Uganda’s oil production delayed until 2018

Seven years after oil was discovered in inland Uganda, first flows are still in the distant future

When oil was discovered on the shores of Uganda’s part of Lake Albert in 2006, there were forecasts that production would start within five years or so. The reality, after years of disputes, is that first oil, together with the start-up of the inland refinery the government is insisting on, will not be achieved for another five years at the earliest. In October, the government firmed-up its plan for a refinery with a call for a partner to operate and take a 60% interest in the facility, initially of 30,000 barrels a day (b/d) capacity but later to double, which is to be constructed near the oilfields, about 1,300 km from the coast (see box). The authorities’ schedule envisages selecting the