UGANDA, Lwengo | Real Muloodi News | The Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Hon. Dr Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu has handed over the first batch of replacement houses to persons affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) at Nkoma village in the Lwengo District.
EACOP Ltd, which is licensed to construct the 1443km crude oil export infrastructure that will transport Uganda’s crude oil from Kabaale–Hoima in Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga in Tanzania, has completed the construction of 43 out of 178 resettlement houses along the route.
The houses are meant to benefit the Project Affected Persons (PAPs) in the Kikuube, Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Sembabule, Rakai, Kyotera, and Lwengo districts.
Of the 2,648 PAPs in Uganda, 203 are physically displaced, and of these, 178 have opted for replacement housing as in-kind compensation instead of monetary compensation.
The construction of the 178 houses is being executed by Ugandan construction companies: Technical Masters Ltd, Egis Engineering Contractors, Excel Construction, and Epsilon. EACOP Ltd also contracted two supervision contractors, KATT Consult Ltd and Bureau Veritas Uganda Ltd, for quality assurance and control.
The Minister commended the company for the fulfilment of the commitments towards the PAPs and the continued support offered to them during the land acquisition process.
She also sent a message to the EACOP project naysayers, assuring the residents of the areas traversed by the oil pipeline that the 170,000 barrels of crude oil would go through areas daily without them even noticing.
The pipeline is going to be buried two meters in the ground, and the residents will be allowed to grow seasonal crops on the surface.
Martin Tiffen, Managing Director of EACOP Ltd, said, “This resettlement housing construction is both a 100% National Content effort and also a representation of our commitment to undertaking the development of the EACOP Project responsibly and sustainably while observing the laws and regulations of Uganda, the Equator Principles IV and the International Finance Corporation Performance Standards.”
EACOP Ltd was formed shortly after the taking of the Final Investment Decision (FID) on February 1, 2022. Its shareholders are Total Energies (62%), Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC–15%), Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC–15%), and CNOOC Uganda Ltd (8%).
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