# data[].attributes.headline
Oil executive rejects fears around Ireland’s first well

# data[].attributes.subject
Oil executive rejects fears around Ireland’s first well

# data[].attributes.body
Link of the article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ireland will rely on fossil fuels for decades and would benefit from developing its first oil well, the head of a prominent exploration company has said.

Tony O'Reilly, chief executive of Providence Resources, said: "Why would you shop internationally when you could shop locally? Developing our natural resources should be the cornerstone of any country's national development plan. "Why would you not use your own rather than paying more to bring it in from other countries?"

Providence, a Dublin-based oil and gas firm, wants to build Ireland's first commercial oil well in Barryroe, a potentially significant oilfield off the coast of Cork. It is estimated to hold 300 million recoverable barrels of oil.

More drilling work needs to be completed to make sure that there...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Oil executive rejects fears around Ireland's first well

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ireland will rely on fossil fuels for decades and would benefit from developing its first oil well, the head of a prominent exploration company has said.Tony O'Reilly, chief executive of Providence Resources, said: "Why would you shop internationally when you could shop locally? Developing our natu

# data[].attributes.headline
Qatar shortlists partners for North Field expansion, but says it may go it alone

# data[].attributes.subject
Qatar shortlists partners for North Field expansion, but says it may go it alone

# data[].attributes.body
link to the article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has shortlisted international oil firms for a stake in its expanded North Field megaproject, Qatar Petroleum's chief executive told Reuters, but may still choose to go it alone unless majors offer it significant value.

The expansion of tiny but gas-rich Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, already the world's largest, is one of the energy sector's most lucrative projects, and the world's top oil and gas majors have been racing to secure a stake.

Invitations to bid were sent out last month and the result is due to be announced in the first quarter of 2020, Saad al-Kaabi, who is also minister of state for energy, said - if Qatar decides to go with partners at all.

"We like the partnership model for many benefits. But because we don't need the partners, what's going out is basically a set of criteria that we have, to demonstrate to us what added value we get for Qatar if you come in," said Kaabi.

"Maybe they can give us something outside," he said, referring to LNG assets outside its domestic market.

QP wants to lift its LNG production to around 110 million tonnes per annum from today's 77 mtpa over the next five years by building four new production facilities.

Speaking from his office in Doha, Kaabi told Reuters that with the remaining contracts for its completion set to be awarded by the end of 2019, it was now asking a shortlist of majors to bid for a stake in the completed project.

He did not say how large a slice of the asset would be on offer, and declined to comment on which companies had been shortlisted.

Total, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and Italy's Eni have all offered QP stakes in prize assets abroad in a bid to secure a stake in the project.

Those assets, from stakes in sought-after exploration blocks to partnerships in petrochemical facilities, have helped transform QP into a significant international player in top gas and oil provinces from Mexico to Mozambique.

Although it says it is confident it can go it alone on developing its LNG resources, finding a home for all the extra supply it is expecting to come online is something oil majors can offer significant help with.

Qatar sees another 33 million tonnes of LNG flowing from the new facilities in 2024, and it will also need buyers for another 35 million tonnes as existing contracts expire over the next five years.

Kaabi declined to elaborate on the criteria that could help land partners a stake.

UPPING THE ANTE

He said QP's decision to self-finance the project, tender for its construction, and drill appraisal wells before offering partners a chance to buy in was part of a strategy to up the ante on what majors must now offer Qatar for a piece of its top asset.

A recently drilled appraisal well produced double the yield that was expected, a potentially good omen for what lies ahead, said Kaabi.

"It means we have a great project with great reserves, and the North Field is very prolific."

But the super-wealthy country also faces significant challenges. Global LNG demand is flagging due among other things to the U.S.-China trade war at a time supply from competitors like Australia, the United States and Russia is rising.

Mounting tensions between the West and Iran in the Gulf may also affect the country's ability to ship out gas, while an economic embargo by its neighbors could hurt regional sales.

Kaabi said QP would seek more long-term LNG supply deals, including in Europe, after it last month signed an agreement for unloading services at Belgium's Zeebrugge LNG Terminal, securing its full capacity through 2044.

"We're going to do more in Europe - you're going to see," he said.

