Birallah Field: BP is working on preparatory studies to take the final decision to invest in the field
The Minister of Petroleum, Mines and Energy, Abdelsalam Ould Mohamed Saleh, presented, on last Wednesday, at the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers, a statement authorizing the government to sign an exploration-production contract with the British suermajor, BP, on a deep offshore section of the coastal basin, said an official release.
The Minister’s statement provides vital informations related to the area of the “Birallah” natural gas field located in the eighth bloc of the Mauritanian coastal basin.
Moreover, the statement defines the technical, economic and financial conditions for authorizing the signing of an exploration-production contract related to the field area. It also fixes a deadline period of up to 30 months to prepare technical studies in order to make the final investment decision.
According to a the cabinet release, this contract allows the Mauritanian state to raise its share in the aforementioned field to 29% instead of 14%, reserved to her under the previous contract.
BP has been granted previously a license to exploit the field, but this permit has expired before the company could make use of it. As a result, the company find itself compelled to renegotiate with the government in order to reach a new agreement to operate the aforementioned field.
Large amounts of gas
Discovered on 2015 by BP and kosmos energy, the Birallah field has a large natural gas capacity estimated at 80 trillion cubic feet.
Overall, Birallah is considered to be the most important gas field in West Africa, on top of the reserves straddling the Mauritanian and Senegalese maritime borders, especially in the Greater Ahmeyim Turtle field.
With this tremendous potential exploited at the end of 2023, both Mauritania and Senegal are expected to join the circle of gas exporting countries.
