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South Sudan Pumps 180,000 Daily, Plans More After Sudan Oil Deal
05/09/2013
JUBA (Reuters) - South Sudan is producing 180,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) and plans to add 20,000 bpd after Sudan dropped a threat to close two cross-border export pipelines, the African country's oil ministry said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir told South Sudan's Salva Kiir at a summit that Khartoum would continue to allow the landlocked nation to use its oil export facilities and Port Sudan port.
Sudan had earlier threatened to close the pipelines connecting the two countries in a row over alleged support for Sudanese rebels operating across the shared border.
South Sudan's petroleum ministry said it had started preparing to increase production first to 200,000 bpd and then 250,000 bpd by the end of the year.
"Technical teams are meeting and plan to increase the production starting within the next two weeks," said Nicodemus Ajak Bior, the ministry's press officer. "Preparations are on."
South Sudan used to pump 300,000 bpd until it closed all wells in January 2012 in a row over pipeline fees with Khartoum. Both sides agreed in March to resume oil flows but opening hundreds of wells proves a challenge after the shutdown.
Some oilfields were also damaged during weeks of border skirmishes between the two countries in April 2012.
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