---
title: "Ugandas Ambitious Plan for Worlds Longest Heated Oil Pipeline Targets 2027 Launch Despite Environmental Concerns"
publisher: "Stockmark.IT"
author: "Stockmark.IT Website"
published: "2024-11-21T06:12:11+00:00"
modified: "2024-11-21T06:12:11+00:00"
date: 2024-11-21
canonical: "https://stockmark.it/ugandas-ambitious-plan-for-worlds-longest-heated-oil-pipeline-targets-2027-launch-despite-environmental-concerns/"
category: "Climate"
categories: ["Climate", "Oil Producer"]
image: "https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/stencil.default-2024-11-21T061156.260.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&quality=89&ssl=1"
format: "news"
language: "en-GB"
---

# Ugandas Ambitious Plan for Worlds Longest Heated Oil Pipeline Targets 2027 Launch Despite Environmental Concerns

**Published:** November 21, 2024
**Author:** Stockmark.IT Website
**Categories:** Climate, Oil Producer
**Featured image:** ![Fishermen with boats on Lake Albert shore in Uganda. "But God Pays" visible on one boat. from Stockmark.it](https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/stencil.default-2024-11-21T061156.260.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&quality=89&ssl=1)

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Uganda’s contentious £4 billion heated oil pipeline project remains on track for a 2027 operational launch, despite facing significant delays attributed to environmental activism and financing challenges, according to the country’s energy minister Ruth Nankabirwa.

Speaking at the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Nankabirwa emphasised the project’s viability, stating that substantial investments have already been made in exploration and critical infrastructure. The 1,443-kilometre pipeline, set to be the world’s longest heated oil conduit, will transport crude from Uganda through Tanzania to the port of Tanga.

The development, spearheaded by TotalEnergies and China’s Cnooc, alongside Ugandan and Tanzanian national oil companies, has commenced drilling operations at both the Kingfisher and Tilenga fields near Lake Albert. Upon completion, Uganda expects to produce 230,000 barrels daily, surpassing current Opec member Gabon’s output.

The project’s financing structure has undergone revision, with the equity-debt ratio shifting from 40/60 to 52/48. The Export-Import Bank of China is anticipated to lead the debt financing arrangement, following Standard Chartered’s withdrawal last year amidst mounting environmental protests.

Environmental organisations have raised significant concerns about the pipeline’s impact on nature reserves and local communities along the Lake Victoria basin. The International Federation for Human Rights has documented 81 arrests related to project protests since May, highlighting growing tensions between development aspirations and environmental preservation.

Minister Nankabirwa defended the project’s necessity for Uganda’s economic development whilst acknowledging climate change concerns. The venture represents a critical junction in Africa’s energy dialogue, as nations balance economic growth through fossil fuel exploitation against environmental responsibilities

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**Original URL:** https://stockmark.it/ugandas-ambitious-plan-for-worlds-longest-heated-oil-pipeline-targets-2027-launch-despite-environmental-concerns/
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