Uganda and Tanzania have set April 11, 2021 as a new date for the much anticipated launch of the Tilenga Development Project and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The event was initially planned to take place on Monday, March 22, 2021 at Entebbe State House before it was rescheduled following the death of Tanzania’s former President Gen Dr John Pombe Joseph Magufuli on March 17.
This website understands that the former vice president now President Samia Hassan Suluhu was to represent Magufuli who was by then hospitalised.
It remains unclear if Ms Suluhu will attend the April 11 function.
Uganda expects to close the long awaited Final Investment Decision (FID) with international oil companies including France’s Total E&P and China’s CNOOC in April.
Closing the FID means launching Uganda’s oil project to the next development and construction phases and subsequently starting of commercial oil production tentatively by 2025.
It is anticipated that people will benefit from the project through job creation, local content, logistics development, new infrastructure, technology transfer and enhancement of the trade corridor between Uganda, Tanzania, East Africa and internationally.
The EACOP is a 14,433km crude oil export infrastructure that will transport Uganda’s crude oil from Kabaale village in Hoima district, Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsular near Tanga in Tanzania for export to the international market.
This major export system of 296km in Uganda and 1,147km in Tanzania comprises a 24inch insulated buried pipeline, six pumping stations with two in Uganda and four in Tanzania and a marine export terminal.
In Uganda, it will cover a distance of 296km through 10 districts starting from Hoima to Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule, Lwengo, Kyotera, Rakai and 25 sub-counties.
In Tanzania, it will cover a distance of 1,147km through eight regions including Kagera, Geita, Shinyanga, Tabora, Singida, Dodoma, Manyara and finally Tanga and 24 districts.
