South Sudan to pump more 70,000 oil barrels by next June

March 31, 2019 (JUBA) — South Sudan will pump an additional 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil next June, said oil minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth as he urged Chinese firms to optimize the production as scheduled by the end of April.

Gatkuoth made his request during a visit with his Sudanese counterpart Ishag Adam Bashir Gamaa on Saturday to Toma South, Al-Nar, Al-toor and Manga oilfields to inspect the progress achieved in the rehabilitation works before to resume oil production.

The South Sudanese minister "directed China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Company (CPEEC) tasked with the oil resumption works at Al-Nar and Al-toor oilfields to speed up (their) activities and meet the (agreed) deadline by April 27, 2019," reads a statement issued after the visit by the oil ministry in Juba on Saturday.

He also directed SIPET, a South Sudanese and Chinese oil engineering firm tasked with the assessment of oil production, to finish its works as soon as possible in Manga oilfield so that oil production can start as soon as possible.

Speaking to reporters at Al-toor field the two ministers vowed to develop joint cooperation between the two countries and to increase the production of oil from the three northern South Sudan oil fields which are operated by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC).

The two countries shall redouble their efforts to resume production of all the oil wells by April 27, 2019, and "we will be producing from these GPOC oilfields 70,000 barrels a day by May and June 2019," further stressed the statement.

Earlier in March 2019, Gatkuoth was in Beijing where he held talks with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and its subsidiary CPECC on ways to increase oil production at its oil blocks.

The GPOC consortium consists of CNPC (40 percent), Petronas (30 percent), ONGC Videsh (25 percent) and Nilepet (5 percent).

Also, the two ministers signed an Undertaking Agreement, accordingly, Sudan will allow South Sudan to use the needed material from Heglig and Baleela CPECC warehouses to South Sudan.

In return, Juba shall guarantee replacement of same materials to Sudan within two months, or to pay its cost in case of failure of replacement within the said period.

(ST)