Uganda launches first oil drilling campaign at Kingfisher field
Uganda has officially launched its inaugural drilling campaign at the Kingfisher oilfield, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to meet its target of first oil output by 2025.
The Kingfisher field is part of a $10bn scheme to develop Uganda’s oil reserves under Lake Albert in the west of the country and construct a vast pipeline to transport the crude to international markets via an Indian Ocean port in Tanzania.
The state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) operates the Kingfisher field, which is expected to produce 40,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak.
However, the plans to extract oil from Lake Albert have faced opposition from rights activists and environmental groups, who argue that it threatens the region’s fragile ecosystem and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.
