China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), in partnership with French oil tycoon TotalEnergies, operate the Kingfisher oil field in Uganda. Also, TotalEnergies is in charge of running the Tilenga oil field.
At its peak, the Kingfisher oilfield could produce 40,000 barrels of oil per day, while Tilenga oil field could also produce 190,000 barrels. Both oilfields would play a significant role in a large national project, that is expected to be done in two years.
The recoverable oil reserves of Uganda are thought to be at least 1.4 billion barrels. Drilling would commence early this year, and the project should be done in two years.
Gloria Sebikari, Corporate Affairs Manager for the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, asserted that, the nation is scheduled to start the production of oil by 2025. According to her, $6.9 billion in contracts would be awarded, $1.8 billion of which will go to regional businesses.
“Two projects will produce the crude oil project that’s the Kingfisher project and the Tilenga project. Those two projects will produce oil and this produced oil will be commercialized through two other projects, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, that will run from here, Hoima, to Tanzania to export crude oil, and then the Uganda refinery project, that will be used to process our crude oil into petroleum products for use.”
Gloria Sebikari, Corporate Affairs Manager for the Petroleum Authority of Uganda.
According to Sebikari, construction on the 1,443-kilometer East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is anticipated to start this year. The petroleum would be transported from reserves near Lake Albert in western Uganda to Tanga, Tanzania’s Indian Ocean port, making it the longest heated oil pipeline in the world.
However, concerns have been expressed about the $2.5 billion project by organizations, claiming that, the pipeline poses a major environmental risk. Also, the Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda would have some oil wells drilled inside of it. Here, the Nile plunges 130 feet through a narrow 20-foot fissure.
Following that, the pipeline would travel through seven forest reserves and two game parks, following Lake Victoria, which provides freshwater to 40 million people.
On the other hand, despite claims from TotalEnergies that, the pipeline’s cutting-edge design, would guarantee security for many years, several environmental groups have opposed the project in part, because of its ecological vulnerability.
The Lawsuit
On Tuesday, June 26, 2023, environmental organizations submitted a civil lawsuit in Paris, against TotalEnergies, four months after a related action brought by activists was unsuccessful.
The newly filed lawsuit alleged that, TotalEnergies violated land and food rights during its six-year period, and blamed the destructions on the company’s purported failure to follow France’s “duty of vigilance” statute.
These allegations have long and always been refuted by TotalEnergies. When TotalEnergies took over the Tilenga project, a particular set of people were designated for compensation, either monetary or in the form of homes.
Juliet Akumu, 52, who recently acquired a home close to the development area, claimed that, she has been worried about the environmental pollution brought on by the oil field. She said, the entire town was recently blanketed in a dust cloud.
“The major problem we have experienced so far was a couple of days ago, there was a huge dust that originated from the construction site and all of us were covered in that dust.”
Juliet Akumu.
According to Sebikari from the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, all gaps and environmental issues resulting from the project have been fixed.
“I believe a lot of the issues being raised by the activists are out of either misinformation or deliberate disinformation. As government and the project partners, we have taken deliberate steps to ensure that the oil and gas projects are developed sustainably, we have taken care of the environment and biodiversity concerns. We are also ensuring that the livelihoods of the communities surrounding these operations are improved alongside the development of the projects.”
Gloria Sebikari, Corporate Affairs Manager for the Petroleum Authority of Uganda.
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