An oil refinery that should have been inaugurated in Bentui, in oil-producing Unity Sate, during the second independence anniversary celebrations should start operating in December.
State-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation managing director Paul Adong Deng told Bloomberg that by the end of 2014 South Sudan will be self-sufficient in fuel when a second refinery is ready in Upper Nile.
He said the Bentiu refinery will process 5,000 barrels a day and the Upper Nile plant 12,000.
The Bentiu facility is a joint venture between Nile Pet and Russia’s Safinat, with a 30 percent-70 percent split costing under 100 million US dollars, Mr Deng added.
The new refineries will also end the threat of oil production shutdowns since the industry has new crude outlets.
South Sudan imports 32 million litres of diesel and eight million of petrol every month from Kenya.