South Sudan Hopes to Woo Prospectors at Energy Conference

South Sudan is holding a two-day National Energy Conference on June 29 and 30, 2021 in Juba, to showcase its seismic data from the 14 newly-discovered oil blocks to potential prospectors.The event, which will be inaugurated by President Salva Kiir, will feature a variety of speakers, both physically and virtually, as South Sudan attempts to demonstrate to the world that peace has finally returned to the country following the September 2018 peace agreement. The event comes after the country launched its first-ever oil and gas licencing round on June 22, 2021, which was attended by industry executives and international stakeholders.

Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, told the gathering that the oil licencing is proof of the growing stability in the country, and that the government wants to open up the oil and energy sector for new investments. South Sudan is estimated to have 3.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the third-largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, 70% of which are unexplored. In 2019, South Sudan discovered 14 new oil fields, the majority of which were in the Upper Nile State.