South Sudan has announced plans to start the bidding of new petroleum exploration blocks by the end of 2013 following the completion of mapping of the blocks
Mohamed Lino Benjamin, director general of petroleum, Petroleum and Mining Ministry, said, “We are now working on a concession map, and this will lead us to the initiation of the licensing for the new annexed blocks, and we are hoping that by the end of this year that we will have a licensing round.”
According to Energy Ministry sources, South Sudan, at present, has 10 exploration blocks. The number of blocks up for auction, however, has not yet been determined.
South Sudan currently produces about 190,000 bpd and the country has made more than US$1.3bn in oil sales since April this year, Reuters reported.