"Uganda Launches Controversial $10 Billion Oil Drilling Program in Kingfisher Field"

Image source: (Unsplash.com-Zbynek burival)

The Kingfisher field, a verdant and bountiful oil reserve located beneath the tranquil waters of Lake Albert in western Uganda, has officially been commissioned for drilling as the country embarks on a $10 billion scheme to develop its oil reserves and construct a colossal pipeline to transport the crude to international markets via an Indian Ocean port in Tanzania. This ambitious endeavor, which has incited the ire of environmental groups, is expected to yield 40,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak and Uganda's first oil is anticipated to flow in 2025, almost two decades after the reserves were first discovered.

The Kingfisher field, operated by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is part of a larger scheme that aims to tap into the estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude under the lake, of which about 1.4 billion are recoverable. The reserves are expected to last up to 30 years, with production peaking at 230,000 barrels a day. The overall project is being jointly developed by CNOOC, France's TotalEnergies, along with the state-owned Uganda National Oil Company.

However, the plans to tap the oil at Lake Albert, a 160-kilometre (100-mile) long body of water separating Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo, have run into strong opposition from rights activists and environmental groups who argue that it threatens the region's fragile ecosystem and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people. The fields are located in several natural reserves, one of which extends to Murchison Falls, the country's largest national park.

Despite the opposition and calls by the EU parliament last year for it to be delayed over rights concerns, the government has vowed to plough ahead with the scheme. Uganda last week issued a licence for the construction of a $3.5 billion heated pipeline that will run from Lake Albert to the Tanzanian port of Tanga. At 1,443 kilometres (900 miles), it is set to become the longest of its type when completed. The licence was granted to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Company Ltd, which is 62 percent owned by TotalEnergies. The state oil companies of Uganda and Tanzania hold 15 percent each, with the remainder owned by CNOOC.

The official launch of the drilling campaign marks a significant milestone for Uganda as it strives to join the ranks of crude-producing nations and reap the potential economic benefits of its oil reserves. However, it remains to be seen how the country will balance the exploitation of its natural resources with the preservation of its unique and fragile ecosystem and the rights of its people.

source:t(hecitizen.co.tz)

#Oil #Uganda #Kingfisher #LakeAlbert

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