QP also expects to sign at least one upstream block in the United States - typically exploration rights or a field in development - before year-end as it looks to capitalize on its $10 billion Golden Pass LNG export terminal in Texas.

The terminal, a joint venture with Exxon Mobil, is seen coming online in 2024.

Despite the slew of assets acquired over the past year, Kaabi said QP remains hungry for more upstream exploration blocks around the world.

"Anywhere you find the hottest beds in the world, you'll see us there," he said.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
oil and gas refining and marketing (trbc)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Exclusive: Qatar shortlists partners for North Field expansion, but...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar has shortlisted international oil firms for a stake in its expanded North Field megaproject, Qatar Petroleum's chief executive told Reuters, but may still choose to go it alone unless majors offer it significant value.

# data[].attributes.headline
Contrasting Cases of Energy Dependence: Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago

# data[].attributes.subject
Contrasting Cases of Energy Dependence: Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago

# data[].attributes.body
link to this article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Away from the economic and political calamity in Venezuela, just seven miles off the coast lies another resource-dependent country whose economy stands in stark contrast to Venezuela. Despite an almost identical level of dependence on oil as neighboring Venezuela throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in just 30 years, Trinidad and Tobago has propelled itself into high income country status. Highways have been expanded to accommodate the exponential growth in the number of cars on the nation's roads, and shopping malls, restaurants, and bars keep popping up for eagerly spending Trinbagonian customers.

In stark contrast to Venezuela, despite the recent plunge in oil prices, most of the country's 1.3 million citizens continue to enjoy high human development in terms of life expectancy, income, and education. In fact, in response to the Venezuelan economic crisis, Trinidad and Tobago has supplied its oil-rich neighbor with millions of dollars in exports of food and basic goods, and become home to tens of thousands of Venezuelan refugees. Indeed, as a proportion of its population, Trinidad and Tobago has received more Venezuelan refugees than any other country. What can account for this massive divergence since the recent drops in global oil prices? Trinidad and Tobago was better able to weather the storm for three main reasons: first, its government has invested in a more energy-diversified economy; second, it has shied away from military spending; and finally, because it has escaped the wrath of an interventionist U.S. foreign policy specifically designed to damage its economy.
Venezuela's Economic Catastrophe
To understand this contrast more closely, it is useful to review the current situation facing Venezuela. Today, food and medicine are in short supply, and what little exists is often priced out of range for poor citizens. This has all taken a considerable toll on the well-being of Venezuelan citizens. In 2017, for instance, citizens reported losing 24 pounds on average, and diseases such as measles, diphtheria, and even polio have reemerged within the country. Citizens often plead on social media for basic medicines such as antibiotics, and, over the past few years, shortages of food have become increasingly evident.

Media outlets around the world and Venezuelans themselves have wondered: how it is that the country with the most proven oil reserves in the world could face such a dire and desperate economic situation? This is a question that has plagued most working class Venezuelans since far before the days of Chavismo. Yet today, millions of Venezuelans have now left the country for nearly any other country they can relocate, and, with the U.S. recently imposing sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry, the situation only bodes to worsen.

Much ink has been spilled on the resource curse, or Dutch Disease, which often occurs in countries that possess large quantities of energy resources such as petroleum and natural gas. As a result, energy-exporting countries like Venezuela and others have often directed their attention to maintaining and developing their energy extraction capacities. In doing so, they have neglected the development of domestic industry and other exporting industries that could diversify and bolster the economy.

These situations are of course due to many factors, such as the fact that when a country's currency rises-often due to high levels of foreign exchange accrued from energy exports-it becomes cheaper to import goods than to produce them domestically for consumption. This generates a highly volatile situation, because when a country depends on just one or two resources to generate state capital, its foreign exchange earnings will be at risk if the value of either of these commodities decreases.

In the instance of Venezuela, oil prices remained high under Hugo Chávez-for many years at over $100 per barrel-allowing his government to generously finance social programs, provide economic support and subsidized oil to regional allies, and enhance the livelihoods of many poor Venezuelans. As a result, Chávez received widespread approval, particularly from Venezuela's popular classes, and continually succeeded at the ballot box in internationally- and domestically-monitored elections. As in previous Venezuelan administrations, corruption remained a serious issue, but enough funding found its way into social programs that the country experienced much social progress. The United Nations even recognized Venezuela as having the most economically equal distribution of income within Latin America in 2010.

