Bernard Amuor Makeny, Managing Director of NilePet pictured during a visit to Eye Radio for Sundown talkshow, on October 27, 2023. (Photo: Lou Nelson).

The Managing Director of Nile Petroleum Corporation has called for the completion of the construction of two petroleum refineries in the oilfields to satisfy local market demands.

Eng. Bernard Amuor Makeny was speaking during the 13th Board of Directors meeting of the national oil firm on Saturday.

Amuor said completing the construction of the refineries will enable the country to have an alternative way of selling the crucial oil after the Sudan conflict placed several constraints on the country’s oil export.

The official said the NilePet board appealed to the government to build a refinery with a capacity of 50.000 barrels per day.

“We updated the board on the challenges and conflict in Sudan and how NILEPET positions itself to ensure that we have an alternative solution and one of the crucial and essential items, fully supported and endorsed by the board, is the matter of refinery,” Amuor told state-owned television SSBC.

“We emphasized to the board the need to complete the current existing refinery and construct a new refinery in Block 5 which has the potential to produce up to 50.000 barrels a day.”

The Board reportedly encouraged continued investments in all value chains of the oil and gas industry, particularly in upstream, midstream, and downstream activities.

The Ministry of Presidential Affairs, and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of NilePet, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin called on the concerned ministries to join efforts to develop the oil industry.

“One of the most important things is the issue of the new set-up in the area of the oil itself, in terms of raising enough revenue and the staff set up and are doing good work,” he said.

“That needs support not only for the government alone, but equally the support of other institution like the Ministry of Petroleum as well the Minister of Finance so that they cooperate and work together shoulder to shoulder in order to raise revenue for the country.”

The oil refinery project is a joint venture project between Safinat and the National Oil and Gas Corporation of South Sudan (Nilepet).

In August 2023, Vice President Taban Deng Gai commissioned two ferries meant to transport oil from the refineries in Unity State and other goods and said such investment will reduce the cost of electricity in Juba City.