EACOP 79% complete, on track for July 2026 completion as Uganda upstream readies

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project is on track
for completion by July 2026, with construction progress reaching
79%, according to Tanzanian Energy Minister Deogratius Ndejembi,
speaking on January 6, while en route to Tanga for a joint site
visit by Uganda and Tanzania delegations.

EACOP, a 1,443-km heated crude oil pipeline linking Uganda’s
Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga, is a flagship
regional infrastructure project aimed at enabling Uganda’s entry
into the global oil export market.

Construction has advanced steadily despite earlier delays linked
to financing, procurement and environmental opposition, with
developers maintaining that the project remains within its revised
delivery timeline.

The project is being developed by a consortium led by
TotalEnergies (Euronext: TTE), alongside China National Offshore
Oil Company (SSE:600938), the Uganda National Oil Company and the
Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation.

On the upstream side, readiness is being driven by progress at
Tilenga and Kingfisher, Uganda’s two flagship Lake Albert
developments. Tilenga, operated by TotalEnergies (Euronext:TTE),
and Kingfisher, led by China National Offshore Oil Company
(SSE:600938), are designed to supply crude to EACOP once the
pipeline is commissioned.

Once completed, the pipeline is expected to transport up to
216,000bpd of Ugandan crude to international markets, underpinning
Uganda’s long-delayed oil production start-up and generating
transit revenues for Tanzania.

In terms of costs, EACOP is estimated to require about $5bn in
total capital expenditure, making it one of the most expensive
infrastructure projects ever undertaken in East Africa. The Tilenga
and Kingfisher upstream developments are each budgeted at several
billion dollars, lifting total investment across Uganda’s oil
export system well above $10bn.

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