Ugandan authorities say roughly three-quarters of the multibillion-dollar East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has now been constructed, marking a major step toward the country’s long-awaited entry into commercial oil production.
The pipeline — valued at about $5 billion — will transport crude from Uganda’s oilfields in the Albertine region to Tanzania’s port of Tanga, where it will be shipped to global markets. Uganda now expects oil production to begin in the second half of next year after nearly 20 years of delays.
According to the Uganda Petroleum Authority, all pipeline segments have been delivered to construction sites along the 1,443-kilometre route. The project, which is designed as the world’s longest electrically heated crude pipeline, is key to unlocking production at oilfields being developed under a $15 billion investment led by TotalEnergies and CNOOC.
Authorities say more than $3.3 billion has already gone into building the pipeline, with TotalEnergies holding a majority stake. National petroleum companies in Uganda and Tanzania, as well as CNOOC, make up the remaining shareholders.
Uganda’s regulator added that ongoing investments of over $4 billion are being channelled into the broader petroleum sector in preparation for first oil.
This includes infrastructure and drilling work at the Kingfisher and Tilenga fields, where development is reported to be 60% and 74% complete, respectively.
The government maintains that once the pipeline is fully operational, Uganda’s crude oil will finally reach international markets, turning the long-anticipated oil project into a major economic driver for the region.
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