Uganda has successfully drilled 74 oil wells in its western and northern regions, setting the stage for commercial production to begin next year.
During a press conference in Kampala, Ruth Nankabirwa, Uganda’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, announced that the wells were drilled in the Tilenga and Kingfisher production areas.
This development follows the 2022 final investment decision by joint venture partners TotalEnergies E&P Uganda, China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) Uganda Limited, and Uganda National Oil Company to undertake various upstream projects on behalf of the Ugandan government.
The projects include the Tilenga and Kingfisher production areas, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) to transport crude oil to Tanzania’s coast, and the Uganda Refinery Project.
Minister Nankabirwa reported that 63 out of 426 planned wells have been drilled at the Tilenga project, with positive hydrocarbon shows in the targeted reservoirs.
The drilling efforts have focused on six of the 31 well pads, with three rigs currently operational. Additionally, seven other well pads are over 85% complete and ready to receive drilling rigs.
Civil works at the Tilenga Industrial Area, intended to host the central processing facility and other infrastructure, are 99.7% complete.
At the Kingfisher Oil Field, operated by CNOOC Uganda Limited, nine of the 11 wells needed for initial production have been successfully drilled.
The Kingfisher development plan includes a central processing facility with a capacity of 40,000 barrels per day and the drilling of 31 wells across four well pads.
Nankabirwa also highlighted that China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering and the EACOP construction contractor have begun civil works at the pump stations, main camp, and pipe yard sites in both Uganda and Tanzania.
The EACOP pipeline will stretch 1,443 km from Hoima District in western Uganda to Tanga Port in Tanzania.
Uganda initially discovered 6.5 billion barrels of oil in 2006, with 1.4 billion barrels deemed commercially viable.
