Uganda Reaffirms June 2027 First Oil Target as Crude Pipeline Construction Reaches 92%

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 14, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) reaffirmed at the 2026 Africa Energy Week conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, its plan to achieve first commercial oil production by the end of June 2027, followed by the launch of crude oil exports through the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Kristina Kasebayo, UNOC's Compliance Manager, stated that EACOP is currently approximately 92% complete, and the domestic refinery is scheduled to reach a final investment decision in February 2027, with a target completion date of 2030.

Uganda's first commercial crude oil will come from the Tilenga and Kingfisher oilfields. Tilenga, operated by TotalEnergies, has a planned peak daily production of approximately 190,000 barrels; Kingfisher, operated by CNOOC, has a planned peak daily production of approximately 40,000 barrels. Combined, the two projects have a planned peak daily production of approximately 230,000 barrels. Crude oil produced from both oilfields will enter the export transportation system.

EACOP spans approximately 1,443 kilometers, starting in the Hoima region of Uganda and ending at crude oil export facilities near the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The pipeline uses a heated transportation design to transport Uganda's high-wax crude oil. Uganda's construction progress announced in September 2026 was 92.7%, while the October Africa Energy Week conference adopted a completion figure of approximately 92%.

Uganda is also advancing the Hoima refinery project, with a designed crude oil processing capacity of 60,000 barrels per day. The project is being developed by UNOC in partnership with UAE-based Alpha MBM Investments, with planned equity stakes of 40% and 60% respectively. Front-end engineering design has been carried out for the project, with a final investment decision planned for February 2027 and a target completion date of 2030.

Uganda has named the blended crude oil produced from the Tilenga and Kingfisher oilfields Pearl Sweet. Crude oil from both oilfields will be gathered in the Hoima region and transported via EACOP to the marine export terminal in Tanzania.