The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) is a

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

exploration and production company operating in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

. It was incorporated on 18 June 1997 and undertook construction of the

Greater Nile Oil Pipeline The Greater Nile Oil Pipeline is an important oil export pipeline in Sudan. It extends for approximately of which approximately 1.8 kilometres is submarine. It was constructed by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) and commence ...

which links Sudan's inland oil fields with refineries at

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

and

Port Sudan Port Sudan ( ar, بور سودان, Būr Sūdān) is a port city in eastern Sudan, and the capital of the state of Red Sea. , it has 489,725 residents. Located on the Red Sea, Port Sudan is recognized as Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% ...

. The GNPOC concession in the

Western Upper Nile Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a state in South Sudan. Unity state is in the Greater Upper Nile region. Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups: the Nuer majority, and the Dinka minority. In 2015, a presidentia ...

area includes the large

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...

and

Heglig Heglig, or Panthou (also spelled Pandthow or Heglieg), is a small town at the border between the South Kordofan state of Sudan and the Unity State in South Sudan. The entirety of Heglig is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan, but administered by ...

oil fields A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...

plus smaller fields at El Toor, El Noor, Toma South, Bamboo, Munga and Diffra.

Stakeholders

GNPOC is a joint operating company owned by: *

China National Petroleum Corporation The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) () is a major national oil and gas corporation of China and one of the largest integrated energy groups in the world. Its headquarters are in Dongcheng District, Beijing. CNPC was ranked fourth ...

: 40% * Petronas Carigali Overseas of Malaysia: 30% *

ONGC Videsh The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. ONGC was founded on 14 August 1956 by the ...

(the overseas arm of

ONGC The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is a central public sector undertaking under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. It is headquartered in New Delhi. ONGC was founded on 14 August 1956 by the ...

) of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

: 25% *

Sudapet The Sudan National Petroleum Corporation, also known as Sudapet, is a state-owned oil company based in Sudan. It was founded in 1997 and is 100% owned by the Ministry for Energy and Mining (later the Ministry of Petroleum and Gas). As a NOC, Su ...

(Sudan National Petroleum Corporation, the national oil company of Sudan): 5% Both

Gulf Petroleum A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...

and

Al Thani Corporation AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

formerly owned a 5% share each. Canadian company

Talisman Energy Talisman Energy Inc. was a Canadian independent petroleum company that existed between 1993 and 2015. The company was created from the assets of BP Canada after British Petroleum divested its 57 percent stake in June 1992. It was one of Canada' ...

(previously known as Arakis) was an original stakeholder. Its share was sold to ONGC Videsh in 2003. The U.S. government imposed economic sanctions against Sudan in 1997, due to the Sudanese government's alleged sponsorship of international terrorism and poor human rights record. The sanctions prohibited trade between the United States and Sudan, as well as investment by U.S. businesses in Sudan. In February 2000, the U.S. government extended its sanctions to include Sudapet and GNPOC. These sanctions were lifted after the

Sudanese revolution The Sudanese Revolution was a major shift of political power in Sudan that started with street protests throughout Sudan on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months, during which the 2019 Sudane ...

of 2018/19 and ensuing negotiations between the two governments at the end of 2020.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

GNPOC company website
Oil and gas companies of Sudan Companies based in Khartoum Energy companies established in 1997 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1997 1997 establishments in Sudan Oil and Natural Gas Corporation

Stakeholders

See also

References

External links