Construction of the long-awaited Tanzania-Uganda crude oil pipeline is expected to start in August 2016 and to be completed in 2019, officials said according to Daily News. The 1,403km pipeline will link oil fields in Uganda’s Lake Albert, in the Hoima region to Tanga port in Tanzania.
Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) Executive Director, Dr James Mataragio, said in a statement that the $4b oil pipeline project is to ship 200,000b/d and it is envisaged to speed up socio-economic development between the two eastern African nations.
The crude oil pipeline will be carried out by three oil firms–UK’s Tullow Oil PLC, France’s Total E&P, and China’s Cnooc.
The project is also envisaged to create 15,000 jobs during its execution after which it will employ between 1,000 and 2,000 people, New Ghana reported.
The project will also open up regional integration in the energy sub-sector taking into consideration that Uganda is in need of natural gas from Tanzania to power processing of the iron ore.
