Uganda’s long-awaited journey to become a crude oil exporter is now on a fast track, as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) enters its final year of construction. The 1,443-kilometre pipeline, which runs from Uganda’s Albertine Graben to Tanga Port in Tanzania, is expected to be completed by mid-2026, setting the stage for Uganda’s first oil exports in the second half of the year.
The EACOP project, which has faced multiple delays due to the withdrawal of early financiers and environmental opposition, is now gaining momentum with increased pace in construction. The pipeline is a key component of Uganda’s ambition to tap into its 6.5 billion barrels of commercially viable crude oil reserves, first discovered nearly 20 years ago.
Hadi Watfa, EACOP’s Lot-1 project manager, confirmed last week that the Pump Station 1 (PS-1) site, located in Hoima, is currently 67% complete, with major civil works nearing the finish line. He stressed that June 2026 remains the milestone target for all infrastructure completion.
A critical portion of the work — a 75-kilometre stretch of 24-inch pipeline — linking the Waiga River near Lake Albert to Kabalega Industrial Park (KIP), is expected to be finalized by December 2025. This segment connects directly to Tilenga, Uganda’s flagship upstream oil project, operated by TotalEnergies, with a planned production capacity of 190,000 barrels per day (bpd).
Running parallel to Tilenga is the Kingfisher oilfield, a smaller 40,000 bpd project managed by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Kingfisher is ahead of schedule, with its 50-kilometre feeder pipeline already 95% completed and buried, awaiting final hookup to PS-1.
PS-1, the largest of the pumping stations along EACOP, will serve a dual function of metering and blending crude oil from both Tilenga and Kingfisher before pushing it into the main pipeline. The pumping process will rely on massive 40-tonne mechanical pumps that can handle high-volume, high-pressure flow.
So far, the project has seen a total spend of $3.6 billion, covering not just pipelines but also support infrastructure, environmental controls, and engineering challenges across wetlands, rivers, roads, and elevated terrain. According to Shafiq Mohamad, a mechanical quality control engineer, the team has already executed over 500 pipe bends, with another 2,000 to 3,000 bends still required in Uganda alone due to topographical variations.
To finance the remaining works, EACOP secured a $1 billion syndicated loan in March 2025 from a consortium of African banks, including Stanbic Bank Uganda and KCB Bank Group. This funding came after early environmental protests delayed international financing, prompting TotalEnergies and partners to inject additional equity financing to keep the project afloat.
Uganda’s EACOP deputy construction engineer, Moses Kirumira, expressed optimism that the Tilenga feeder pipeline will be completely buried by year-end, with only the Waiga River crossing and possible heavy rains standing in the way of completion.
The China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co. Ltd. (CPP), contractor for Uganda’s 296-kilometre section (Lot-1), has reportedly made faster progress compared to Tanzania’s portion of the pipeline, especially in areas of pipe fabrication, terrain adaptation, and mechanical installations.
Once complete, EACOP will be the longest electrically heated crude oil pipeline in the world, enabling Uganda to transport crude oil from its landlocked interior to global markets via the Indian Ocean.
The development also marks a major economic milestone for Uganda. With commercial production set to begin in 2026, the country expects significant foreign exchange earnings and local job creation, alongside increased investment in oil and gas infrastructure.
Uganda’s Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa, has said the government is committed to ensuring environmental compliance and local content participation throughout the project.
As Uganda inches closer to exporting its first barrel of oil, attention now turns to maintaining timelines, managing cross-border cooperation with Tanzania, and ensuring that the EACOP project meets its target completion date without further delays.
