The controversial pipeline is for transporting Uganda’s crude to overseas markets when it begins manufacturing in 2025.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has commenced discussions with neighbouring Uganda for doable use of the East African nation’s deliberate crude oil pipeline to export petroleum, DRC’s hydrocarbons ministry stated.
Uganda is creating the $3.5bn 1,445km (898-mile) East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) that can begin from oil fields in its Albertine rift basin on its western border with DRC to Tanzania’s Indian Ocean seaport of Tanga.
The controversial pipeline is for transporting Uganda’s crude to worldwide markets when it begins manufacturing in 2025.
The DRC Ministry of Hydrocarbons stated in a Twitter assertion late on Tuesday that its minister, Didier Budimbu, met Uganda’s Power Minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, with discussions involving entry to the pipeline.
“Uganda acknowledged the essential requirement of DRC to entry the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) for the transport of crude oil to be produced from the oil exploration blocks situated within the Albertine Graben within the Democratic Republic of Congo,” the assertion learn.
DRC and Uganda share the oil-rich basin of Albertine Graben.
Technical groups from either side would talk about and put together stories to be offered to the 2 ministers who would then transient the international locations’ presidents on signing a Memorandum of Understanding, based on the assertion.
A spokesperson for Uganda’s vitality minister confirmed the talks and stated the EACOP had been designed for potential use by Uganda’s neighbours together with DRC and South Sudan. Uganda and neighbouring Tanzania are additionally assured they are going to safe funding for a deliberate crude export pipeline.
Final 12 months, the DRC put up for public sale 30 oil and fuel blocks, though environmentalists have stated the event of a number of the blocks would open up ecologically delicate areas and launch huge quantities of carbon into the environment.
Distinguished Ugandan conservationists like Uganda’s Vanessa Nakate and Invoice McKibben spoke out in opposition to the EACOP and supported a marketing campaign referred to as #StopEACOP to dissuade insurers and banks from financing the venture.
