Energulf Resources Inc. ENGFF

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Firms battle it out for oil drilling rights in DR Congo Ituri district

KINSHASA (Xinhua) -- Exploration activities carried out by experts from Fleurette group have this week confirmed presence of oil deposits in Ituri district in the northeast of Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

The experts said the deposits could produce over 50,000 barrels of oil per day for the next fifty years.

Fleurette group said on Monday the discovery of oil in Ituri followed seismic tests on Lake Albert’s bloc I and II, and added that the oil deposits could be equivalent to the oil on the section of Lake Albert in Uganda.

It has emerged that the discovery of oil in Ituri risks opening a new battle for the control of this fossil energy between petroleum firms that want to exploit the deposits.

Sources from DR Congo’s energy ministry said international energy companies such as Total, Shell, Oil of Congo, Soco and Tullow were already in Kinshasa trying to win permits to drill the oil.

The official added that production of 50,000 barrels of oil per day could increase DR Congo’s gross domestic product by 25 percent.

However, another expert from Oil of Congo noted that the start of exploration activities will require major infrastructure investments in terms of roads, ports and relocation of the current port on Lake Albert.