The Kingfisher Development Project
The development of the Kingfisher Development Area project (KFDA) includes the development of a Central Processing Facility (CPF) with the capacity to process forty thousand (40,000) bopd. The processed crude oil will be transported to the Delivery Point at Kabaale, through a 10” inner diameter Feeder pipeline that is approximately forty- eight (48) km long. It includes over eighteen (18) km of buried flowlines, a Lake Water Abstraction station together with supporting infrastructure, which includes camps, a Support base, a Materials yard, a Safety check point, a jetty, and access roads. The project consists of one (1) Onshore oilfield which is located at the shores of Lake Albert in Kikuube district. The oil field in the KFDA has a volume of 568MMbbls in place with recoverable resources estimated at 186MMbbls.
The China National Offshore Oil Company, Uganda (CUL) is the operator of KFDA on behalf of the Joint Venture Partners (JVPs) comprising TotalEnergies Exploration, and Production, Uganda (TEPU) with the majority participating interest of 56.67%, Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) with 15%, and CUL with 28.33%. The development of the Kingfisher field is planned to be undertaken through onshore drilling of thirty-one (31) Development Wells from four (4) well-pads, over a period of five (5) years, using one (1) drilling rig. The status of the project activities under the Enabling Infrastructure (EI), Engineering, Procurement, Supply, Construction and Commissioning (EPSCC), and drilling is indicated as follows.
Construction of Well pads and Drilling of Wells
Excel Engineering Company Ltd (ECL), a Ugandan company, constructed three (3) out of the four (4) planned well pads, i.e. Well Pads 1, 2, and 3. A total of thirty (31) wells are expected to be drilled using the LR8001 rig. One of the key milestones for the project was the spudding (start of drilling) of development wells on 24th January 2023. By the end of March 2025, a total of 13 wells had been drilled for the KFDA
Figure 15:H.E. The President of the Republic of Uganda during the commissioning of spudding of the first KFDA Development well in January 2023.
The Safety Check Station
A Safety check station has been constructed as a precautionary measure against fatal accidents from vehicle malfunction along the escarpment road because of the terrain in KFDA. Mobilisation to deliver the required equipment is ongoing.
KFDA Central Processing Facility Area
The progress of the detailed engineering design, procurement and construction of the CPF, infield flowlines, Lake Water Abstraction Station was at 86% at the end of March 2025.
Kingfisher Feeder Line
The crude oil processed at the CPF will be transported through a feeder line from Bugoma to the delivery point in Kabaale, Hoima. Daqing Oilfield Construction Group (DOCG) is constructing the forty-five (45) km long KF feeder line on behalf of CUL. The construction of the Temporary camp that will host the personnel who will construct the Feeder line was completed in May 2023. Stringing, welding and laying of the Feeder line is currently going on along the route, and had progressed to 93% at the end of March 2025
Detailed Engineering design of the Kingfisher Facilities
The Authority attached staff to monitor the detailed Engineering design of the KF facilities in Tianjin, China, which was completed during 2023/2024..
Land Acquisition for the Kingfisher Project
The KFDA project requires approximately one thousand, twenty (1,020) acres of land with a total of seven hundred twenty-seven (727) PAPs. The land acquisition process is undertaken under three (3) Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs). The Authority monitored the social aspects of the work going on by reviewing the daily, weekly, and monthly reports submitted by CUL and the feedline activities in the KFDA. CUL acquired all the land required for the project activities. However, the Authority is monitoring the Livelihood Resettlement Programmes and other social aspects involved in the land acquisition process.
Table 1: Land Acquisition Statistics for the KFDA project as at 30th June 2023.
|
PROJECT |
RAP |
ACREAGE (HECTARES) |
PROJECT AFFECTED PERSONS |
PRIMARY RESIDENTS[1] |
|
KFDA |
1 |
72 |
31 |
5 |
|
2 |
183 |
680 |
51 |
|
|
3 |
34 |
16 |
8 |
|
|
|
TOTAL |
289 |
727 |
64 |
A Primary Resident is a PAP whose main/only dwelling is affected by the project. Other categories of PAPs include landowners and land users. Some Primary Residents are also landowners.