Although Chávez often paid lip service to diversifying the economy, his government and the subsequent government under Maduro were just as dependent on petroleum as previous Venezuelan administrations. And since oil prices began to dramatically plummet in 2013 under President Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan economy has experienced serious economic shocks, as described above.

Trinidad and Tobago has like Venezuela historically relied upon energy exports for foreign exchange. So how has it ultimately evaded the calamitous situation now experienced by Venezuela, despite facing many of the same structural challenges?
The Contrasting Case of Trinidad and Tobago
In Trinidad and Tobago, natural resource receipts provide much needed income to support the public sector, the largest source of employment in the country, as well as large infrastructure projects. Consistent with the Dutch Disease, the agricultural industry has played a small role in exports, employment, and the economy. And while in Venezuela, many might want to blame Chávez's and Maduro's "excessive social spending," or "socialism," as the source of Venezuela's economic woes, Trinidad and Tobago's oil money also funds extensive healthcare, education, and social programs that benefit citizens.

In the wake of depressed oil prices, the country has turned to cutting education spending, shutting down companies that depended on government funding, laying off workers, and increasingly offering temporary/precarious positions over permanent jobs. And, like Venezuela, corruption in Trinidad and Tobago is rife. Trinbagonians have seen millions of dollars siphoned into politicians' pockets and expended on wasteful and dead-end vote-seeking projects.

Still, despite these similarities with Venezuela, the 2008 and 2014-2017 crashes in oil prices did not have nearly the impact on Trinbagonian citizens as it did on Venezuelans. Though successive Prime Ministers have pleaded with Trinbagonians to "tighten their belts," they have still maintained comparably more stable incomes and positive health and education outcomes. While undernourishment rates in both countries hovered around six percent in 2013, in Trinidad and Tobago this number dropped to five percent in 2016, while it jumped to 12 percent for Venezuelans.

Trinidad and Tobago was able to avoid economic collapse because its economy is, in fact, far less dependent on crude oil as it was in the 1960s to 1980s. Its governments invested windfalls from the 1970s oil booms into turning this small island economy into a global juggernaut in natural gas and petrochemical production. In fact, Trinidad and Tobago today, exports proportionally more liquefied natural gas than oil, making it more gas-dependent than oil-dependent. It became the world's leading exporter of liquefied natural gas to the U.S. And with gas as feedstock for petrochemical industries, it is also the world's leading exporter of ammonia and second largest exporter of methanol.

Undoubtedly, reliance on natural gas rather than oil means that economic performance is still tied to the vagaries of global gas prices and demand for gas and gas-based products-not to mention its environmental implications. However, the fact that Trinidad and Tobago was not reliant solely on crude oil exports for the bulk of its foreign exchange enabled the country to escape economic collapse with the plunge in oil prices.

A second factor that might explain why economy of Trinidad and Tobago fared better than Venezuela amid the fall in commodity prices is its military spending. Trinidad and Tobago has historically channeled far less financial resources toward its military than Venezuela-though its spending has increased since about 2001, while Venezuela's has decreased since 2013. As a proportion of GDP, Venezuela's military expenditure has been twice or sometimes four times as high as Trinidad and Tobago's, illustrating the discrepancies between the two countries' budgets.

Third, Venezuela has had to channel precious foreign exchange toward servicing its international debt, a situation not currently facing Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago's external debt burden as a proportion of GDP has indeed steadily increased in the last five years, but remains four times lower than Venezuela's debt. Trinidad and Tobago's Heritage and Stabilization Fund-established in 2000 as a savings fund to stabilize the economy in case of downturns in energy prices and to invest in diversification-provides an important buffer for the economy. But the Venezuelan government has not created such mechanisms that would allow for stabilization in such events. In addition, misappropriated funds in Venezuela could have effectively been directed towards a stabilization fund that might have assisted the country amid the plummet of commodity prices.

