South Sudan finance minister says oil exploration will increase production

April 3, 2017 (JUBA) – After an expected decline that followed consecutive months of a flat production rate in oil production, South Sudanese Finance Minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau, said the oil exploration would increase production.

“The exploration will increase production because there is no new drilling and production has dropped, it comes down to around 130,000 barrels. To my knowledge today, we are below 130,000 -maybe 120,000 or 125,000 barrels per day,” said the minister.

Dau who is a former oil minister said the country had been producing 240, 000 barrels per a day before the start of the war in 2013.

40,000 barrels were from the Unity region and an additional 200, 000 from Block 3 and 7 in the Upper Nile region.

The minister said the intent was to now raise the overall production to at least 160,000 barrels daily.

He attributed the drop in oil production to the lack of new investment in the oil sector.

(ST)