"This is a historic day for Senegal and for Woodside," said the company's chief executive, Meg O'Neill, calling the extraction of "first oil" from the Sangomar field "a key milestone". Woodside has an 82-percent stake in the deepwater project with the remainder held by Senegal's state-owned energy company Petrosen. Petrosen general manager Thierno Ly said the start of production marked "a new era" for Senegal's "industry and economy". Climate changeSenegal also has a liquefied natural gas project at its border with Mauritania and production there could begin in the third quarter. Several African countries are pursuing oil and gas projects despite pressure on nations worldwide to phase out fossil fuels, which generate climate-heating greenhouse gases.