Lastly, Trinidad and Tobago has not had to contend with antagonistic U.S. foreign policy efforts in the same way as Venezuela. While labor and social movements in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1960s and 1970s successfully pushed the government to reduce foreign domination of the economy, increase local ownership and control, and advance redistribution and class and racial equity, the government itself remained occupied by more conservative, pro-capitalist, and neoliberal officials. As such, the country has not been perceived as a threat to U.S. economic and national security interests. In response to the Venezuelan government's socialist and anti-imperialist stance, however, the U.S. has implemented a range of sanctions aimed at weakening the Chávez and now Maduro governments. In the latest instances, U.S. sanctions have prevented Venezuela from renegotiating its foreign debt and, more importantly, banned profits from Citgo oil sales in the U.S. from going to the Venezuelan government. This has effectively starved Venezuela of a major source of funding and foreign exchange. These factors are useful in understanding the similar contexts-but contrasting outcomes-in both nations.

These countries are not similar simply because of their resources or their proximity, and they enjoy a strong relationship. Trinidad and Tobago, as part of the official position of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) regional group, has reaffirmed its support for non-interference and non-interventionist methods of dealing with the political-economic crisis in Venezuela. In what suspiciously seems to be an attempt to split a vote, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Keith Rowley was not invited to a recent meeting Trump called with Caribbean leaders for discussions about Venezuela. Still, the number of Venezuelans in Trinidad and Tobago's detention centers is steadily increasing, and it remains very difficult for Venezuelan migrants living in Trinidad and Tobago to obtain work permits and attend schools, forcing them in some cases into sex work, child labor, and gender-based violence. But Trinbagonians would do well to recognize that they are not immune from the current afflictions affecting its neighbor. With gas dependence making for a fickle economic base, Venezuela's experience could serve as a cautionary tale to Trinidad and Tobago.
Zophia Edwards is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Providence College. Her research focuses on the impacts of colonialism and multiracial labor movements on development in resource-rich countries, particularly Trinidad and Tobago. Timothy M. Gill is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His research focuses on U.S. foreign policy in Venezuela, particularly U.S. democracy assistance programs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Contrasting Cases of Energy Dependence: Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Away from the economic and political calamity in Venezuela, just seven miles off the coast lies another resource-dependent country whose economy stands in stark contrast to Venezuela. Despite an almost identical level of dependence on oil as neighboring Venezuela throughout the 1970s and 1980s, in just 30 years, Trinidad and Tobago has propelled itself into high income country status.

# data[].attributes.headline
De Beers, Debswana give insight into digital transformation at 5th Natural Resources Forum

# data[].attributes.subject
De Beers, Debswana give insight into digital transformation at 5th Natural Resources Forum

# data[].attributes.body
link to the article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Leading mining companies Debswana and De Beers gave key presentations about how they are implementing digital transformation in their operations at the 5th Annual Natural Resources Forum, hosted by French software leader Dassault Systèmes, at The Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton on Wednesday 11 September.

Accessing data from over 1 km underground is a particular challenge for the Debswana Diamond Company of Botswana, according to Brian Chimoba, Principal - Business Process Integration. Here the diamond-mining giant is leveraging the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, Dassault Systèmes's flagship digital platform, to optimise its geoscience, mining, and production operations.

De Beers was represented by Giel Marais, Senior Automation and Information Manager, and Freddie Breed, Senior Mining Engineer. They gave a joint presentation on how the Venetia Underground Project is aiming to develop an integrated management solution for the entire operation.

Both companies are evidence of a new mindset in the South African mining industry, according to David Osborn, Managing Director of Dassault Systèmes in South Africa. While the local mining industry remains a tough environment due to a combination of political, economic, and social factors, a key realisation is that change is inevitable.

"Now that we have all of the challenges mapped out, mining companies are acknowledging that, if they continue with business as normal, results will not improve. It has got to take a different approach to doing things. Due to the fact that the mining industry has been stagnant for so long, it has since been surpassed in the technology stakes by other industries such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, and oil and gas. It has the opportunity to cherry-pick what will work best for it in terms of digital innovation," Osborn argued.

Mining companies like Debswana and De Beers have intuited the significant value inherent in such an approach. "The key is collaboration. We might not have all of the solutions at hand, but together with our partners, we can solve their problems. Helping establish a future-proofed mining industry based on digital innovation is our main goal," Osborn affirmed.

