Uganda - Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Report of the Proposed East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) - January 2019
Country
Year
2019
Summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) System is a planned export pipeline project that will transport oil from an inlet flange at the Kabaale pumping station (PS1), in Hoima District, Uganda, to an export flange at a proposed marine storage terminal (MST) at Chongoleani, Tanga District, on the East African coast of Tanzania. The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) will be shareholders in a pipeline company with Total E&P, Uganda B.V. (TEPU), Tullow Uganda Operations Pty Ltd (TUOP) and CNOOC Uganda Limited (CUL) that will develop, construct and operate the pipeline. Total East Africa Midstream (TEAM) BV is the developer of the project.
This environmental impact statement (EIS) is a report of the environmental and social impact assessment conducted to identify, describe and assess the likely interactions of the portion of the EACOP project in Uganda with environmental and socio-economic receptors, termed as "valued environmental and social components" (VECs).
This ESIA has been prepared pursuant to the Government of Uganda Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (1998) and conducted in accordance with the Scoping Report and terms of reference approved by NEMA, dated 19 September 2017.
Project Description
In Uganda, the EACOP project comprises the following components:
- 296 km of insulated, electrical heat-traced, buried 24" pipeline
- aboveground installations (AGI):
- two pumping stations (PS) (PS1 and PS2)
- 19 intermediate block valves (15 standalone, and four co-located with electric substations) and electric heat trace substations
- roads:
- new and upgraded permanent access roads
- new and upgraded construction facility access roads
- construction facilities:
- four main camps and pipe yards (MCPY1 through to MCPY4).
The EACOP project in Uganda is shown in Figure ES1. The export pipeline originates at the PS1 located at the future Kabaale Industrial Park, in Hoima District. Initially, it crosses relatively low terrain with undulating topography characterised by widespread cropland, settlement and transport infrastructure between Hoima and Mubende districts. The RoW also traverses gently undulating grass and farmland, hills with open plateaus, open grassland, wetlands in Gomba and Ssembabule Districts and a relatively flat land scape towards Mutukula near the border with Tanzania.
In Hoima District, the corridor passes in between Wambabya and Bugoma Forest Reserves, and traverses through a modified section of Taala Forest Reserve in Kyankwanzi District, and crosses near the eastern border of Kasana-Kasambya Forest Reserve in Mubende District. There are watercourse crossings including the Kafu River between Hoima and Kakumiro Districts, Nabakazi River between Mubende and Gomba Districts, Katonga River between Gomba and Ssembabule Districts, and Kibale and Jemakunya Rivers in Kyotera District.
On the approach to the Tanzania border, and the north-western corner of Lake Victoria, the corridor crosses a substantial zone of wetlands in a high average rainfall zone that is also characterised by almost unbroken crop land, a substantial proportion of which is under rice cultivation, cattle grazing land and settlement for approximately 90km. The main alignment broadly follows a ridgeline that defines a watershed for the many watercourses and wetlands as part of the Victoria basin. The corridor nearly clips an abandoned airfield in Kyotera District as well as the former Sango Bay refugee camp close to the Tanzania border. The corridor avoids the large local settlement of Mutukula at the border as it progresses into Tanzania.