Uganda Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in uganda, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Oil and Gas
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Overview

Approximately 1.4 billion of Uganda’s 6.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, located mostly on its western border with the DRC, are estimated to be economically recoverable.  French firm TotalEnergies, and CNOOC, hold licenses to develop these resources.  In February 2022, TotalEnergies EP Uganda, CNOOC Uganda Limited, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) announced that they had reached the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the upstream oil production projects and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).  Over the last year, Uganda has seen significant investment in the oil sector. The Ugandan government expects oil sector development will require several billion dollars of infrastructure investment to build and support a refinery, two central processing facilities, and the 1,445 km EACOP pipeline — the world’s longest heated pipeline.  In 2018, the Albertine Graben Energy Consortium (AGEC) – a U.S.-led group of companies including Baker Hughes-General Electric, YAATRA Africa, and the Italian engineering firm Saipem – won the right to finance, build, and operate a planned $4.5 billion oil refinery.  Negotiations towards FID are ongoing.  A consortium led by U.S.-McDermott International and Chinese-Sinopec was awarded the $2 billion for engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning (EPCC) for the development of 31 well beds and a central processing facility of the Tilenga onshore oil field that will generate up to 200,000 barrels per day, operated by TotalEnergies.

The Petroleum Authority of Uganda requires that all firms seeking to participate in Uganda’s oil sector register with its National Supplier Database.  For instructions on this process, please see:  U.S. Embassy Kampala – Commercial Opportunities.  

Opportunities

International oil companies are increasingly looking for service subcontractors including engineers, housing construction, road infrastructure design and construction, environmental hazard controls, and vocational training services.

Resources

Petroleum Authority of Uganda – National Supplier Database  

Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development

Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines of Uganda

 

TotalEnergies [licensed oil production company]

E-mail: ep.tepuinfo@totalenergies.com

 

CNOOC Uganda Ltd. [licensed oil production company]

E-mail: cnooc@cnooc.com.cn

 

McDermott [EPCC Contractor hired by TotalEnergies]

Website: https://www.mcdermott.com/

 

Yaatra Ventures [project developer for the refinery consortium - AGEC]Website: https://www.yaatraventures.com/

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