Raoul Jacquand, CEO of the GEOVIA Brand from Dassault Systèmes, stressed that the positive experience of mining companies like De Beers and Debswana was creating a snowball effect within the local mining industry. "Hearing what our clients have to say about their experiences in implementing our solutions, and how they are collaborating with us, is so much more powerful."

It is for this reason that Dassault Systèmes established the Natural Resources Forum as an interface with the local mining industry. "We also realised that, in the conventional way of doing things, the mining industry was jumping too quickly to the 'how'. They were more interested in the functionality and features required to solve specific technical problems, for example, as opposed to stepping back, take time to revisit the "why?" and the "what?" to ultimately serve a business purpose.

"The main aim of the Natural Resources Forum is therefore to allow clients to understand our role as a business partner interested in the overall outcome. Of course, resolving all of the technical issues is still paramount, but we can get so much more out of a holistic approach. This has been a mindset change as much for us as for our clients, and it is an evolutionary process documented by the Natural Resources Forum over the years," Jacquand highlighted.

The forum has also been key to showcase the user-friendliness and flexibility of the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, which is completely scalable according to specific client requirements and operations.

"The fact is that any mining company wishing to embark upon the digital transformation journey can start off small. We want to dispel the notion that it is overwhelming, complicated, and costly. There are tangible low-hanging fruit like simple enterprise collaboration that can deliver immediate results."

The secret to the ultimate success of embracing digital transformation in the mining industry is maximising the potential of big data. "Traditionally information has been synonymous with a mining company's competitive edge, but the digital platform reveals that democratising data unlocks its value so much faster. It allows mining companies to address an entire spectrum of issues on a single level, which means that a unified solution is entirely feasible," Jacquand pointed out.

However, he stressed that the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform was much more of an enabler than a replacement for any existing or competing systems. "Not only is it completely scalable, ultimately it is a vehicle for innovation. As a result, it needs to be open by nature, and able to interact with the landscape of existing systems. It is there to give a direction for the future and assist mining companies in orientating their business strategies. Hence the platform's representative icon is a navigation compass, as it reduces complexity and guides businesses in the right direction towards clearly-defined goals."

This is where the 3DEXPERIENCE® Twin of the Mine concept plays such a crucial role. A holistic virtual twin of a mining site can optimise operations through simulation. Exploring different scenarios in a virtual space will allow mining companies to simulate for any eventuality and plan accordingly.

This virtual twin is a powerful instrument to engage all stakeholders. "What digital transformation achieves is to break down physical and organisation boundaries, which is essential for innovation. The fact that the mining industry is highly technical has resulted in a series of silos developing over time.

"Our 3DEXPERIENCE® solution brings all of these vertical silos together on a lateral level in order to leverage change and achieve a complete mining value chain. While automation in the mining industry has always thought to be synonymous with job losses, different opportunities will instead be presented, and current roles transformed rather than replaced," Jacquand concluded.

EDITED BY: Creamer Media Reporter

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
De Beers, Debswana give insight into digital transformation at 5th Natural Resources Forum

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Leading mining companies Debswana and De Beers gave key presentations about how they are implementing digital transformation in their operations at the 5th Annual Natural Resources Forum, hosted by French software leader Dassault Systèmes, at The Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton on Wednesday 11 September.

# data[].attributes.headline
‘It won’t be long’: why a Honduran community will soon be under water

# data[].attributes.subject
‘It won’t be long’: why a Honduran community will soon be under water

# data[].attributes.body
link to article

# data[].attributes.headline
Senegal Surfs Offshore Winds to Power West Africa

# data[].attributes.subject
Senegal Surfs Offshore Winds to Power West Africa

# data[].attributes.body
link to the article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the 1966 surfing documentary, The Endless Summer, Californians Michael Hynson and Robert August set out on an odyssey in search of the perfect wave. Their first stop was N'Gor Island off the coast from Dakar, Senegal, where they caught one beautiful wave after another. The vignette put Senegal on the map as a surfing destination. As a Peace Corps Volunteer from 2002 to 2004, I went to N'Gor as soon as I could to catch a wave.

The Endless Summer revealed, in retrospect, Senegal's abundance of offshore wind. It is little surprise, then, that the country is on the verge of harnessing it for power. In 2020, the country will inaugurate its first major wind farm - and the largest in West Africa - the 158.7-MW Parc Eolien Taiba N'Diaye (PETN). In May, the project cleared a notable hurdle, as the first wind-turbine components arrived in Dakar port.

