Sudan did not stop its endevoures to explore and exploit its petroleum deposit for half a century, under the colonial rule and during the national rule in its different phases in cooperation with some foreign petroleum companies. The great burden of the importation of petroleum materials on the Sudanese balance of payment was one of the main reasons which made the encouragement of investment reaches its summit through the last ten years, as the government considered petroleum one of the basic pillars of its economic strategy and opened the door of the investment to a number of the international petroleum companies.

The actual exploration operations began after the signature of an agreement with the American chevron company in 1974. According to the good results in the central Sudan another bilateral agreement with chevron was concluded in 1979. After that other agreement were concluded with French total company and the American Sun oil company in 1980 – 1982.

After the conduction of geological and geophysical surveys in the different parts of the country 95 experimental wells were digged, 46 of them were productive such as the fields of sawakin, Abu jabra, sharif, the unity, talh, Hejelij, Adareel and kaigang, 49 wells are dry. But these explorations were not followed by and productive activity.

During the years 1989 – 1999 the Sudanese government concluded a number of agreements with different petroleum companies including the two Canadian companies IPC and SPC in 1991 – 1993, the gulf company 1995, the Chinese national petroleum company CNPC in 1995 and the consortium company in Feb. 1997. The international company GNPOC was established in 1997. As a result a number of the exploration companies carried their work in the different parts of the country.

The petroleum production in Sudan began in Abu jabra and sharif fields, Adareel and Hejilij field followed. The total production of petroleum in Sudan up to 1998 was over three million barrels, That Abu Jabra and sharif produced 471629 barrels, Adareel 196347 barrels and Hejlij 2517705.

By the end of June 1999 the real production reached 150 thousand barrels from Hejelij and unity fields. The government expects new production from new fields in the areas assigned to the companies, which will increase the Sudanese oil storage.

The Qualities of the Sudanese petroleum differ according to the fields, but its most important qualities can be summarized in the followings:

The crude Sudanese petroleum has a medium thickness similar to the light materials.

It is categorized as one of the materials that include paraffin wax, which is chemical component of oil, which is a good burning material, and of high productivity in complex refining circumstances. The …… of the paraffin materials are the qualities of pouring and transport.

The Sudanese crude oil is characterized by including a little quantity of sulfur, therefore its one of the best oils in the middle east because sulfur has harmful side effects on the environment and the engines.

The Sudanese petroleum is also characterized by having the specification of dezil derivative as the sixty’s number is high and that raises the burning competence.

The length of the pipe which begins from Hejilij to Alobied and Khartoum refineries to Bashair port on the Red sea south of port Sudan is 1610 km. the pipe line capacity in the first stage is 250000 BPD in the year 2000.

The project cost is about amiliar dollars and it is executed by a number of specialized foreign companies, all of them worked under the supervision of the great Nile Company for petroleum operations GNPOC.

The line was established and opened on 31, may 1999 and it works successfully.

The Khartoum Oil refinery

The Khartoum oil refinery is located in north of Khartoum 70 km away by the eastern side of the Tahadi road – Atbara – Alkhartoum it is 12.5 km away from the Nile. The pipe line of the crude oil export runs to the west of it about 500 meters away the refinery area is half square km, an area of 8 skm has been reserved for the refinery and its extensions, a similar area is reserved for the marketing companies and the projects connected to the refinery.

The share holding companies

The refinery is a share holding enterprise between the government of Sudan represented by the Ministry of Energy and Mining – Sudapet company – and the Chinese National Petrolum Company GNAC, that each of the two partners own 50%, contracted for some period of time with accost of 640 million dollars.

• The air. Unit.
• Penzin improvement unit.
• Dezil processing unit.
• Breaking unit.
• Acids removal unit.
• There are also other assisting units such as the cermal station.

The refinery covers 20% of the fuel requirements, provides the National Electricity network with 20 megawatt and covers 90% of the country’s gas oil requirements, The penzin production is fire folds more than the country’s need, also the gas production is more than the country’s requirement that it can covers this need up to 2002.

The refinery will export 500 thounds tones of benzine with high octeen annually, as for the gas surplus some of it will be used in the generation of electricity while the rest will be exported.

Some of the refinery qualities:

The Khartoum refinery is specially designed for the Sudanese crude oil, it is a number of a complex refinery, which is suitable for the introduction of petrochemical industries in the future