Uganda is launching oil exploration in two new regions, Energy and Mineral Development Minister Ruth Nankabirwa announced Wednesday.
Nankabirwa revealed that preliminary studies are underway in the Moroto-Kadam Basin in eastern Uganda to evaluate its potential for oil and gas. Initial results indicate there could be commercial oil and gas reserves in the region.
Exploration efforts have also begun in the Kyoga Basin in central Uganda, with plans to extend studies to the Hoima Basin in the west.
The country’s current petroleum resources are estimated at 6.5 billion barrels.
During a mid-year media briefing in Kampala, the energy ministry outlined key objectives for the new exploration initiatives: increasing Uganda’s petroleum reserves, extending production beyond 25 years, and boosting the viability of midstream projects like the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
The EACOP project, spearheaded by TotalEnergies, involves drilling 419 wells in western Uganda and constructing a 1,443-kilometer heated pipeline connecting the Lake Albert deposits to the Tanzanian coast on the Indian Ocean.
As Uganda approaches the production phase, officials are counting on the oil and gas sector to fuel the country’s economic growth.
