Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company
The GNPOC concession in the Western Upper Nile area includes the large Unity and Heglig oil fields plus smaller fields at El Toor, El Noor, Toma South, Bamboo, Munga and Diffra.
Headquarters
GNPOC Headquarters building is known the Greater Nile Petroleum Oil Company Tower or GNPOC Tower. The building is a high-rise building in Khartoum, Sudan. Construction of the 65.72 m (215.6 ft), 18-storey building was finished in 2010 and was designed by KEO International Consultants. The 14,000 m (150,000 sq ft) building housed the headquarters of the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company and it was designed by KEO International Consultants.
On 17 September 2023, the building suffered heavy fire damage amid the 2023 Sudan war during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces.
Stakeholders
GNPOC is a joint operating company owned by:
- China National Petroleum Corporation: 40%
- Petronas Carigali Overseas of Malaysia: 30%
- ONGC Videsh (the overseas arm of ONGC) of India: 25%
- Sudapet (Sudan National Petroleum Corporation, the national oil company of Sudan): 5%
Both Gulf Petroleum and Al Thani Corporation formerly owned a 5% share each. Canadian company Talisman Energy (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 of 2018/19 and ensuing negotiations between the two governments at the end of 2020.