Core construction of Uganda's first commercial oilfield development project undertaken by China completed

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 10, the core surface facilities of Uganda's Kingfisher oilfield, undertaken by China, passed mechanical completion acceptance, and the project further entered the production preparation stage. The Kingfisher oilfield is operated by CNOOC Uganda Limited. The central processing facility is designed with a crude oil processing capacity of 40,000 barrels per day, and the relevant facilities have now entered commissioning and start-up preparation.

The Kingfisher oilfield is located on the eastern shore of Lake Albert in Kikuube District, Uganda. The development plan includes 4 well pads and 31 wells, of which 20 are production wells and 11 are water injection wells. Project progress published by the Ugandan government in early September shows that 22 of the 31 planned wells have entered preparation status, with some wells having horizontal extensions exceeding 7 kilometers. Drilling and completion, perforation, swabbing, and flowback operations are underway. The oilfield has approximately 186 million barrels of 2P reserves and a planned peak crude oil production of approximately 40,000 barrels per day.

The core surface facilities include the central processing facility, well pad production facilities, lake water intake system, gathering and transportation pipelines, and related supporting works. The central processing facility is responsible for the separation of crude oil, water, natural gas, and production waste streams as well as crude oil stabilization. Supporting facilities include crude oil storage tanks, sludge storage facilities, separators, fire water systems, water treatment facilities, fuel gas compressors, substations, and loading facilities. The project also includes approximately 19 kilometers of intra-field gathering and transportation pipelines. On August 25, the pre-commissioning work of the central processing facility was completed, after which it moved into the final commissioning and start-up stage.

The EPC-3 package of the Kingfisher oilfield core surface facilities covers the central processing facility, well pad production facilities, internal flowlines, lake water intake, and water injection works. It is undertaken by a consortium composed of Offshore Oil Engineering Co., Ltd. and China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corp. The contract scope previously published by Uganda's petroleum authorities also includes engineering design, procurement, construction, installation, and pre-commissioning of the relevant production facilities.

The treated crude oil will be transported through an approximately 46–50 kilometer feeder pipeline to Pump Station 1 of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, and then enter the 1,443-kilometer-long East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which runs through Tanzania to the port of Tanga. The Ugandan government announced in early September that the overall completion of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline has reached 92.7%. The Kingfisher oilfield's first oil readiness has reached 98%, commissioning tests have begun, and the first batch of crude oil is planned to be produced before the end of September.

Associated gas from the Kingfisher oilfield is planned to be used for on-site power generation and liquefied petroleum gas production, with a planned power generation capacity of up to 80 MW. The oilfield is also planned to produce approximately 20,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas per year. After crude oil enters the export system, it will combine with crude oil from the Tilenga oilfield to form Uganda's "Pearl Sweet" export crude. The Uganda National Oil Company has determined that its government and state-owned share of crude oil is planned to enter the international market in early 2027.