Total's oil drilling rig at work
One of Total’s oil rigs
Government has revealed that drilling of oil wells at the Tilenga project is expected to commence in July 2023 as country moves closer to the the first oil target in 2025.
Gloria Sebikari, the Manager, Corporate Affairs & Public Relations at Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) made the revelation during a recent media tour of the Tilenga project. She did not however say when exactly the President is expected to launch it.
The Tilenga Project which sits on 775 acres of land is operated by TotalEnergies EP on behalf of Joint Venture Partners (CNOOC and UNOC) and is expected to produce 190,000 barrels of oil per day at peak.
Tilenga has 31 oil pads and 406 oil wells.
Drilling of oil wells in Tilenga will be carried out by rigs and so far, two rigs are on site.
Tilenga, the name of the project, was coined out of the two words, Til and Engabi, both meaning the Kob in Alur and Runyoro/Rugungu respectively.
The President launched drilling at the King Fisher project operated by CNOOC in January 2023.
James Amale, the Civil Works-Structural Supervisor for Tilenga Industrial Park, says the Tilenga project is made up of different facilities which serve different functions.
The Central Processing Facility (CPF) is one of the key facilities being constructed at Tilenga.
The CPF separates oil from the gas, water, sand, solvents, or additives it may contain before it is transported by the 95km feeder pipeline to the main refinery in Kaabale, Hoima.
Construction of the Support Base (CSB) for the Central Processing Facility (CPF) already commenced though there is fear that CPF may not be fully completed by early 2025.
However, Amale explained that production of oil could go on even when the CPF is not fully completed.
“Construction of the CPF is like constructing a house. You may take twenty years to construct, but it can not stop you from occupying it. You can decide to install the basic requirements, occupy it, then you complete it as time goes,” said Amale.
He explained that they are aiming at completing the water separation component of the facility within the timeline set by the government and the Joint Venture Partners.
According to Amale, even during the drilling process, they will not pump all the wells at the same time. He was confident that by July 2023, a section of the CPF will be ready.
Total’s operations are located in South of the Victoria Nile and North of the Victoria Nile.
According to Amale, in North of the Victoria Nile, they have 10 oil pads (where oil is drilled) which are located in Murchison National Park found in Nwoya district.
He adds that South of the Victoria Nile, they have have 21 oil pads scattered within the community in Buliisa district.
“The oil wells in the Northern part of the Victoria Nile are all in one line and the reason is to minimize foot print in the National Park. They will use a technology called directional drilling to extract the oil,” he said, adding that the oil will be connected to a single pipeline and cross the Victoria Nile up to the CPF.
He says oil in the Southern part of the Victoria Nile will also be connected to pipelines/flow lines and transported to the CPF.
He says the construction camp will accommodate 4,000 people/ workers at peak.
“Currently, it’s accommodating less than 1,000 people because it’s still under construction,” he says, adding that the project will also have a Drilling Support Base, a fire fighting house, main dinning, car parking and a football pitch, among other facilities.
He adds that the current camp is temporary, noting that a permanent camp that will accommodate 300 people will be constructed.
“They will be working here during the operation and maintenance period after the construction,” he said.
Total exits two wells
Ocitti Bob Felix, Manager of Operations and Compliance at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, revealed that TotalEnergies EP has written the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Authority informing them that it will not drill wells on two well pads located the North of Victoria Nile. The two well pads are Jobi East and Mpyo located in the Murchison Falls National Park in Nwoya district.
Ocitti said TotalEnergies has indicated that while the two wells are commercially viable, they are not economically viable.
In 2021, TotalEnergies announced that it will voluntarily reduce the footprint of the Tilenga project the Murchison Falls National.
The two well pads once fully relinquished can be put up for bidding by the government through the Ministry of Energy.
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