Senegal plans to nationalise the Yakaar-Teranga gas project, operated by Kosmos Energy and ‍estimated to ‍be one of the world's largest discoveries in recent ​years, with a view to meeting domestic gas needs, the country's energy ⁠minister said.

Kosmos Energy, which has a 90% stake, became the operator ⁠of the Yakaar-Teranga ‌gas field in 2023 after BP decided to exit. Kosmos did not immediately respond to a request ⁠for comment out of U.S. business hours.

State-controlled company Petrosen holds the remaining 10% in the field, which is estimated to hold around 25 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas, even more ⁠than the Leviathan field offshore ​Israel, which has around 22 tcf of recoverable gas.

"It's a project we have ‍operators for, and we want to nationalise it and give Petrosen, which ​has the expertise, the opportunity to develop this project to meet domestic gas needs... without ruling out the possibility of exporting," Energy Minister Birame Souleye Diop said at a conference in the town of Diamniadio on Tuesday.

Petrosen, which holds a 10% stake in the project, said last year it expected a final investment decision in 2025. So far no decision has been made public.

Kosmos and Petrosen, as ⁠well as BP, are also shareholders ‌in the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim liquefied natural gas project offshore Senegal and Mauritania, which is estimated to hold 15 trillion cubic feet ‌of potentially ⁠recoverable gas and which loaded its first cargo in April.

(Reporting by ⁠Anait Miridzhanian and Shadia Nasralla; editing by Barbara Lewis)