The Executive Director for Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) Ernest Rubondo is in the Albertine region, inspecting the Tilenga project, ahead of oil drilling.
Mr. Rubondo will spend three days assessing the readiness of the infrastructure for the Tilenga project to see if it is fit for drilling to start. Tilenga, which is owned by TotalEnergies intends to commence drilling operations at the Jobi-Rii field very soon, according to information posted by the Petroleum Authority on their Twitter handle.
“Our ED @ErnestRubondo has commenced a 3-day supervisory working field visit to the Tilenga and Kingfisher projects. During the visit, he will assess the progress of works on the two projects,” Twitted PAU on their official handle.
Initially, it was expected that drilling operations at the Tilenga project would begin around October 2022, but this never came to pass because the Petroleum Authority has not yet granted approval for drilling at any of the projects.
Drilling permission, it is believed will be granted once the Authority ascertains the availability and readiness of the infrastructure, which is commensurate with modern drilling standards.
Mr. Rubondo’s visit comes against the backdrop of serious concerns raised by the Petroleum Authority over the heightened reports of shoddy work by Ugandan contractors on drilling projects, warning that most of them risk losing contracts.
It should be noted that TotalEnergies has already imported two drilling rigs from China, which have successfully passed endurance tests at the Honghua Factory in Guanghan City.
The first rig was handed over to TotalEnergies EP Uganda’s contractor, ZPEB, in early February of the preceeding year. According to the information posted on PAU’s Twitter handle, Tilenga project recently indicated that the rigs have been installed and are ready for launching, awaiting the President’s presence.
President Yoweri Museveni in January this year inaugurated the drilling at the Kingfisher Development Project in Kikube district, which is being developed by CNOOC, a significant stakeholder in the Tilenga Project.
The Tilenga Project, operated by TotalEnergies EP Uganda is an embodiment of three production licenses, including the Jobi-Rii field, which is scheduled for drilling in a few months to come.
Operations at the Tilenga project have delayed because it is located within Murchison Falls national park, necessitating a cautious approach, as opposed to the Kingfisher project, whose operations begun late January.
The final investment decision (FID) for the project, along with the Kingfisher Development Area and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), was announced in February 2022.
The project also encompasses a Central Processing Facility (CPF) with capacity to process 190,000 barrels of oil and 700,000 barrels of total liquid per day. Drilling operations will commence after approval from the Petroleum Authority and the completion of detailed engineering designs for the CPF.
It will also involve the drilling of over 426 wells, including the 200 water injector wells, 196 oil producer wells, 2 polymer pilot wells and 28 reference wells, which are planned to be drilled on 31 well-pads.
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