Overview:
The 24-inch heated pipeline, reinforced with fiber-optic cables for real-time monitoring, will traverse 10 Ugandan districts before crossing into Tanzania, with commissioning scheduled for 2026.
Contractors building the $5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) have completed 1,100 kilometers of the 1,443-kilometer route linking Uganda’s Albertine oil fields to Tanzania’s Tanga Port—marking 76 percent progress.
The joint venture between China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co. Ltd and Worley Limited has so far laid 380 kilometers in Uganda and 720 kilometers in Tanzania.
Hadi Watfa, the project’s Above Ground Installation Manager, says that over 762 kilometers have already been welded, 325 kilometers coated, and 104 kilometers fully buried.
He adds that 70 percent of construction at Pump Station One (PS1) in Hoima District—critical for channeling crude from Tilenga and Kingfisher projects into the pipeline—is complete. The facility is expected to be ready by mid-2026, with pre-commissioning beginning earlier that year.
The 24-inch heated pipeline, reinforced with fiber-optic cables for real-time monitoring, will traverse 10 Ugandan districts before crossing into Tanzania, with commissioning scheduled for 2026.
Yet the milestone comes against a backdrop of fierce opposition. Local and international campaigners continue to raise alarms over the displacement of more than 100,000 people, alleged forced evictions, and risks to sensitive ecosystems. In 2022, the European Parliament called for a one-year delay, citing human rights violations and potential damage to Lake Albert, Murchison Falls National Park, and other protected areas.
EACOP is jointly owned by TotalEnergies E&P Uganda (62%), Uganda National Oil Company (15%), Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (15%), and CNOOC Uganda (8%). While its developers tout engineering progress and energy potential, critics say the true test lies in whether the project can balance economic ambitions with environmental and social justice.