Sudan inaugurates first oil well drilling in White Nile state
October 6, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan has inaugurated drilling works in the first well of Al-Rawat oil field in the White Nile state, as part of efforts to increase its production since secession of South Sudan in 2011.
The oilfield is run Al-Rawat Company is a consortium of the government owned Sudapet (70 percent), Express Petroleum & Gas Ltd Nigeria (15 percent) and unidentified Nigerian company Mnsana (15 percent).
The vice-president Hasabo Abdel-Rahman who took part in the inauguration ceremony stressed the government keenness “to develop oil industry and to Sudanize it to ensure the independence of national will through the ownership of the pillars of oil industry”.
Hasabo said that the boom in the oil industry sector is one of the achievements of the national cadres and saluted the people of the White Nile and the Alrawat basin especially. He further pledged the latter will be the first to benefit from Blok-26’s dividends.
When the Al-Rawat consortium contract was signed in September 2014,it included a Canadian firm, State Oil Company Canada Ltd. with 50 percent of the project. It’s not clear why the Canadian firm dropped its participation in the consortium.
Last May Sudapet exploration director said they plan to increase Sudan’s oil production to 150,000 barrels per day by the end of 2017. Its current production is at 120,000 barrels per day.
(ST)