“Blinded” by 2.5 billion euros of funding for the just energy transition: Senegal “mortgages” its fossil fuels

The government of Senegal and the group of international partners (France, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom) launched the Partnership for a Just Energy Transition on Thursday, November 16, in Dakar. A national workshop to share on the new “Global Financial Compact” for people and the planet sealed last June at the Paris summit.

Planet Earth is going badly for years now, because of man’s action on nature. From North to South, climatic effects are real. They are characterized by rising temperatures which constantly disrupt climatic conditions and disrupt the usual natural balance. All over the world, we are seeing increasing temperatures, extreme events (floods) and droughts. A situation largely attributable to the great powers in their frantic search for profits (strong industrialization). Because of this appetite, which is difficult to satisfy, they (the great powers) have finished having a negative impact, even endangering existence.

And yet, for a long time, they were well informed of the harmful consequences of their excessive industrialization on the planet. But, now that certain developing countries, such as Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have recently had the providence, in turn, to discover these fossil energies (oil and natural gas) to exploit for their own industrialize and in turn lift their populations out of chronic poverty, these economic powers find a way to counter them through concepts such as “just energy transition”, “decarbonization or decarbonization”abandonment of fossil fuels…

However, for Senegal, the President of the Republic, Macky Sall, had urbi et orbi, in international meetings, marked his disagreement as to the renunciation or abandonment of the exploitation of its natural resources on the grounds that the time is serious for the planet.

THE INJUSTICE OF INDUSTRIAL GIANTS

Convinced that the rational exploitation of these natural resources is a guarantee for the emergence of Senegal, President Macky Sall addressed his host, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in May 2022: «Not being the biggest polluters since not being industrialized, it would be unfair, in the search for a solution (to global warming), if we wanted to prohibit Africa from using the natural resources which are in its sub-region. ground”.

But, in the meantime, what really happened to make Senegal turn around? Certainly, for a long time Senegal has been on the right track on the “energetic transition” through its strategy «Gas to Power» adopted in 2018, which plans to produce electricity from gas, with the arrival of its local gas, as part of the Grand tortoise ahmeyim (Gta) project first, but especially that of Yakaar-Téranga whose Production is expected in 2024-2025. The arrival of this gas should significantly improve the energy mix, with a sharp reduction in the use of fuel as production inputs. Moreover, Senelec’s power stations are in the process of being converted to gas, to be able to operate with dual-fuel.

As a reminder, it was at COP 26, in November 2021, in Glasgow (Scotland) that it was agreed to no longer grant funding to fossil fuels. Following this, President Macky Sall took offense at this decision, saying that he is going to exploit his oil. Along the way, the consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war changed the situation. Europe, heavily dependent on Russian gas from which it has been weaned, has, in collusion with its allies, taken the decision to slide onto the terrain of “energetic transition” to counter their gas supply problem, not without ignoring that it (gas) is a fossil energy like oil and coal.

SENEGAL “LIMIT” THE EXPLOITATION OF ITS OIL AND GAS RESOURCES

It was in response to geopolitical change at the international level, linked to the war in Ukraine and whose consequences in terms of gas consumption were serious for Europe, that the idea of ​​energy transition was born. Powers like the United States, Canada and the European Union (France, the United Kingdom, Germany) have resolved to finance the energy transition of South Africa, which depends 85% on coal , for its electricity. At COP 27, Senegal showed interest in this “just energy transition”.

SENEGAL SEduced BY 1,639 BILLION CFA FRANCS

In June 2023, in Paris, Senegal committed to initiating this “just energy transition”. And this, thanks to the Partnership for the Just Energy Transition, under the name JETP, which will make it possible to benefit from 2.5 billion euros in financing, or 1,639 billion 892 million 500 thousand CFA francs. A mechanism for mobilizing public and private financing to help developing countries abandon fossil fuels.

But the problem is the mobilization of these 2.5 billion euros over the period of 3 to 5 years, starting in 2023. There are so many commitments that have been made to support the fight efforts. against climate effects, such as the Great Green Wall project…, by these international partners and certain multilateral development banks which have not been honored.

SENEGAL UNDER THE DIKTAT OF MAJOR POLLUTERS

Should Senegal join or follow the agenda of the world’s major polluters? Are Senegal’s priorities the same as those of these great powers? What does Senegal gain in return for these 2.5 billion euros? For what temporality? By signing this commitment, will Senegal be able to have free rein to exploit its resources, if the commitments made are not respected or if other crises were to affect the world, forcing these same partners to postpone mobilization? funding? Meanwhile, what solutions to our development problems? So many questions that our leaders seem to ignore and which can have direct consequences on our sustainable development policies.

JEAN PIERRE MALOU