AFP: Sudanese president inaugurates oil export pipeline
KHARTOUM, May 31 (AFP) - Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on Monday inaugurated a one billion dollar pipeline in the central town of Higleig that will carry the country's oil to the coast for export.
The oil is to begin flowing on Monday to the specially built Red Sea harbour of Beshair.
Beshir led a huge party of government officials and journalists who flew Monday morning aboard 10 small planes to Higleig, in West Kordofan, for the ceremony.
"The petroleum will be instrumental in achievement of prosperity and will help a great deal in our development projects," Beshir noted in his inaugural speech.
The 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) pipeline, costing about one billion dollars, was built by a consortium of Chinese, German, Argentine, British and Malaysian companies with a total pumping capacity of 450,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to sources in the energy and mining ministry.
Initially, the pipeline, which is 28 inches (70 centimeters) in diameter, will pump 150,000 bpd, the sources said.
It will connect a refinery at Al Obeid, North Kordofan, and another outside the capital Khartoum to Beshair.
Exports are due to start on June 30 to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the coup d'etat that brought Beshir to power. |
