2010

Sudan signed a deal with two small European oil companies for the new Block E. The long slim Block covers an area of approximately 50,000 km2, and has a potential estimated in 2 Billion Barrels of oil. It is located over the south margin of the Muglad basin, traversing four southern states and South Darfur in north Sudan.

Sudan signed a new onshore exploration deal for Block E with two European companies, Star Petroleum company, based in Luxembourg, and Norwegian Hamla company. They called for other Western companies to invest in the U.S.-sanctioned oil producer.

PetroChina will accelerate an upgrade to a new, southern China refinery so that it can avoid processing oil from Sudan. The refinery was designed mostly to handle the type of crude oil from Sudan. The U.S. restriction is said to be one of the reasons for accelerating the upgrade works, with the poor economic benefit of the Sudanese crude being another.

Sudanese oil company, Sudapet sold two cargoes of September-loading Dar Blend crude via tender at around $9 a barrel below dated Brent, slightly better than the August-loading. Dar Blend crude is heavily discounted because of its high acid content, making it unattractive to most Asian refiners.

South Korean company Make Group declared their readiness to invest in infrastructural projects in Southern Sudan including housing, roads network, telecommunications and energy, among others.

Britain wants to increase exports to Sudan and invest more in Sudan, particularly in its oil and services sectors. ICC warrant for Bashir won't stop bilateral trade.

Northern and Southern Sudan risk a return to civil war unless a plebiscite on the south’s independence is free and the two sides agree on sharing oil revenue.

Sudan’s petroleum minister described a proposed pipeline to take oil from Southern Sudan to world markets through Kenya as, “uneconomical.”

Sudan’s Oil minister discussed with Total its programs and plans and the obstacles that hinder the workflow.

Houston-based Agar Corp. has to pay $2 million after it pleaded guilty for selling 14 oil field parts to Sudan in 2005, in violation of a US executive order.