National Parliament | Photo by Obaj Okuj | 04-06-2024

The National Parliament postponed discussions concerning the manner in which Malaysian oil company Petronas Carigali Nile Limited ended its 24-year operations in the country after a lawmaker tabling the motion cited a wrong name.

Lawmakers were expected to deliberate on the urgent matter of the oil subsidiary’s exit from South Sudan before the release of an environmental audit report.

The motion was to be tabled by Hon. Asha Abdalsalam Alawad, Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Livestock and Fisheries.

Abdalsalam raised concerns about the Malaysian company’s departure from South Sudan before the release of the environmental audit report, which was conducted last year by the Ministries of Petroleum and Environment.

But an issue came about when the lawmaker wrongly identified the Malaysian oil firm as Petronas International Corporation Limited.

The Minister of Environment, Josephine Napwon Cosmos, then clarified that the correct company name of the departing company is Petronas Carigali Nile Limited (PCNL).

“Right Honorable Speaker, the company that we are going to discuss today has no binding agreement with the Republic of South Sudan,” Napwon corrected.

“So, we need to do the corrections because the company that is existing South Sudan is called Petronas Carigali Nile Limited (PCNL).”

“The mover of the motion should get the right name to the company that we are going to discuss. Otherwise, we need to avoid the possible legal implications from this Petronas International Company.”

After a brief deliberation, Parliament Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba requested lawmakers to amend the motion, correct the company name, and retable the revised version tomorrow.

“The voices I’m hearing is that we need to go and put the right name in all the documents and then it will be brought back just to change the name and then you will retable it.”

“Hon. Asha, you may just go and do the typing and change the names all over the document. So just going and get the correct name from the minister. and then you do the correction tomorrow, it will be on the agenda.”

Petronas Carigali Nile Limited (PCNL) announced in August 2024 that it was withdrawing from South Sudan as part of its long-term investment plan.

The energy firm said the decision was made following two years of divestment initiatives, which started on the same year that South Sudan launched an environmental audit on oil companies.

However, Petronas’ departure after 24 years of operation in South Sudan has raised brows in Juba, as it came on the heels of the impending environmental audit report on oilfields.

South Sudan’s Minister of Investment recently told BNN Bloomberg that oil companies operating in the country, including outgoing subsidiary of the Malaysian oil and gas giant Petroliam Nasional Bhd, should restore the environment after years of widespread degradation.