Uganda's oil extraction shows progress after the erection of Kingfisher rig

CNOOC Uganda has erected the Kingfisher rig on location, in  Lake Albert, as drilling plans move on well despite resistance from foreigners who are working against the project .

Uganda National Oil Corporation  (UNOC) linked the progress to the target of first oil in 2025.

The Chinese company (CNOOC) is the operator of the Kingfisher field, which will produce around 40,000 barrels per day at peak.

Most of the Lake Albert production will come from the Tilenga field, which TotalEnergies operates.Tilenga will provide around 210,000 barrels per day.

The Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) official on November 5 said the rig was on its way to Tilenga, from the Mombasa port.

The Lake Albert project, and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) in particular, have come under uncalled for  criticism under the guise of climate activism despite the  Efforts that have been taken to reduce emissions from the project.

Total has also signed on to work with the Ugandan government in developing 120 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) last week. The solar PV plan was part of the original investment decision on the Lake Albert project, from February 2022.

UNOC CEO Proscovia Nabbanja, speaking last week at the Adipec conference, defended the environmental credentials of the Ugandan plan.

“We have an opportunity to do something about it. With these projects in the offing we can actually create solutions in our plan. We are not retrofitting, we do not have systems that are emitting lots, we can do it better right from the start,” she said.

Emerging questions around geopolitics and energy security push Uganda more to focus on developing its domestic industry, including refining, she said. “You’re going to see a lot of value addition in country.”