South Sudan to replace oil pipelines after leakage: minister
October 12, 2019 (JUBA) – South Sudan will commence replacement of old oil pipelines after it lost about 2,000 barrels of oil in the recent oil spill in Panakuc area of northern Ruweng state, a senior official said.
“We expect that the pressure in the pipeline will increase within the next few weeks. We should be able to make renovation to the pipelines so that it does not cause any burst in the future,” he told Xinhua on Friday.
The minister, however, said the oil spills which occurred last month in blocks 1, 2 and 4 remains under control in the surrounding areas.
South Sudan, which currently produces 178,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil, says production could reach 200,000 bpd in the next two years.
South Sudan, where oil revenues make up nearly 98% of the budget, has been reeling under economic crisis due to a violent civil war.
The young nation split from Sudan after a referendum held in 2011.
South Sudan’s oil production was affected when a civil war broke out two years after independence. A September peace deal is largely holding, but a plan to form a unity government is due on November 12.
(ST)