Nouakchott, Feb. 13 (BNA): Mohamed Ould Khaled, the Minister of Energy and Oil of Mauritania, announced that the first quantities of gas from the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) site would be shipped to the international market in late February.

He noted that this would be an important milestone in developing this project, which is the culmination of a diligent and successful work process, Mauritania News Agency reported.

The minister said that the main destination for the gas produced will be the European and Asian markets, but that the duality of demand and price will determine the product’s final destination.

The minister pointed out that the GTA gas field is located around 120 km from the coast at a depth of 5,000 meters, known as UDO. Its reserves are estimated at around 20 trillion cubic feet of gas. He noted that Mauritania and Senegal signed a bilateral cooperation agreement in February 2018 to exploit the field, and the final decision to invest was taken in December 2018.

Z.H, م.ا.ف