Sudan’s Oil and Energy Minister Al-Mutasim Ibrahim said the estimated cost of heavy losses and damage inflicted on the oil and energy sector by the war amounts to billions of dollars, blaming the Rapid Support Forces for directly targeting infrastructure across the country.
In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ibrahim said the government had fully restarted the Heglig oil field and that “all employees on site are carrying out their duties normally.”
He said the protection and operation of the field are a joint responsibility between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, as provided for in previously signed agreements between the two countries.
Ibrahim strongly denied recent reports of a three-way agreement between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces regarding the Heglig field, located in the far south of the Kordofan region bordering South Sudan.
Authorities in South Sudan announced a settlement between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces after the latter took control of the area, stipulating the withdrawal of both sides and assigning the South Sudan army the task of securing oil facilities in Heglig.
Heglig is Sudan’s largest oil field, producing between 40,000 and 80,000 barrels per day of crude. Output fell by about 20,000 to 25,000 barrels per day after the outbreak of war due to the shutdown of many wells and damage to infrastructure.
The field also serves as the central processing facility for South Sudan’s crude, which produces nearly 130,000 barrels per day and is exported through Sudanese ports on the Red Sea coast.
China talks
Meanwhile, the minister said negotiations with the Chinese government were ongoing over its return to operations in Block 6 in the Balila area of West Kordofan. China had announced the termination of its agreement with the Sudanese government due to deteriorating security conditions and the collapse of supply chains caused by the fighting.
“Work at the Balila field is currently suspended, but the Chinese partner has not withdrawn from the country,” Ibrahim said.
“We recently held joint meetings with the Chinese side in Cairo and informed them of our desire to continue the partnership in the field, and we also presented opportunities to invest in other fields.”
He expressed optimism about the continuation of the partnership between Khartoum and Beijing in the sector, pointing to various oil investments expected to flow in after the war ends, particularly in areas under army control, which he said are witnessing significant security stability.
Last December, the Chinese government informed Sudan that it was ending the oil partnership after years of cooperation.
Khartoum refinery
According to the minister, preliminary estimates of heavy losses to the oil and energy sector since the war erupted in mid-April 2023 amount to billions of dollars, with damage assessments still underway.
He said the Rapid Support Forces had deliberately sabotaged infrastructure in both sectors, adding that the government had made progress in rehabilitating them after the army pushed the forces out of many areas across the country.
Ibrahim put losses at the Khartoum oil refinery at around $6 billion, saying it would need to be rebuilt from scratch.
“We have begun preparing the necessary designs and securing requirements to restart it,” he said, noting that several countries had expressed serious interest in investing in refineries in Khartoum, El-Obeid, and Port Sudan.
Before the war, the Al-Jaili refinery north of the capital, Khartoum, met more than 40 percent of the country’s demand for gasoline, diesel, and cooking gas. Still, it halted operations due to severe damage to its processing and refining facilities.
Ibrahim said petroleum products were flowing normally and that their availability had helped stabilize fuel supplies nationwide. He added that most fuel stations in areas without electricity had been equipped with solar power.
