Uganda plans to export its first crude on 30 October, according to energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa.
Production from the Lake Albert crude development will begin on 31 July, she said, reiterating a timeline given by state-owned Unoc earlier this year.
The crude will be moved through the 1,443km east African crude oil pipeline (Eacop) to the port of Tanga on the Tanzanian coast. Nankabirwa said construction of the pipeline is in its final phase.
"After touring the ongoing construction sites, I am confident that these set dates will be met without any hindrance," she said. Nankabirwa said Uganda was racing to catch up with the current rising crude prices and said she was hopeful the timing was right. She did not give a projected size for the initial export cargo, nor any details about how this will be priced. The Lake Albert project's 230,000 b/d plateau production is scheduled to be reached within two years of first oil, with the plan being for that to be maintained for five to six years.
Uganda is also planning a $4bn, 60,000 b/d capacity refinery to be supplied by the Lake Albert fields. Nankabirwa said refined products exports via Tanzania will follow when the refinery is operational.
The US-Israel–Iran war has sparked a scramble by African nations to secure new sources of fuels supply, with many in the region reliant on cargoes from the Mideast Gulf. Higher prices and extra costs of longer-distance shipping are putting strains on state budgets.
TotalEnergies holds a 57pc interest in the Lake Albert upstream development, while Cnooc holds 28pc and Unoc 15pc. TotalEnergies, Cnooc and Unoc hold 62pc, 8pc and 15pc respectively in Eacop, with the state-owned Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation holding 15pc.
