In its efforts to revive the oil industry that has long been affected by civil war and its consequences, the government has launched a call for tenders for petroleum and natural gas exploration in South Sudan. The call for tenders covers 5 blocks on land, the area of which extends between 4,000 and 25,000 square kilometers.
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In a statement, the East African Country’s Ministry of Petroleum said that this exercise is aimed at attracting the interest of a diverse group of foreign investors in a region that is already home to major oil and gas companies from countries such as China and Malaysia.
“The country hopes to welcome again experienced partners and operators after the significant progress made in the return to peace and stability,” read the statement.
Prospective investors can request all information concerning the tender/licensing process from the South Sudanese Ministry of Petroleum until 23 August this year on www.southsudanlicensinground.com.
Program in the pipeline since 2019
The Republic of South Sudan has been planning to launch this tender since March 2019. The process was however suspended to March 2021 due to the proliferation of cases and its consequences on-demand and mobility.
Again in July 2021 Awow Daniel Chuang, undersecretary at the Petroleum Ministry, announced that the government wouldn’t proceed as expected.
He said, “Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has forced us to postpone the launch of the tenders because no one will be interested in the process if we continue to work under these circumstances. We hope that we will be able to restart the licensing cycle early next year.”
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