Recent Exploration Activities in Sudan

Piotr W.Gawenda and Dimitri Massaras
Petroconsultants/IHS Energy, Perly - Geneva, Switzerland

Sudan is developing its petroleum potential, planning to double oil production from the current 500,000 b/d to 1.0 MMbo/d by 2010. Therefore, a range of E & P-related activities has been instigated. Here we discuss the principal developments, indicating long-term trends. Two investors, Petronas and the China National Petroleum Corporation, are contributing significantly to Sudan's growing production. The Thar Jath field operated by Petronas, with recoverable reserves in excess of 140 MMb, is being developed. Details on development of CNPC's assets remain vague, but the Palogue field in Block 7 started production in late 2005. If added to other developments in blocks 3 and 7, it could raise Sudan's production to 600,000 bo/d in 2007. Recent drilling success has pointed to a huge upside potential. Petrodar had considerable success on its acreage in the Melut Basin. Sudan's second export pipeline to the Red Sea was completed in 2005. It has an initial capacity of 150,000 bo/d and could be increased to 300,000 b/d. Almost all prospective acreage is now under license. A strange situation developed when Total and White Nile were granted the same acreage, Block B, one from the Khartoum and the other from the South Sudan authorities. The question remains as to whether the southern portion of Sudan, with most of the E&P activity, will decide to secede from the northern portion, which contains the transportation infrastructure. Perhaps, because of the divide, the industry consensus is that the two sides will ultimately work jointly to realize the potential.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90072 © 2007 AAPG and AAPG European Region Conference, Athens, Greece