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Uganda: TotalEnergies begins controversial drilling despite protests from environmentalists

Published

10 month ago

31 July 2023

SOW

Ouganda : TotalEnergies entame un forage controversé malgré les protestations des défenseurs de l'environnement

TotalEnergies begins drilling oil wells in Uganda's Murchison Falls National Park, despite pressure from rights and environmental organizations.
The $10 billion agreement with the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) aims to develop Uganda's oil fields and transport the oil to the Tanzanian port via a 1,445-kilometer pipeline.
Environmental groups are concerned about the impact on the park and neighboring communities, while TotalEnergies defends its use of sustainable technologies and claims to have provided fair compensation to the affected communities.

Despite massive pressure from a number of rights and environmental organizations, TotalEnergies has declared that it has begun drilling oil wells in Uganda.

Last year, the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and TotalEnergies signed a $10 billion agreement to develop Uganda's oil fields and transport the oil to Tanga, a Tanzanian Indian Ocean port, via a 1,445-kilometer pipeline.

"Drilling began in July, with production scheduled to start in 2025, said TotalEnergies. In Kampala, however, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (Pau) indicated that "the drilling of development wells began on the 28th“, said Pau.

"Three rigs have been lined up for drilling operations", said Alex Nyombi, Pau's Director of Development and Production. "We currently have one platform in service ... the second platform is undergoing final testing and verification ... while the components for the third platform are being assembled and should start operating in October 2023," he said .

By incorporating sustainable technologies and methods, and ensuring the ethical extraction of resources for future generations, the platforms in Uganda are designed to have the least possible impact on the environment," explains Ali Ssekatawa, Pau's Director of Legal and Social Affairs.

However, according to Friends of the Earth France and Survive, drilling is taking place in the following areas "in the very heart of Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda's oldest and largest protected natural area".

“Total continue son greenwashing, essayant de convaincre que ses puits de pétrole n’affecteront pas la faune locale grâce à la couleur beige des tours de forage ‘pour ressembler à la savane environnante’”, ont indiqué les deux groupes dans un communiqué. They mentioned that 30 of the 400 wells planned for drilling will be located inside the park.

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the project would have terrible effects on the environment and neighboring populations.

"The pipeline is a disaster for the tens of thousands of people who have lost the land that provided food for their families and income to send their children to school, and who have received too little compensation from TotalEnergies," said HRW .