On Friday, August 24, a Chinese company signed an agreement with South Sudan’s state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet) to build modern oil refinery and storage facilities in South Sudan, according to Xinhua.
Wu Song, President of Shengli Oilfield Keer Engineering and Construction Company (SOKEC), and Muhammad Lino Benjamin, Managing Director of Nilepet, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that marks the beginning of Chinese investment in South Sudan.
Benjamin praised SOKEC for its role in South Sudan’s development. “With this MoU, we look forward to turning it into tangible agreements and projects together,” he said during the signing ceremony in Juba.
Wu committed to moving forward with the investment, focusing on improving production capabilities and operational efficiency. “We will commence preparation work on the refinery and storage facilities as soon as possible,” he stated.
A high-level delegation from the Chinese firm starts a two-day visit this Monday to the Tharjiath oil fields in Unity State to inspect the facilities and evaluate the current state of refinery operations.