Uganda’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has approved the Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The certificate was issued to Total East Africa Midstream B.V on 3rd December 2020. It is to pave the way for the 1,442-kilometre crude oil export pipeline system that will transport Uganda’s crude oil from Hoima in Uganda to a maritime port facility on the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tonga in Tanzania.
The approval is necessary for the Ugandan section of the pipeline, as the Authority is to monitor the project to ensure that the conditions of approval of the certificate are being adhered to.
The Executive Director of NEMA, Dr Tom Okurut said, “Monitoring is a continuous process and will be undertaken during construction, operation and decommissioning phases. This, we shall do to ensure that the health, safety and security of the communities, workers and the environment are all respected.”
The Project Manager for EACOP, Martine Tiffen said, “This is a significant milestone for the project and is the result of several years of collaborative work with many specialists and stakeholders to reach this point. EACOP project will yield substantial foreign direct investment in Uganda and Tanzania during the construction phase.”
The Director of Petroleum Refining, conversion, transmission and storage at the Petroleum Authority Uganda, Dozith Abeinomugisha said, “EACOP will provide a wide range of social, economic benefits to the country and the region including serving as a regional infrastructure to deliver crude oil and other oil fields in the region to the market.”
