South Sudan plans to auction licences for a number of new petroleum exploration blocks once it finished mapping them.
Director General of Petroleum Mohamed Lino Benjamin told a regional east African oil and gas conference on Tuesday that the oil ministry was working on a concession map to initiate the licensing for new blocks, Reuters reported.
He added that licensing would start by the end of this year.
South Sudan is currently operating ten oil exploration blocks mainly in Upper Nile and Unity states.
In October, they produced 3.8 million barrels of crude valued at over 371 million US dollars.
South Sudan said it intends to break up the vast Block B conceded to France’s Total since 1980.
Total suspended exploration in the block, located in Jonglei State, in 1985 because of escalating insecurity during the civil war with Sudan.