Uganda is expanding its oil exploration efforts to two new regions.
Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, announced on Wednesday (Aug. 20) that the ministry is conducting preliminary exploration in the Moroto-Kadam Basin (east) to evaluate its hydrocarbon potential.
Nankabirwa stated that early findings indicate promising prospects for commercial oil and gas in the Moroto-Kadam Basin.
Similar surveys have also begun in the Kyoga Basin (central Uganda), with plans to initiate studies in the Hoima Basin in the west.
Uganda’s current petroleum reserves stand at 6.5 billion barrels.
During a mid-year media briefing in Kampala on the developments in Uganda’s oil and gas sector, the energy ministry outlined the goals of these exploration efforts:
- Increase Uganda’s petroleum reserves
- Extend production beyond 25 years
- Boost the viability of midstream projects, such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
TotalEnergies’ EACOP project involves drilling 419 wells in western Uganda and constructing a 1,443-kilometer heated pipeline to transport Lake Albert’s oil deposits to the Tanzanian coast on the Indian Ocean.
As Uganda approaches the production phase, authorities are relying on the oil and gas sector to fuel the country’s economic growth.