Tanzania Approves Construction of New 900-Mile Crude Pipeline

(P&GJ) — The construction of a crude oil pipeline for $3.5 billion (€3.3 billion) has been approved by Tanzania's government.

The 1,443-km (900-mile) pipeline will carry crude from sizable oilfields being built in Lake Albert in northwest Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean for distribution to global markets, Fluid Handling International reported on Feb. 22.

Over 20 years after deposits were found in one of the most biodiverse places on earth, Uganda is likely to see its first oil flow in 2025.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), the project's operator, needed consent from both nations for the pipeline, and Uganda granted that clearance last month.

"This construction approval marks another step forward to EACOP as it allows commencement of the main construction activities in Tanzania, upon completion of the ongoing land access process," Wendy Brown, EACOP Tanzania general manager, told Fluid Handling International.

The Chinese National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC), France's TotalEnergies, the state oil firms of Tanzania and Uganda, as well as TotalEnergies, are all working together to build the oilfields and pipeline project.

It has been praised as a financial windfall for both East African nations.

Yet, the pipeline project has encountered fierce resistance from rights and environmental groups who claim that it threatens the region's vulnerable ecosystem and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.

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