Crude Oil

South Sudan Launches First-Ever Oil and Gas Licensing Round

Published

2 years ago

June 23, 2021

South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum (MoP) officially launched the country’s first-ever oil and gas licensing round in Juba on Wednesday; Hosted by the MoP and attended by industry executives and international stakeholders, the event signifies an historic moment in the country’s budding oil and gas sector; The launch precedes the country’s highly anticipated national energy conference, South Sudan Oil & Power 2021, organized by Energy, Capital & Power and taking place at the Crown Hotel in Juba on the 29^th-30^th June.

South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum (MoP) officially launched the country’s first-ever oil and gas licensing round in an inaugural event on Wednesday in Juba. Focused on accelerating exploration and production at new and existing blocks, and promoting the country as a competitive investment destination, the event signified an historic moment in the country’s competitive oil and gas sector.

The event was officially launched by Hon. Puot Kang Chol, Minister of Petroleum, where presentations were given by Hon. Awow Daniel Chuang, Undersecretary, MoP and Hon. Athian Ding Athian, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, with closing remarks by H.E. James Wani Igga, Vice-President and VP of the Economic Cluster, TGNU. With emphasis placed on political improvements, the improved legal framework, and the ongoing acquisition of new data, the launch has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing the sector.

“Oil licensing is a proof of stability and progress in South Sudan. These blocks are part of a vision for lasting peace in the country and we want to open up the energy sector for investment. The Ministry of Petroleum has identified new exploration blocks with potential hydrocarbons for investors, operators, and other parties. We are inviting genuine investors and as mentioned in our Petroleum Act, we will try our best to be transparent,” stated Hon. Puot Kuang Chol.

“It is high time for us to help maximize the natural resources we have, and I applaud the MoP for what they are doing. The oil industry has had its ups and downs, but it is about time that these resources benefit the community, and everyone gets their rightful entitlement of the development that is taking place in South Sudan,” stated Hon.. Athian Ding Athian.

The newly launched licensing round aims to attract international investors and partners to help expand South Sudan’s exploration initiatives. Built against a backdrop of peace and stability, the new licensing round aims to attract investors, while ensuring sustainable developments and community benefits.

“Certainly, one can say with confidence that South Sudan is doing well in maintaining peace and implementing peace agreements. For the first time we can really promote investment. The country needs to rigorously enforce transparency and good governance. We need accountability to improve. I am glad that with this new licensing round, the whole country will benefit,” stated H.E. James Wani Igga.

Additionally, the launch meticulously outlined the licensing process and schedule, providing insight into new and available blocks, technical capabilities and data. By detailing crucial analytical data and information to assist operators and investors, the launch emphasized that South Sudan is officially open for business, and accordingly, is welcoming investors to its competitive sector.

“Most of the areas being licensed had previously not been explored properly in terms of seismic data due to complications from the war. In 2019, we contracted PETROTECH to help with the data. The absence of data previously made it difficult to conduct licensing rounds, however, this licensing round today allows South Sudan to conduct a transparent tendering process with trustworthy data that is available,” stated Hon. Awow Daniel Chuang.

According to the MoP, the Ministry will use stringent criteria in its facilitation of the bid evaluation and investor selection process. With the offered blocks falling between longitudes 25 and 36 and between latitudes 4 and 11, and the size of blocks ranging between 4,000 and 25,000km², the licensing round is expected to be highly competitive. Additionally, the MoP is emphasizing the role of Nilepet in facilitating growth across the industry.

“If you look at the producing blocks today, the percentage of Nilepet has gone to 10% equity. We want investors but we also want to promote the capacity of Nilepet as the national oil company,” continued Hon. Puot Kang Chol.

The newly launched licensing round will be expanded on at the South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2021 conference, organized by Energy Capital & Power and endorsed by the Ministry of Petroleum. The Ministry will unpack the exploration of new blocks, existing blocks and will explain how it will further explore already producing areas.

Taking place at the Crown Hotel in Juba on the 29^th-30^th June, SSOP 2021 is expected to drive investment, promote engagement, and accelerate growth within South Sudan’s oil and gas sector.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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Crude Oil

Oil Prices Surge as China’s Holiday Demand and Tight US Supply Drive 2% Weekly Gain

Published

3 days ago

September 29, 2023

Samed Olukoya

Oil prices to close the week with about a 2% gain as robust holiday demand from China and constrained U.S. fundamentals overshadowed concerns about potential supply increases from Saudi Arabia.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigerian oil is priced, gained 5 cents to $95.43 per barrel at about 6:00 a.m. Nigerian time on Friday while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose by 16 cents to $91.87 per barrel.

The market’s resilience became evident as it rebounded from a slight 1% dip in the previous session when profit-taking followed a surge in prices to 10-month highs.

China, the world’s largest oil importer, played a pivotal role in driving prices higher. Strong fuel demand coincided with China’s week-long Golden Week holiday, with increased international and domestic travel significantly boosting Chinese oil consumption.

