Sudan, India discuss energetic cooperation

January 25, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan and India discussed ways to develop joint cooperation and investment in oil and electricity as well as gas.

Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Murli Deora arrived yesterday to Khartoum met today with his Sudanese counterpart Al-Zubair Ahmed Al-Hassan, to review progress on the existing projects and discuss ways to expand it.

ONGC’s overseas arm of the state-owned ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has a 24.125 per cent stake in Sudan’s Block 5A. OVL also has a 25 per cent stake in Sudan’s Greater Nile Oil Project (Block 1, 2 and 4), which produces 280,000 bpd.

OVL, which entered Sudan in 2003, already has three oil blocks in Sudan. It has also built a 741-km-long multi product Pipeline linking Khartoum Refinery to Port Sudan.

Al-Zubair, welcomed the visiting minister stressing Sudan is opened for new Indian investments. He also praised an agreement signed last December on expanding ties in the oil and gas sector during a two-day India-Africa Hydrocarbon conference adding it can play an active role in increasing oil production in existing wells of the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC).

He also spoke the growing cooperation in the field of electricity particularly the construction of Kosti Power Thermal Station with a capacity of 500 megawatts and the construction of transmission lines carrying electricity.

Omer Mohamed Khair, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Mining, encouraged India to making use of its experiences in optimizing the use of gas found in the block (8) and in the Red Sea.

India is the fourth largest global consumer of crude oil, consuming over 2.8 million barrels per day. India imported crude worth $75 billion in 2008-09.

OVL, which has interest in blocks in Sudan that give it 2.4 million tons of crude oil annually, wants to consolidate its operations and acquire more acreage in the African country.

The Indian minister Shri Deora offered Indian expertise to modernize and upgrade the Sudanese oil refineries besides training its technicians. Sudan would send teams to India this year for training in these disciplines.

The India press reported that the visiting minister raised the issue of payments of the pipeline ONGC Videsh built in Sudan.

OVL completed the pipeline connecting Khartoum refinery to Port au Sudan in August 2005 at an investment of $194 million. This included a $15 million component for financing of pumping stations etc. As per agreement with OVL, Sudan’s ministry of energy and mining was to pay back investment in 18 half-yearly equated installments of $14,134,790 each.

(ST)