BP and the joint venture partner Kosmos Energy announced a major gas discovery off Senegal early May, which is considered to be a new addition to the recent successful findings in the region, Reuters reported.

As informed on Engineering News, International Oil Companies (IOCs) including BP and Total are investing in the waters of Senegal and Mauritania with the aim of copying the recent exploration success of smaller players.

BP’s Upstream CEO, Bernard Looney, noted, “Yakaar-1 further confirms our belief that offshore Senegal and Mauritania is a world-class hydrocarbon basin.”

In 2015, Kosmos was capable of discovering a gas pool holding 15tcf of gas in the Tortue 1 exploration well, part of the Greater Tortue Complex spanning Senegal and Mauritania.

After Kosmos 2015 discovery, BP has developed plans to purchase a 30% interest in the two offshore blocks called Saint-Louis Profond, that includes the Senegalese sector of the Tortue field and Cayar Profond. BP also decided to buy a stake of close to 60% in Kosmos’ Mauritania exploration blocks.

Gas from the Tortue field is expected to start flowing in 2021 and is set to be exported from a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. The two firms stated earlier in May that the Yakaar-1 find contained sufficient reserves to warrant another LNG project.