration corridors. 

On the edge of this ecosystem, BP is developing a new gas field 2.7km below the surface, a depth never before attempted in Africa. Construction is already underway, with the first 20-year phase approved two years ago in an agreement between BP and its partners –  Kosmos Energy, the national oil companies Petrosen and SMHPM, and the Senegalese and Mauritanian governments. First gas is expected in two years time.

BP has described the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project as “the first step in establishing the basin as a world-class gas province” that could turn Senegal and Mauritania into “global LNG players”. It is the first of three hubs in the region in which BP plans to operate, over at least 30 years, although at the moment only the first phase of the GTA project has been approved. 

If these further projects go ahead in full, BP stands to recover around 40 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas in the region, according to “conservative” estimates by analysts Rystad Energy. When burned, this gas would create around 2.2bn metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 0.3-1% of the remaining global carbon budget left to keep warming within a 1.5C rise.

BP declined to comment on this estimate or to provide Unearthed with their own estimate of the scope 3 emissions of these projects if approved, but confirmed that emissions from the first phase of GTA and any further stages or approved projects will count against their emissions reductions targets. 

The GTA project is happening in spite of BP’s new push to go green, with commitments on both climate and biodiversity and a role as a partner in Prince Charles’ new Terra Carta initiative, which aims to give “fundamental rights and value to Nature”. The company is expected to play a role in COP26, the climate conference planned for November in Glasgow that is tipped to be the most important since the Paris deal.

But scientists and experts contacted by Unearthed warned that BP’s plans in West Africa could pose risks to the “extremely rich ecosystems” nearby, as well as to the climate.

Mohamed Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, a think-tank based in Nairobi, told Unearthed: “Fossil fuels, including gas, are a major threat to Africa’s food security, water security, public health and will ultimately undermine our livelihoods and development. We can’t excuse a company like BP, which at a time that it seems to be taking climate change more seriously is simultaneously bankrolling a project that may end up having a big impact on Africa’s carbon footprint and future.

“Our continent is incredibly blessed with wind and solar energy resources. The biggest obstacle to Africa’s transition to green energy is finance and investment so these polluters need to help Senegal and Mauritania to leapfrog dirty energy, not lock them into a fossil fuel path.”

In January, a new study by the University of Oxford predicted that renewable energy will account for less than 10% of Africa’s electricity generation in 2030, while total generation will double. 

“These findings point to high carbon lock-in risks for Africa,” it argued, “unless a rapid decarbonization shock occurs leading to large-scale cancellation of the fossil fuel plants currently in the pipeline.”

BP promises to cut emissions to net zero by mid-century and to cut oil and gas production by 40% within a decade yet the investment in this project appears to push in the opposite direction, significantly increasing Africa’s regional supply of gas, rather than clean energy. BP also currently has fossil fuel projects in Angola. It has no renewables projects in sub-saharan Africa and no plans for any.

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Oil companies:"We care about the environment.  And global warming too.  We really care."

Us: "Yeah, right."