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Cairn Energy plans to cut investment in Sangomar oil project (Senegal)

The British independent oil and gas company Cairn Energy and its partners are currently reviewing their spending plans, and they plan to reduce and delay investment in the $1.2bn Sangomar Field Development Phase 1 project in Senegal. In 2020, the consortium is expected to spend less than US$330m on Sangomar, whereas US$400m was originally planned.

In January 2020, the government of Senegal approved the Sangomar Development and Exploitation Plan along with the exploitation authorisation, submitted by the Australian oil and gas company Woodside, the operator of the Sangomar (formerly SNE) Field Development 1. Consequently, Woodside has executed the purchase contract for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) and has issued full notices to proceed for the drilling and subsea construction and installation contracts.

The Sangomar field is developed by a joint venture comprising Woodside Energy (35% and operator), Cairn Energy (40% stake), FAR (12.5%) and Petrosen (10%). Requiring an investment of US$1.2bn, the Sangomar Field Development Phase 1 will target an estimated 230 Mboe and will consist of a FPSO vessel, with a capacity of around 100,000 bbl/d. First planned in 2021, its commissioning was delayed from 2022 to early 2023 in November 2019.