The 1,443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline — the world’s longest electrically heated crude oil pipeline — has reached 91% completion as of August 2026, with Uganda targeting first oil exports before year-end 2026. The $5bn pipeline connects Uganda’s Albertine Graben oil fields (Lake Albert) to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanzania’s Port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean. It is being implemented by a joint venture of China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co. and Worley Limited, with TotalEnergies (62%), CNOOC, Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) as equity partners.
Project Details
Key Issues / Risks
Significant ongoing legal and environmental opposition from campaign groups (Inclusive Development International, Earthjustice); Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment independent review raised ecological concerns around river crossings and wetlands. The pipeline's waxy crude requires constant electrical heating to prevent solidification — a technical and operational risk with no comparable precedent at this scale in Africa. Economic returns are also under scrutiny given long-term oil price uncertainty.
Latest Development (Detail)
As of August 2026: 91% complete (Monitor Uganda, Independent Uganda — both citing Uganda government). Marine jetty at Chongoleani: 88.1% complete as of April 2026. All 1,443km of line pipe has been delivered. Uganda and Tanzania presidents reaffirmed first oil target of Q4 2026 at a joint meeting; Uganda-Tanzania also agreed to develop Tanga into a regional energy hub.
What Happens Next
Pipeline commissioning and first oil shipment — now the single most imminent commercial milestone in East African energy for Q4 2026.
Commercial Opportunity
Once operational: logistics, shipping, port services at Tanga; crude trading contracts; downstream refining and petroleum product distribution across Uganda and Tanzania; and related services procurement.