Cnooc to start drilling in Uganda
Kampala is bullish about the country’s upstream future
Uganda may be able start producing oil from its Lake Albert developments ahead of schedule. Chinese state-controlled Cnooc will start drilling for oil on the Kingfisher field in February. Cnooc’s drilling “will enable Uganda to pump out 40,000bl/d in 2024, ahead of the June 2025 deadline the country set for first oil commercial production”, state-owned Uganda National Oil Company (Unoc) says. The Chinese firm erected the rig at Buhuka Flat last November. Cnooc (with 28.33pc) is partnered with Unoc (15pc) and French major TotalEnergies (56.67pc) in the Lake Albert development, which will send oil along the planned East Africa Crude Pipeline (Eacop) for export via the Tanzanian port of Tanga.

Also in this section
16 April 2025
Israel continues to strike new oil and gas concession agreements and gas exports continue to rise, but an overreliance on Egypt remains the big concern
15 April 2025
Loss of US shipments of key petrochemical feedstock could see Beijing look to Tehran with tariffs set to upend global LPG flows
15 April 2025
Australia’s East Coast Gas projections for a supply shortfall have been pushed further out, but the challenge to meet evolving gas demand and the shifting assumptions around the fundamentals remain just as stark
15 April 2025
Long-delayed prospects for onshore LNG production in Mozambique have improved thanks to US financing approval, but security challenges blight way ahead