Civil works for the much awaited 900-mile the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) from Hoima in western Uganda to the Tanzanian sea port of Tanga port have commenced with above-ground installations in both countries.
The construction of the pipeline which is expected to cost $5 billion has a dealine of 2025 and Pearl Engineering Ltd, a subcontractor for early civil works and ground preparation, handed over one of the sites that will accommodate main camp pipe yard and pump station one in Hoima District, Uganda, to the pipeline main contractor China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Ltd (CPP).
“We are handing over this site to CPP to start works at pump station one. Then I leave to work on another site in Tanzania near Singida. Our target is to achieve completion by December 2025,” said Ahmed Arafatalifranji, Construction Lead for above ground installations (AGI) at Pearl Engineering.
While briefing journalists on field tour to assess progress of works at Kabale Hoima , Arafatalifranji said that CPP started works for construction of the first of Eacop’s two pump stations in Uganda, while the other four are in Tanzania
Each of of these pump stations will hold a 40-tonne facility that pump and maintain the flow of the low-sulphur Ugandan crude in a 24-inch heated pipeline, powered by a mix of grid hydro and solar.
The pipeline will consume 20MW of grid hydropower for the 296km in Uganda, while the longer stretch (1,147km) of the infrastructure that lies in Tanzania will use 60MW of solar energy, to power four pumping stations, two pressure reduction stations as well as the marine terminal and jetty at Tanga.
“All these installations and facilities will be subjected to hydrostatic testing, which is a big component of the safety of this pipeline,” says Lawrence Ssempagi, the Eacop Project Compliance Lead.
Ernest Rubondo, the Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has been in Beijing China with a Ugandan delegation to verify and validate Eacop and Kingfisher Development project activities in China, to ensure they were in tandem with Uganda’s accelerated timelines.
The team visited the Panyu Chu Kong (PCK) Steel Pipe Company Ltd, mill in Lianyungang as part of a verification and validation visit to the Kingfisher Development and Eacop project activities in China.
PCK, the firm contracted to supply line pipes to Eacop, gave assurances that the first batch of 100 kilometres of pipes are complete and in the process of being delivered to Tanga port in Tanzania. “We are committed to ensuring timely delivery and high-quality pipes,” said Xie Leshan, PCK president.
Government of Uganda in January 2023 issued a permit to the Eacop Company to construct the pipeline. The progress for detailed design for the Eacop pipeline and attendant facilities being undertaken by Worley in London and Dar el Salaam stands at 66 percent,” Energy Minister ruth Nankabirwa she said.
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Ms Nankabirwa says Uganda’s oil projects have suffered delays and shifted delivery timelines due to activists’ campaigns that have fiercely de-campaigned Eacop.
