Total back in favour in South Sudan

The government of South Sudan has decided to allocate shares in two oil blocks to Total, Tullow Oil and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (Kufpec), petroleum minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth told African Energy on 22 February. The government is also in talks with Spain’s Holdcorp over a contract for a third block, he said. The petroleum ministry is targeting an increase in crude production to 200,000 b/d by end-2018 and 300,000 b/d a year later, said Lol Gatkuoth, up from estimated Q1 2018 output of 120,000 b/d. The economy also stands to benefit from the planned conclusion in May of payments to Sudan for transit fee arrears.