On 4 September 2026, H.E. Ms. Nipa NIRANNOOT, Ambassador-Designate of Thailand to Senegal, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. El Hadji Abdourahmane DIOUF, Minister of Energy and Petroleum of Senegal, on the occasion of the Minister and his delegation’s upcoming visit to Thailand to attend Gastech Bangkok 2026, the world’s largest conference and exhibition covering natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, climate technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) for the energy industry, to be held in Thailand from 14 to 17 September 2026.

During the meeting, the Ambassador provided an overview of Gastech Bangkok 2026 and encouraged the Minister to take the opportunity of his visit to Thailand to hold discussions with relevant Thai counterparts. The Ambassador also highlighted Thailand’s energy potential, policies and ongoing initiatives, including Thailand’s target of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050, the Power Development Plan 2026–2050 (PDP2026), which aims for renewable energy to account for 50 per cent of electricity generation by 2037, and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP)’s oil and gas exploration and production projects in Africa and the Middle East, including in Algeria and the Ghasha Concession in the United Arab Emirates.

The Ambassador further highlighted Thailand’s energy innovations and technologies, including the modernization of the electricity grid and Smart Grid initiatives of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Thailand’s plans to explore the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as part of efforts to enhance the country’s electricity generation capacity, as well as PTT Group’s initiatives in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and the innovative use of cold energy recovered from the LNG regasification process to regulate greenhouse temperatures for tulip cultivation.

Minister DIOUF commended Thailand’s capacity and expertise in energy management and shared that the Government of Senegal has adopted a national strategy aimed at positioning Senegal as an energy leader in West Africa. He noted that Senegal has allocated 109 offshore deepwater and onshore concession blocks for international investors to compete for exploration and production rights. During his visit to Thailand, the Minister expressed his interest in meeting with relevant Thai government agencies, state-owned enterprises and private-sector companies, particularly the Ministry of Energy, PTT, PTTEP and EGAT.

Both sides exchanged views and perspectives on future energy cooperation and agreed to promote closer energy cooperation between Thailand and Senegal, particularly opportunities for the exploration and production of natural gas and petroleum resources in Senegal, as well as the exchange of knowledge, technologies and best practices. Such cooperation would contribute to strengthening the energy security of both countries and supporting the resilience of global energy supply chains.