Sudanese minister and French Total discuss oil exploration in Jonglei
Sudan’s Oil minister discussed with an official from Total SA (TOT) the exploration of block (B) in Jonglei state and difficulties encountering the French company which did not yet resume its activities there since the singing of the 2005 peace agreement.
The newly appointed minister Lual Deng, on Tuesday met with the manager of Total Sudan, Serge Montesquieu, to discuss the plans of the oil company in Block B, the official SUNA reported today.
The meeting attended by the state minister Ali Ahmed Osman, listened to the programs and plans of the oil company and the obstacles that hinder the workflow.
The Minister promised to solve these problems with the competent organs of the national and southern Sudan governments. He also directed the concerned bodies in the ministry to intensify efforts to remove all the technical obstacles that delay the progress of Total activities.
Total, which set foot in Sudan in 1980, had a legal row with UK White Nile Ltd (WNL.LN) as the later claimed rights on a large part of the block in 2005. But the Sudanese government confirmed the French firm in 2008.
The withdrawal of the third partner in the consortium, Marathon Oil Corp.’s (MRO), pushed the French operator to seek a new partner: Abu Dhabi-owned fund Mubadala Development Co. But the Southern Sudan government did not accede to the request of Total oil company.
Unconfirmed reports also say that Juba proposed another partner that Total declined to work with.
"The parties agreed to attract investors from some firms that had partnership with Total," SUNA reported.
Total has operating rights for the block with a 32.5 percent stake, Kuwaiti Kufpec Sudan Ltd 27.5 percent. The state-owned Sudapet maintains its 10 percent, the southern Sudan government owned Nilepet 10%. The remaining 20% should be offered in a public bid.
Total shot 1,600 kilometers of seismic survey but had to leave the country in 1985 because of the outbreak of violence between the north and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army of the south.
(ST)
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