The Kingfisher Development Project

The Kingfisher Development Project

The Kingfisher Development Area (KFDA)  covers the Kingfisher field located in Kikuube District with plans for future tie-in of Mputa-Nzizi-Waraga fields in Kaiso-Tonya, Hoima District. The project is operated by CUL and includes the following facilities:

  1. Development of a Central Processing Facility (CPF) with a capacity of 40,000 barrels of oil per day.
  2. Thirty one (31) wells (11 injectors and 20 producers) to be drilled on four (4) well pads.
  3. Nineteen (19) kilometres of flow-lines to connect the fields to the CPF.
  4. A forty-six (46) kilometer 12 inch feeder pipeline from the CPF in Buhuka to the export hub and Refinery in Kabaale, Hoima District.
  5. A Lake Water Abstraction station.
  6. Supporting infrastructure such as temporary and permanent camps, a materials yard, a jetty and several access roads, among others.
Layout of proposed facilities for the Kingfisher project

The work programmes implemented by the KFDA project and monitored by the Authority so far includes: subsurface optimisation and studies, the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED), Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), Land Acquisition, tendering of Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) together with Drilling and Completions, and Geotechnical Surveys.

  1. The Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the Kingfisher Project was undertaken by China’s Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC), and was completed in November, 2017 in Wuhan, China. CUL submitted the final FEED documentation to the Authority in February, 2018 and various engagements have been held with the operator. As a result of the ongoing review by the PAU during the FEED process, the CAPEX for Central Processing Facility (CPF) for the Kingfisher project is now less than USD ($) 1 billion. The Government and the operator continue to align on a few technical aspects in the FEED, prior to launch of the Engineering Procurement and Contracting (EPC) phase.
  2. In addition to the FEED, the PAU monitored and participated in several technical studies for the Kingfisher Project including; feasibility study on KFDA 3D seismic re-acquisition, updates and optimization work on the Field Development Plan (FDP), drilling and well engineering studies, Geotechnical investigations at the CPF, well-pads, flow-lines and feeder-line to acquire site specific soils/sub-soils and ground-water conditions data to guide the design of foundations for the proposed oil production facilities and well integrity campaigns for the wells in KFDA.
  3. The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report for the KFDA was submitted to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) on 28th December, 2018. Following the ESIA review, the PAU organised two public hearings for the ESIA on 19th and 21st June, 2019 at in Kikuube and Hoima Districts, respectively, which were attended by over 10,000 participants. The key issues raised include the need for clear livelihood restoration programmes, local content development and management of impacts on the lake and other protected areas. Following the hearings, the ESIA report was updated and a final copy submitted to NEMA for consideration. The ESIA certificate was subsequently issued in March 2020.
  4. The acquisition of land for the KFDA is being taken forward through development and implementation of three (03) Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) in a phased manner. The total land requirement for the KFDA is approximately 705 acres. The progress of the land acquisition for the Kingfisher Development project is at 80%.
  5. CUL launched a call for tenders (CFTs) for various goods and services. This included CFTs for thirteen (13) drilling and completion (D&C) related services, CFTs for various Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) packages. Contract awards are expected after FID.

The Kingfisher ESIA Public Hearing in Kikuube District, June 2019