The acting Energy Minister of Sudan, Kheiri Abdelrahman, announced on 15th November 2020 that Sudan is going to offer 27 concession blocks through a global bid. Twenty-four of the blocks are land blocks while the rest are offshore blocks.
The Minister said the reason for the promotion of these blocks is to attract investors with specific technology to match the requirements of each block. He urged potential investors to look towards using modern technologies to matching oil production with exploration data to reach peak production.
The announcement by the Minister succeeds a meeting last Thursday, 12th November 2020, between the acting Minister and the Governor of East Darfur, Mohamed Aliu, who “emphasized the necessity that oil companies provide social services such as water, education, and health projects, construct roads to connect towns and villages, and address electricity problems.”
West Kordofan is said to be the country’s number one oil state. It houses most of the oil-producing fields in the country including the Heglig, Difra, Kanar, Balila, Neem, and El Barasaya fields. The main oil fields in East Darfur are the Zarga Um Hadid, Jid El Sayed, and Abu Sufyan fields.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mining visited the oil production fields in West Kordofan and East Darfur in 2019 as part of the government’s efforts to improve economic and social conditions in both states.
Also, last year, an investigation by InfoNile into the oil industry in West Kordofan documented increased droughts and health conditions affecting people and animals exposed to oil contamination in the air, on the roads, and in local waterways.
Parts of the demands noticed in the states were protection of the environment, provision of safety, development of roads and services and increased employment opportunities.
On September 25th, Sudan and South Sudan signed a draft agreement to develop oil cooperation between both countries.
