Page 11 - AfrOil Week 48 2020

AfrOil PIPELINES & TRANSPORT AfrOil

NGOs file suit in a bid to block EACOP link

UGANDA/TANZANIA FOUR non-governmental organisations assessment and meaningful, effective and trans-
(NGOs) from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are parent public consultations, ensuring robust
making an attempt to block the construction of community and broad public participation,”
the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). according to legal pleadings cited by Ugandan
According to Ugandan press reports, the news agencies. They have asked the court to
NGOs – Africa Institute for Energy Governance issue an injunction against the governments of
(Uganda), the Centre for Food and Adequate Tanzania and Uganda, as well as the EAC.
Living Rights (Uganda), the Centre for Strategic News of the legal challenge emerged shortly
Litigation (Tanzania) and Natural Justice-Kenya after the African Development Bank (AfDB)
– have jointly lodged a suit in the East African unveiled plans to provide financial support for
Court of Justice. In court filings, they argue small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
that work on the project should not go forward that contribute to the EACOP project. In a state-
because the governments of Uganda and Tanza- ment, the bank said it intended to split $1mn in
nia have not conducted the environmental and grant money equally between Uganda and Tan-
social impact assessment (ESIA) required under zania. The Ugandan government has pledged to
the East African Community (EAC) Treaty and make another $500,000 available to local SMEs,
other relevant international laws. and Tanzanian authorities are looking at a simi-
The plaintiffs are basing their request on the lar plan, according to the statement. ™
fact that Tanzanian and Ugandan authorities did
not meet this standard prior to the signing of cer-
tain agreements on the project. In their petition,
they said: “As a requirement [under] national as
well as the EAC law, the project developer for the
EACOP project in Uganda must be issued with a
certificate of approval of environment and social
impact assessment approved by the government
of Uganda’s National Environmental Manage-
ment Authority [NEMA], but the same was not
issued prior to the signing of the agreements by
both Uganda and Tanzania.”
The NGOs are requesting the East African
Court of Justice to order that “prior to any simi-
lar project, the following are conducted: climate
change impact assessment, human rights impact EACOP will terminate in the Tanzanian port of Tanga (Image: PAU)

INVESTMENT
EAIF extends $31mn loan to Tema

regasification scheme

GHANA THE Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund Work on the project’s fixed infrastructure,
(EAIF) has backed a regasification project in including a breakwater, mooring facilities, a
Ghana’s port of Tema with a $31mn loan. subsea pipeline and an 8-km onshore pipeline,
The loan, with a duration of 10 years, will go was financed separately.
to the project’s developer Access LNG, a joint This infrastructure will link the terminal to
venture between Helios Investment Partners industrial areas in Tema. The gas will be used as
and Gasfin Development. The pair reached fuel at thermal power plants (TPPs), providing
financial close on the scheme on November 16. a cleaner and less costly option to light crude oil
The EAIF loan will help cover the cost of a and heavy fuel oil, as well as at other industrial
floating regasification unit (FRU), due to be facilities.
integrated with an LNG carrier that will be used The project’s developers originally aimed
for storage. Both vessels will be permanently to launch operations in mid-2020, but the new
moored. schedule is unclear.

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