Page 4 - AfrElec Week 42 2022

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

Museveni defends oil

development plans, reiterates

commitment to net zero by 2050

UGANDA UGANDA’S President Yoweri Museveni said on remain useful even after the switch to renewable
October 19 that his government was committed energy, Bloomber quoted him as saying.
to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 but did not “Even when we stop using hydrocarbons for
expect fossil fuel consumption to be eliminated driving cars, we shall use them for other pur-
completely within the next few decades. poses which are not polluting,” he remarked.
In a speech at a climate summit sponsored by “Even when we have electric cars or buses, we
South Africa’s Standard Bank Group in Johan- shall need these products like plastics and so on.
nesburg, Museveni declared that his country So it is therefore nonsensical to say that we stop
was on track to bring net carbon dioxide emis- developing our petroleum because there is a plan
sions down to zero by the middle of the century. to stop using petroleum for transport.”
“Uganda remains committed to achieving the LADP aims to monetise Uganda’s as-yet
goal of carbon neutrality,” he said. untapped crude oil resources by developing
He also stated that Kampala intended to use Kingfisher and Tilenga. It anticipates that yields
the proceeds of the Lake Albert Development from these sites near Lake Albert will eventually
Project (LADP), the $10bn campaign led by reach 260,000 barrels per day. A small portion
TotalEnergies (France) to develop oilfields on of these volumes – less than 50,000 bpd – will
the shores of Lake Albert, to cover the costs of be sent to a refinery that has been slated for con-
making the transition to a lower-carbon econ- struction within the framework of the project.
omy. Petrodollars will help fund the switch, The plant will turn out petroleum products for
which will include the development of an electric the domestic and regional markets.
vehicle (EV) industry in Uganda, he said. Meanwhile, the majority of future produc-
TotalEnergies and its partner China National tion, or 216,000 bpd, will be exported via the East
Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) are still slated to Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a 1,443-
begin production at the Tilenga and Kingfisher km pipeline from Hoima in western Uganda to
oilfields in 2025 as scheduled, he added. Tanga, a port on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast.
The president also defended his decision to The conduit, which will be heated to compensate
approve LADP despite opposition from environ- for the waxy nature of the crude, is expected to
mental and climate activists. Fossil fuels are set to carry a price tag of about $4bn.™

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