East Africa is closing in on a historic first: crude oil exports from Uganda, as construction of the 1,443-kilometre East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) enters its final stages ahead of a planned completion by the end of July.
The heated pipeline, which will rank as the longest electrically heated crude oil line in the world, runs from Uganda’s Lake Albert oil fields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean. Exports are expected to begin in October, with the line designed to move more than 200,000 barrels a day once fully ramped up — a first for Uganda as a commercial crude exporter.
Oil will flow into EACOP from the Tilenga and Kingfisher fields in western Uganda, developed with partners TotalEnergies and China’s CNOOC. The pipeline company says the route has been pressure-tested and fitted with leak-detection systems capable of isolating sections in the event of a problem, and that it will run underground along its full length with operations overseen from multiple control stations.
Uganda first discovered its oil in 2006, with reserves estimated at 6.5 billion barrels and roughly 1.4 billion barrels considered recoverable; peak production is expected to eventually top 200,000 barrels a day. Around $10 billion has already gone into the sector, with authorities projecting $1-2.5 billion a year in revenue once exports are fully underway — money Ugandan officials say will help fund infrastructure and broader economic growth.
Environmental groups have continued to press for careful management of the ecosystems the pipeline crosses, including protected wildlife habitats and water resources in both Uganda and Tanzania, even as the two governments describe the project as a cornerstone of the region’s long-term development plans.
Source: (the-star.co.ke)