Current and awe: Russia to restore electricity in Sudan
Russian companies will participate in the restoration of Sudan's energy infrastructure and the development of its industrial potential. This was reported to Izvestia by the country's Minister of Energy and Oil Industry, Al-Muatasim Ibrahim. According to him, Moscow and Khartoum have agreed on joint projects in the field of hydropower, modernization of power grids and increasing electricity generation capacity. In addition, the Russian side will increase the efficiency of existing hydropower plants in Sudan by about 20-30%. Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance of the Republic, Ibrahim Mohamed Djibril, informed Izvestia about negotiations on the creation of a settlement mechanism between the countries in national currencies. The country, which has survived two years of civil war, expects that cooperation with Russia will help accelerate economic recovery and increase the country's energy supply.
Russia modernizes hydroelectric power plant in Sudan
Russia and Sudan have agreed to develop a partnership in the field of energy and modernization of electric networks. The goal of the joint efforts will be to increase electricity generation and restore the critical infrastructure of the African republic. The Minister of Energy and Oil Industry of Sudan, Al-Muatasim Ibrahim, told Izvestia about this. According to him, Moscow and Khartoum have already started exchanging technical data to prepare future agreements.
— Russian companies are currently working with us to develop power grids and increase power generation capacity. We have already provided them with data on gas fields and expect that cooperation will move into a practical phase after studying calculations and parameters," the minister said.
He added that we are talking about large—scale investment projects in the energy sector, the oil industry and hydropower. The parties are currently agreeing on an action plan that will form the basis for signing official documents. In other words, memoranda of understanding already exist, but now the parties need to finalize a joint action plan and conclude appropriate agreements.
— Two Russian companies have said that they are ready to come and participate in the plan for the development of existing and new fields. One of them is Gazprom. We discussed the details with Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev," said Al—Muatasim Ibrahim. — The Russian side has expressed its readiness to move forward, the signing of agreements is expected in the near future.
Izvestia sent a request to Gazprom.
Special attention is being paid to the modernization of Sudan's hydroelectric power plants. Khartoum expects to increase their capacity with the help of Russian technologies.
— There is an agreement that the Russian side will help us increase the capacity of existing hydroelectric power plants. Russia has experience and technology in this field. She has already built small dams in Sudan and now plans to participate in the modernization of our existing hydroelectric power plants to increase their efficiency and capacity by about 20-30%," the minister explained.
Russia and Sudan discuss switching to national currencies
Sudanese Finance Minister Ibrahim Mohamed Djibril, in a conversation with Izvestia, stressed that Khartoum sees Russia as one of the key partners in economic recovery.
— We want Russian companies to participate in the reconstruction of the country in all areas — energy, industry, infrastructure, construction of ports and railways. There are many opportunities, and we welcome their participation," he said.
According to Djibril, negotiations are also underway between the central banks of the two countries on the creation of a settlement mechanism in national currencies. "Negotiations are still ongoing, but the parties are determined to conclude them positively," the minister said.
After two years of civil war, Sudan is facing the need for large-scale post-conflict reconstruction: much of the infrastructure has been destroyed, millions of citizens have been displaced, and the economy remains unstable. In these circumstances, the country's authorities are counting on Russian participation in energy and industrial projects as an alternative to Western investors.
Under the new agreements, Russia will be able to explore and develop more than 20 oil fields, including the Red Sea and western regions of Sudan. In addition, it is planned to develop hydro and thermal generation within the framework of the Meroe dam project, modernize the Rozeyr and Sennar HPPs, as well as involve Russian refineries in fuel processing.
Since 2023, clashes have continued in Sudan between the armed forces and the Rapid Reaction Forces (RFS) for control of strategic territories. The return of Khartoum to government control in March this year was a landmark event, but the fighting is shifting to the south (Kurdistan) and east (Darfur), causing massive displacement and destruction of infrastructure. A humanitarian crisis persists in Northern Darfur, especially in El Fasher, with shelling and blockades exacerbating shortages of food and services. The UN's attempts to achieve a humanitarian pause have not been successful. In addition, in July, the SBR declared control over the area bordering Egypt and Libya, which expanded the battlefront.
The Sudanese side previously reported that Moscow is considering the possibility of sending floating platforms to support the energy supply of the city of Port Sudan. The Russian presence in the Red Sea is of strategic importance and will provide Sudan with modern technologies for gas exploration.
Currently, about half of the Sudanese oil fields are located in conflict-affected areas, but the remaining ones are located in safe areas and are available for development. The total volume of oil production in the country is about 20 thousand barrels per day. At the same time, 70% of all electricity in Sudan is generated by hydroelectric power plants, and upgrading these capacities with Russian assistance will be one of the priorities.
Sudanese expert Osman Mirgni notes that the country is facing an acute shortage of electricity, exacerbated by the devastation caused by the civil war. The sector's infrastructure was affected — power plants, distribution lines. According to him, Sudan needs not only to restore lost capacity, but also to dramatically increase production, diversify energy sources and expand coverage.
Cooperation with Sudan opens up opportunities for Russia to strengthen its position in the strategically important Red Sea region and expand access to the natural resources of the African country.
Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Khartoum were established back in 1956. Today, the creation of a logistics center for the Russian Navy in Sudan remains a key area of bilateral cooperation. Moscow emphasizes that this project will contribute to the stabilization of the region and create favorable conditions for the inflow of investments. Earlier, former Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Yousef Sharif announced a full understanding with Russia on this issue.
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