Preparations Underway for Resuming Oil Production at Heglig
Sudanhorizon – Agencies
Technical efforts have begun to resume oil production at the Heglig oil field, as the South Sudanese government pushes for its reopening as soon as possible, according to engineers in the South Sudanese oil sector.
This move comes a week after tensions erupted at the field between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and forces from the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. South Sudanese authorities stated that the tensions stemmed from a misunderstanding regarding the protection of the oil facility.
South Sudan deployed its forces to the strategic field on December 10, under an unprecedented agreement with parties to the conflict in Sudan, with the aim of securing the field amidst escalating fighting in the Kordofan region.
The tripartite agreement aims to neutralize the Heglig field from military operations, given its vital role as a source of revenue for both Sudan and South Sudan.
The Heglig field is located on the border between Sudan and South Sudan and contains key oil infrastructure, including production wells and an oil processing facility. A 1,600-kilometer pipeline also runs through the field, transporting South Sudanese crude oil from the Unity State oil fields to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
A South Sudanese radio station quoted several Sudanese engineers on Sunday as saying that technical teams had already been redeployed to the field to begin technical preparations for resuming production. One engineer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “Some of us are already in Heglig. We came from Juba, where we were waiting, and a committee has been formed to work on resuming oil production.”
Another engineer confirmed that the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces had deployed a large number of troops around the field to secure the facilities and workers. However, he noted that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had not withdrawn their troops completely and are still maintained a presence in some locations within the field.
He added that the workers demanded a complete withdrawal of the RSF, but the demand was rejected. Nevertheless, technical preparations have begun, and the security situation in the field is generally stable.
A third engineer said that a power station in the field was restarted on Saturday as a first step toward resuming production.
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