By: OrePulse

South Sudan plans to raise its crude oil production to a target of 230,000 barrels per day in the near term, up from current output of about 174,000 barrels per day, and is offering international investors access to 14 exploration blocks across the country as part of the effort. The government has put the country's proven oil reserves at an estimated 3.5 billion barrels.

The targeted increase would amount to a rise of roughly 32 percent from current output levels. Beyond the new blocks, the government is also looking for companies and firms with technical expertise that can raise efficiency and output at producing fields, rather than only at acreage that has not yet been developed.

One of the blocks on offer, Block B2, is already linked to the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC), which holds a 90 percent stake in the block through its subsidiary, the Strategic Fuel Fund. The remaining stake belongs to South Sudan's state oil company, Nile Petroleum Corporation, known as Nilepet. SANPC is preparing additional exploration work at Block B2, including a planned two-dimensional seismic survey, and has already spent nearly $20 million on the project to date.

Tender documents for the block list a number of operational challenges facing prospective investors, including seasonal flooding, limited road access, and the presence of the Sudd, one of the world's largest wetland systems, which covers large parts of the surrounding area.

Nilepet is also seeking partners for a proposed 350-kilometer (217-mile) crude oil pipeline connecting the Tharjiath fields in Block 5A with the Paloch fields in Blocks 3 and 7. Beyond the pipeline itself, the state oil company said it is also seeking investment in refining capacity, fuel storage, distribution networks and infrastructure for liquefied petroleum gas.

The investment opportunities on offer are expected to be a focus of discussion at the two-day South Sudan Oil and Power conference, due to be held in Juba, the capital, on November 24 and 25.

The marketing push comes as a new multilateral lender, the Africa Energy Bank, prepares to begin financing energy projects across the continent starting in 2027. The bank was formally established on October 31 in Abuja by the African Petroleum Producers' Organization, which groups African oil-producing states, together with Afreximbank, with authorized capital of $5 billion. Its early lending is expected to focus on regional infrastructure projects, including pipelines and refining capacity, though the bank has not yet committed any funding to a project in South Sudan.

The exploration blocks, the proposed pipeline and the other infrastructure investments are being marketed together as part of South Sudan's current round of tender offerings and conference presentations, led by the government and Nilepet, the state oil company.