The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) which is also known as the Uganda–Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline (UTCOP). This is a 1443 Km, 24-inch-wide carbon steel pipeline transporting crude oil from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania and into the Indian Ocean.

Within Uganda, it traverses 296km through ten (10) districts (that is Kikuube, Hoima, Kakumiro, Kyankwazi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule, Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera); involving twenty-five (25) sub-counties and one hundred seventy-one (171) villages; while in Tanzania, it traverses eight regions (Kagera, Geita, Shinyaga, Tabora, Singida, Dodoma, Manyara and Tanga) involving twenty (20) districts.

The pipeline is fed by crude from Uganda’s Tilenga and Kingfisher oil fields, which forms part of Uganda’s Western oil fields.

In 2006, the Kingfisher oil field was discovered on the eastern bank of Lake Albert, the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), spreading over 344 square km in the Albertine Rift basin in western Uganda.

The Kingfisher project/field which is operated and developed by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

The Tilenga oil fields are located Northeast of the Kingfisher oilfield in the Buliisa and Nwoya districts they are operated and developed by Total Energies making it the second oil field to feed into the EACOP.

Similar to any Oil & Gas related product or produce, before transporting it, there is a bit of processing that needs to be taken into consideration to remove certain impurities that pose a threat to transportation infrastructure, i.e., water, which could lead to corrosion, etc.

Buried pipelines will deliver the drilled crude to an oil treatment plant built in Kasenyi to separate and treat it before being fed in the EACOP trunk line moving it from Uganda to Tanzania.

The Route

In 2013, Uganda had agreed to build a joint Uganda–Kenya Crude Oil Pipeline (UKCOP) to the Kenyan port of Lamu. However, a reverse on the decision came in 2015, where the concerns regarding security and cost motivated parallel negotiations with Tanzania regarding a shorter and safer route to Port of Tanga, with the support of TotalEnergies.

Adding on the concern was the exposure of the Lamu port to south-easterly waves coming in over its banks, with the surrounding islands of Lamu, Manda, Mwamba, Chongoi, and Pate unable to shelter it, leaving the port vulnerable to high tides.

At the 13^th Northern Corridor Heads of State Summit, which was held in Kampala in April 2016, Uganda officially chose the Tanzania route for its crude oil, in preference to the Mombasa or Lamu routes through Kenya due to the spotted challenges.

The decision was based on one of the reports presented, concluding that the Hoima-Tanga route is the lowest-cost option for transporting crude oil to the East African coast.

The route presented the highest availability, lowest environmental footprint, and the shortest scheduled waiting time to deliver the first oil export.

Answering the challenge faced with Lamu Port vulnerability, the report stated that Pemba Island shelters Tanga Bay from the South-East African monsoon winds, reducing their wave heights to less than 1 metre with a minor impact on biodiversity.

The EACOP foundation stones were then laid in Tanga and Hoima, respectively, in August 2017 and November 2017.

The Crude Oil and its Considerations

Details on Uganda’s oil show that the crude has a high viscosity, making it hard to flow.

The EACOP will include heat tracing/heating to increase the crude oil’s temperature above its pour point, making it transferable all the way to Tanga and making EACOP the longest electrically heated pipeline in the world.

Pipeline operational temperatures will be maintained at 50°C by a combination of PUF (polyurethane foam) insulation and an EHT (electrical heat tracing) system, keeping the crude a flow.

As depicted from the pipeline route, the path will cross through numerous formations from hills and valleys and sometimes cut across water bodies.

While the crude oil begins its journey with its natural pressure, it loses momentum over time and distance due to friction losses as it moves in the pipeline. Thus, to get the crude to Tanga will require frequent boost/pump to increase the flowing head (pressure).

Several above-ground installations (AGIs), from pumping stations, electrical heat tracing stations, and block valve stations to loading facilities, will be installed along the way, making sure the crude reaches its intended endpoint.

The EACOP will have a total of six pumping stations and two Pressure Reduction Stations (PRS).

Uganda’s 296-km pipeline section consists of two pumping stations to keep the oil moving.

Tanzania’s 1,149km pipeline section consists of four pump stations. Two Pressure Reduction Stations (PRS), fifteen prefabricated Electrical Heat Tracing (EHT) substations, and an integrated SCADA system with redundant control functions via Fibre-Optic Cabling (FOC) and telecommunications.

Pump station locations are determined by pipeline/flow hydraulics, taking into account factors such as pipe size, topography, frictional losses related to the flow, and the location of other pumps in the system (i.e., pump-to-pump distance).

The selection of pump station locations also considers proximity to roads and power lines, land use, and environmental characteristics.

Ownership & Progress

The EACOP project was estimated to cost $3.5 billion around 2016; however, due to changes in timelines of execution, the figure has surged to roughly $ 4 billion, accounting for various changes, among which is inflation.

In April 2020, Tullow Oil Plc sold its interests in Uganda’s Lake Albert development project, including the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, to Total Energies for US$575 million, leaving 4 shareholders in the ownership of the pipeline, namely;

Table 1: EACOP Ownership (Source: Wikipedia)

With the project on schedule and the first pipelaying + burial of 1.4 Km taking place, it seems like we can expect EACOP to deliver its first oil by the fall of 2025.