PETN has obvious advantages for an energy-poor country and region that relies mostly on expensive fossil fuel imports. It will increase Senegal's existing power generation capacity by 15% with clean, domestically generated energy. Perhaps most importantly, the project can stimulate more renewable energy projects across West Africa by demonstrating their viability. In leading this development and others, Senegal can position itself as a regional leader in energy governance and policy.
Wind can be good
Wind has long been an environmental challenge for those living in the Sahel. But climate change has amplified the southern encroachment of the Sahara in recent years, causing migratory and political challenges.

Turning a liability - powerful winds - into an asset is therefore the definition of a game changer. Moreover, Senegal desperately needs more electricity generation. Its citizens suffer frequent blackouts due to inadequate infrastructure and a predictable source base. The majority of electricity comes from imported diesel generation.

Growing the power sector is a key part of the country's Plan Sénégal Emergent (PSE), which aims to make Senegal an emerging economy by 2025. In addition to renewables, Senegal hopes to build coal and gas-fired power plants. The plan's ambitious targets include 100% electricity coverage and 90% for rural households by 2025.

Senegal's energy future has brightened appreciably this decade. In 2014, it discovered oil and gas off its Atlantic shores, and is on track to produce first gas in 2021. Its approach to these plays has thus far been careful to prioritize transparency and avoid the resource curse. In February, it reelected President Macky Sall, who has past experience in the energy sector. By linking the PSE with growing the power sector, Sall and the Senegalese leadership understand the fundamental role of energy in economic development. The PETN, of course, makes this economic development more sustainable.
From the Atlantic to the Sahel
The PETN is also a welcome addition for the West African Power Pool (WAPP), an electricity-trading platform among 14 countries.

Senegal's only existing high-voltage interconnector runs along its northern corridor of cities alongside the Senegal River, and feeds directly into landlocked and energy-poor Mali. The PETN is ideally located nearly adjacent to this line, meaning that any electricity generated in excess can be sent around the country and perhaps beyond. In the future, it can be fed into planned WAPP interconnectors to Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. Exporting this wind power is unlikely in the near term given Senegal's immediate needs for greater supplies. But this scenario provides an all-important release valve for excess power to find a buyer.

Outside of the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara and Sahel offer the most serious potential in solar, while hydro also has excellent prospects in the southern countries of the WAPP. Nigeria alone could power the region with its natural gas. WAPP interconnectors are therefore vital to further investment in renewable-generation projects. Yet power generation projects must come before the interconnectors. There is nothing more abhorred in West Africa than waste. Once the power is available, the interconnectors will follow. This is why the PETN is such an important first step.
All-of-the-above in Senegal
The PETN nicely complements Senegal's hydrocarbon discoveries because, in addition to diversifying its source base, renewables present a whole new energy paradigm. Developing new resources, be they oil, gas, and wind now, and solar and hydro down the road, will make Senegal a regional leader in energy governance. More immediately, the wind park will allow Senegal to export its oil and gas resources rather than consume them locally.

Most countries talk about an all-of-the-above approach to procuring and producing energy, but energy-poor countries are often restricted in their choices. This tends to lead to coal, the cheapest route out of energy poverty. To be sure, Senegal needs to do more to reach its power sector goals in a sustainable manner. New solar and hydro projects and wide-scale deployment of micro grids will be key. Yet the country is on the verge of climbing out of the energy-poverty trap by embracing a multiple-faceted, flexible energy strategy and fearlessly taking the plunge into developing its own sources. Fortune favors the bold.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect Geopoliticalmonitor.com or any institutions with which the author is associated.

We hope you enjoyed this free article

Become a member and get full access to:

Intelligence reports delivered right to your inbox

Analysis from our global network of experts

Forecasting, graphs and mapping

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Senegal Surfs Offshore Winds to Power West Africa | Geopolitical Monitor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the 1966 surfing documentary, The Endless Summer, Californians Michael Hynson and Robert August set out on an odyssey in search of the perfect wave. Their first stop was N'Gor Island off the coast from Dakar, Senegal, where they caught one beautiful wave after another.