President Yoweri Museveni is expected to preside over the naming of Uganda’s crude oil blend during a visit to oil development projects in the Albertine Graben, as the country moves closer to commercial production.
The President is expected to visit key oil development facilities as Uganda prepares to give its crude oil an official blend name that will identify its origin, qualities and composition.
The visit on Wednesday was preceded by a tour of the Tilenga project by Energy and Mineral Development Minister Dr Monica Musenero Masanza, who led senior officials from the ministry, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda and Uganda National Oil Company.
The delegation inspected ongoing development activities, including the Central Processing Facility, where construction is now 72 percent complete, and drilling operations at the Gunya-02 well pad.
The visit also included a meeting with Project Affected Persons in Kyamandindi Village to assess the implementation of livelihood restoration programmes.
Uganda National Oil Company said the naming of the crude blend will mark an important stage in the country’s transition from developing its oil resource to preparing it for the international market.
“For years, Uganda’s oil has existed as a resource beneath our soil. It has been discovered, studied, developed and prepared for the journey from our oil fields to the world. This is the moment Uganda’s crude moves from being known by what it is to being known by what it is called. Tomorrow, Uganda puts a name to its oil. Tomorrow, it gets an identity!” UNOC said in a statement.
The blend name is expected to communicate characteristics of Uganda’s crude and distinguish it in the international petroleum market.
During Musenero’s inspection, TotalEnergies EP Uganda General Manager Philippe Groueix said the Tilenga project had maintained strong momentum, with thousands of workers engaged across multiple sites. He said construction work at the Central Processing Facility was being accelerated as the project advances towards production.
The CPF is designed to receive and process crude oil produced from the Tilenga oil fields before it enters the transportation system. Musenero commended the progress but said the impact of the oil project should extend beyond the construction phase.
She said Uganda must ensure that communities, workers and businesses that have developed alongside the project continue to benefit through skills development, enterprise growth and participation in the wider oil and gas value chain. “My expectation is that it will be permanently transformative. We must ensure that the people, businesses, and communities that have grown alongside this project continue to benefit and move forward long after construction is completed,” Musenero said.
TotalEnergies EP Uganda Deputy General Manager Mariam Nampeera said nearly 16,000 Ugandans have so far been employed on the project.
She said more than 2.18 million training man-hours had been delivered, while more than US$795 million had been spent on goods and services sourced from Ugandan businesses and institutions. The figures highlight the scale of local participation in the construction phase as Uganda prepares for the transition to oil production.
The President’s expected visit and the naming of the crude blend come as Uganda’s oil projects enter an advanced stage of development, with production infrastructure, wells and associated facilities being prepared for first oil. The naming of the blend will give Uganda’s crude a distinct identity in the international oil market as the country moves towards becoming a crude oil producer-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
