The Star (Malaysia): Oil venture in Sudan bearing fruit
KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) oil exploration project in Sudan, via a consortium, is beginning to bear fruit and is expected to begin exporting from the middle of the year.
The Sudanese Ambassador in Malaysia, Omar Osman el-Hassan, said the project was still in the initial stages, but the consortium should start exporting about 150,000 barrels of petroleum per day in June.
On another note, he said that Metrobus was engaged in negotiations to supply 1,500 buses in several stages to Sudan and was also looking at managing the country's transportation system.
Omar told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that Tenaga Nasional
Bhd had sent its staff to Sudan and was carrying out a feasibility study on the setting up of a power generation plant. Bank Kerjasama Rakyat (M) Bhd was already involved in a 10,000 ha oil palm plantation project in Sudan, he said.
According to Omar, 1998 saw Sudan emerging as a developing country, with expectations of becoming an "economic dynamo" owing to the discovery of oil and gas.
The development of Sudan's economy had brought about requirements for basic infrastructure and facilities, he said. "Foreign expertise is very much needed in this area for the transfer of technology,'' Omar said.
He said investors could tap the opportunities in Sudan's transport sector as well as in energy and consumer products.
Omar said demand for electricity in Sudan was expected to increase from 167 megawatts per hour in 1990 to 15,553 megawatts an hour in 2010.
He said the development of Sudan's petroleum industry meant that tankers would be needed to transport huge volumes of oil from storage facilities to ports for exports.
The development of transport would generate other types of economic activities and would boost physical development of roads, highways and new towns, he added.
Meanwhile, RMC Management Corp Sdn Bhd managing director Mohamed Shafari Yaakub said that Malaysian companies were invited to participate in the International Fair of Khartoum-Sudan. RMC is the Malaysian co-ordinator of the fair. The event will be held at the Sudanese Free Trade Zone in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan,
from Feb 17 to 28.
...
Shafari said that last year three Malaysian companies, including Petronas and Mulpha Group, took part in the fair.
"About 10 Malaysian companies have confirmed their participation with us to date and we expect to have about 30 Malaysian companies in the fair this year," he added.
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