Uganda has suspended the launch of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project to mourn the death of Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli who the country says was instrumental in conception of the project.
Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), in a statement issued here on Tuesday, said the launch has been deferred to next month.
“President Magufuli’s astute leadership set a strong foundation for the EACOP project, with key milestones that included the Inter-Governmental Agreement in 2017, and initialling of the Tanzania Host Government Agreement in 2020,” the statement said.
Construction of the 1,445-km oil pipeline from the oil wells in western Uganda to Tanzania’s seaport of Tanga is scheduled to start soon, according to the Ugandan government.
The 3.55-billion-US-dollar pipeline will be the longest electrically heated pipeline in the world. It is heated because of the waxy nature of Uganda’s oil. Uganda has so far discovered over 6.5 billion barrels of oil.