The Uganda–Kenya Crude Oil Pipeline (UKCOP) was a proposed pipeline to transport

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring u ...

from

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

's oil fields in the Northern and

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

Regions to the

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

n port of

Lamu Lamu or Lamu Town is a small town on Lamu Island, which in turn is a part of the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya. Situated by road northeast of Mombasa that ends at Mokowe Jetty, from where the sea channel has to be crossed to reach Lamu Isla ...

on the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. Along the way, the pipeline would have picked up more crude oil from the

South Lokichar Basin The South Lokichar Basin is a Cenozoic sedimentary basin in Kenya. It is part of the East African Rift system, although it is no longer active. Since 2012 it has been the location of a series of oil discoveries by Tullow Oil and its partners. Geom ...

and other oil fields in northwestern Kenya and delivered it to Lamu for export.

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

had also planned to construct a pipeline from its

Unity State Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, is a state in South Sudan. Unity State is in the Greater Upper Nile region. Unity is inhabited predominantly by two ethnic groups: the Nuer majority, and the Dinka minority. In 2015, a preside ...

, linking to the UKCOP as an alternative to its only current oil export route through

Port Sudan Port Sudan (, Beja: ) is a port city on the Red Sea in eastern Sudan, and the capital of Red Sea State. Port Sudan is Sudan's main seaport and the source of 90% of the country's international trade. The population of Port Sudan was estimated in ...

in its northern neighbor

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Location

The pipeline was to originate in the oil-rich

Kaiso Kaiso is a type of music popular in Trinidad and Tobago, and other countries, especially of the Caribbean, such as Grenada, Belize, Barbados, St. Lucia, and Dominica, which originated in West Africa particularly among the Efik and Ibibio peopl ...

- Tonya area, west of the town of Hoima, in western Uganda and snake its way through the northwestern Kenyan town of Lokicor to end at Lamu, on the Indian Ocean. In August 2015, the presidents of Kenya and Uganda agreed on the proposed route of the pipeline. The route, as proposed by the selected consultant, was long.

Background

Uganda has proven crude oil reserves of 6.5 billion barrels, about 2.2 billion of which is recoverable. The country has the fourth-largest oil reserves in

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

, behind

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

, and South Sudan. Buseruka Subcounty in

Hoima District Hoima District is a Districts of Uganda, district in Western Region, Uganda, Western Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its main municipal centre, Hoima. Location Hoima District is bordered by Buliisa District to th ...

has been selected to be the location of Uganda's only oil refinery. The country's strategy is to build a refinery that meets the petroleum products needs of Uganda and its regional neighbors and to export the rest of crude oil production via a pipeline to Lamu. From the beginning, the preference of the Ugandan government had been to start with a small production capacity refinery to prolong the production longevity of its new oil discoveries. Initially, this preference conflicted with the wishes of the three major exploration companies in the country, which preferred rapid harvesting and export of the crude via pipeline to the Kenyan coast. After much recrimination, in April 2013 the government agreed with Tullow Oil of the United Kingdom,

TotalEnergies TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company founded in 1924 and is one of the seven supermajor oil companies. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas explorati ...

of France, and the

China National Offshore Oil Corporation China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC Group (), is the third-largest national oil companies, national oil company in China, after CNPC (parent of PetroChina) and China Petrochemical Corporation (parent of Sinopec). The CNOOC Group ...

(CNOOC) to build both the oil refinery and the pipeline.

Construction

The route would have covered approximately inside Kenya, with most of the route underground. The pipeline would have been heated and would have used pump stations along the way. Because of the waxy nature of the oil found in both countries, it would have remained solid below . The three east African governments of Kenya and Uganda agreed in principle to construct this pipeline. In June 2014, the three countries advertised for a single consultant and transaction adviser to oversee the feasibility studies and construction design for the pipeline. A single consultant was preferred to maintain consistency in quality across the entire pipeline in Uganda and Kenya. In November 2014, Kenya and Uganda jointly selected

Toyota Tsusho is a sōgō shōsha (trading company), a member of the Toyota Group. Toyota Tsusho has a worldwide presence through its many subsidiaries and operating divisions, including over 150 offices, and 900 subsidiaries and affiliates around the world. ...

as the consultant for the pipeline. A contractor was expected to be selected in January 2015.

Change of plans

In March 2016, the presidents of

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

and Uganda jointly announced plans to build a competing pipeline, the Uganda–Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline. With these new developments, Kenya is expected to go alone in building its own pipeline from Lochichar to Port Lamu.

References

External links