The remarks clarified recent ministerial comments, putting current oil production at 500,000 b/d.
Petrodar should start pumping at around 75,000 b/d, quickly rising to 125,000 b/d and reaching 150,000 b/d by the end of 2006, said an executive working on the project.
"It will be good to sustain 150,000 this year," he said, adding that the crude will likely sell at around dated Brent minus $7.
The project's maximum capacity will be around 300,000-350,000 b/d, the executive said, without specifying a timeframe for launch, saying the entire production and export system is currently undergoing testing.
The oil official said he was hopeful Petrodar production could reach 250,000 b/d this year.
Sudan's bedrock of output is the 300,000 b/d of Nile Blend produced from the Melut basin in Heglig, with other fields adding another 30,000 b/d, officials said.
This year, an extra 80,000 is scheduled to come from block 5a and another 30,000 b/d from block 6.
Petrodar is a joint venture between China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC.YY), which owns 41% of the venture, Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PET.YY), 40%, Sudan-owned Sudapet Ltd., 8%, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (0386.HK), 6%, Al Thani Investments, 5%.

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