RWE Dea acquired a 30 % interest from Repsol YPF (operator) in the onshore blocks Ta09 and Ta10 in Mauritania. The transaction was approved by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in Nouakchott on June 8th, 2008.

The two adjacent blocks are located in the Taoudeni Basin roughly 800 km from the Atlantic coast and 200 km west of the Mali border. In total both blocks cover an exploration area of 59,814 km². First geological and seismic field campaigns have been carried out. The underexplored Taoudeni Basin is expected to contain a high potential for gas.

The entry into Mauritania is seen as a good opportunity to supplement RWE Dea’s North African portfolio comprising successful activities in Egypt, Libya and Algeria.