In parallel, the National Committee for Local Content Monitoring (CNSCL) is revising the legal framework governing Senegalese participation in the sector. All three programs, along with the country’s continued offshore gas expansion, are expected to feature in the Senegal National Spotlight, one of five country sessions anchoring the conference's Investment Forum on December 3.

Petrosen Returns to Onshore Basins

Petrosen has committed at least $100 million to its 2026 onshore exploration program. First wells are planned at depths of 3,000 to 4,000 meters, targeting drilling in the weeks following MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power. Petrosen argues that the same structures that hold reserve gas offshore extend into the country's largely untested inland basins. Speaking at MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2025, Abu Mbengue, Director of Exploration and Promotion at Petrosen E&P, put the explored share of the onshore MSGBC basin at under a tenth, and CEO Alioune Guèye said he expects a world-class find that will sharpen interest in Senegal's open acreage.

Gas Champions Drive the Next Offshore Phase

Offshore, Senegal is building on a growing production base. The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project, shared with Mauritania, has produced LNG since February 2025, and its partners are evaluating further expansion. At Sangomar, a Phase 2 program is designed to keep oil output steady for longer, while a separate project will commercialize the field's gas, which Minister of Energy and Petroleum Dr. El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf puts at around four trillion cubic feet. First gas deliveries from Sangomar are targeted by 2029, feeding domestic power generation.

At Yakaar-Teranga, another step has been taken toward a domestic gas-to-power economy. Having taken full control of the deepwater field in 2026, Petrosen is seeking strategic partners ahead of first gas targeted for the first quarter of 2030. Transport infrastructure is also advancing, with the first pipe of the Hub-Gandon segment of the national gas network laid on September 10.

SAR Expansion Leads Domestic Refining

Downstream, SAR's program combines a new refinery with capacity of four million tons per year and a $300-$500 million upgrade of its Mbao refinery outside Dakar. Yamata, the Turkish company which signed an MoU with SAR on September 23, will handle engineering, procurement and construction and is set to raise project funding. Feedstock will come from the Sangomar field, whose crude SAR first refined in February 2025, as well as other grades.

SAR is approaching the expansion from a position of financial strength. Its first-half 2026 profit of 46 billion CFA francs surpassed full-year earnings for both 2025 (39 billion CFA francs) and 2024 (23 billion CFA francs). The company also intends to move into petrochemicals from 2029.

Local Content Emerges as Top Priority

The country’s regulatory body CNSCL connects each project to Senegalese businesses. It reviewed at least 500 extractive sector contracts in the first half of 2026, and its procurement platform posts upward of ten new tenders every week. Revisions to the legal framework are in progress, with plans for a standalone local content regulator. SAR's refinery alone is projected to create more than 15,000 direct construction jobs, lifting demand for domestic engineering and logistics capacity.

The Senegal National Spotlight is part of the MSGBC Investment Forum, where each member state presents its licensing opportunities, priority projects and infrastructure plans. The day opens with the launch of the MSGBC Data Room, a new addition to the conference featuring block data and licensing information for onshore and offshore acreage. Senegal's session will address onshore promotion, offshore expansion, the gas-to-power roadmap and the country's upcoming licensing strategy, along with downstream and supplier opportunities around SAR and Petrosen.

Organized by Energy Capital & Power under the High Patronage of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power 2026 takes place December 1-3 at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf in Dakar. For more information and registration, visit www.msgbcoilgasandpower.com.