Analysts at ANZ noted that this holiday season’s surge in travel was underpinned by the fact that the average daily flights booked were a fifth higher than during Golden Week in 2019, pre-dating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also, improving macroeconomic data from China and the steady growth of its factory activity further supported the bullish sentiment.

The U.S. economy’s robust growth and indications of accelerated activity in the current quarter also bolstered expectations of sustained fuel demand.

Also, tight supplies in the U.S., evidenced by dwindling storage levels at Cushing, Oklahoma, provided additional support to oil prices. As rig counts fell, U.S. oil production was expected to slow down, potentially pushing the market into a deficit of more than 2 million barrels per day in the last quarter.

Investors are now eagerly awaiting the upcoming meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+), scheduled for October 4th.

The meeting will be a crucial indicator of whether Saudi Arabia will consider stepping up its supply in response to the nearly 30% surge in oil prices this quarter.

Analysts, however, caution that the market may be entering overbought territory, leading to possible hesitancy among participants and concerns that OPEC+ could ease production cuts earlier than planned if prices continue to rise.

The outcome of next week’s OPEC meeting will undoubtedly hold significant implications for the oil market’s future trajectory.

Crude Oil

Oil Prices Soar to a Year High as Crude Reserves Plummet

Crude stocks at a pivotal storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, hit their lowest levels since July last year, sparking concerns about future supply stability.

Published

4 days ago

September 28, 2023

Investors King

Oil prices surged to their highest level in over a year during Asian trading hours, following a significant drop in crude stocks at a key storage hub.

Crude inventories in Cushing, Oklahoma, plummeted to a mere 22 million barrels in the fourth week of September, close to operational minimums, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

This translates to 943,000 barrels compared to the prior week.

The U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose to $95.03 per barrel during Asian trading hours, a peak not seen since August 2022 before settling at $94.61 per barrel.

Meanwhile, Brent crude oil, the international benchmark for Nigerian oil, rose by 1.05% to $97.56 per barrel.

Experts have attributed this rapid price escalation to the precarious situation in Cushing, with Bart Melek, Managing Director of TD Securities, stating, “Today’s price action seems to be Cushing driven, as it reaches a 22 million bbl low, the lowest level since July 2022.”

Melek expressed concerns about the challenges of getting crude oil into the market if inventories continue to dip below these critical levels.

Predicting the future trajectory of oil prices, Melek suggested that prices could remain at elevated levels for the remainder of the year, especially if the global oil cartel, OPEC+, continues to enforce supply restrictions.

He noted that the global oil market is facing a “pretty robust deficit” on top of an already significant shortfall for this quarter due to OPEC’s production cuts.

Saudi Arabia, a key player in OPEC+, has extended its voluntary crude oil production cut of 1 million barrels per day until the year’s end, bringing its crude output to nearly 9 million barrels per day.

Russia has also pledged to continue its 300,000 barrels per day export reduction until December.

However, Melek added that, “We do think that prices could keep up near these levels for quite some time. But I don’t think it’s too permanent. And we might have seen the end of this rally.”

Crude Oil

Nigerian Pump Prices May Increase as Crude Oil Hits $93.55 Per Barrel

Published

6 days ago

September 26, 2023

Investors King

Amidst growing concerns over the surging price of crude oil on the international market, Nigerian citizens are bracing themselves for a possible increase in pump prices.

Crude oil, the lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy rose to $92.42 per barrel on Monday, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the already volatile fuel market.

This surge in crude oil prices comes in tandem with the persistent depreciation of the Naira in foreign exchange markets, where it traded at N980 to $1 on the parallel market. For many Nigerians, these simultaneous developments trigger memories of the recent fuel price hikes that followed the removal of fuel subsidies earlier this year.

In June, the government removed the subsidy, leading to a sharp 210% increase in the pump price from N175 per liter to N546.83 per liter. In a further blow to consumers, less than a month later, the price surged again, reaching N617 per liter.

However, since then, there have been no additional fuel increments, despite fluctuations in the Naira’s exchange rate. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, along with key government officials and industry leaders, has reiterated their commitment to stabilizing petrol prices in the country.

According to Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, “The President affirms that there will be no increase in the price of petroleum motor spirit.”

Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC), echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that NNPC is the sole supplier of petrol nationwide and has not proposed any price hikes.

Industry experts like Chinedu Okonkwo, President of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), have urged the government to expedite efforts in implementing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a viable alternative to traditional fuels, providing a long-term solution to the country’s energy needs.

While the global crude oil price surge is a cause for concern, Nigerians are holding onto the government’s commitment to price stability and the potential for CNG to provide a sustainable energy alternative in the future.

In a market with unique dynamics, where NNPC remains the sole supplier and importer of fuel, the hope is that prices will remain stable for the benefit of all Nigerians.