Page 4 - AfrOil Week 10 2021

AfrOil COMMENTARY AfrOil

(Image: African Energy Chamber)
(Image: African Energy Chamber)

Under pressure in Uganda

Total’s CEO says his company is aware of the risks posed by its work at the

Tilenga oilfield and its plans to build the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)

FINANCIAL institutions around the world are that will provide throughput for the conduit; it is
under pressure from climate activists to revise or also a minority shareholder in the other fields.)
WHAT: cancel their plans for helping to cover the cost of
Total and Standard Bank oil- and gas-related projects. Total CEO responds
have responded to calls This campaign recently brought the East Earlier this week, Patrick Pouyanné, the CEO of
for shutting off financing Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) into the France’s Total, asserted that his company aims
for Ugandan projects. spotlight, with more than 260 non-governmen- to minimise the environmental impact of the
tal organisations (NGOs) publishing an open upstream and midstream projects it is leading
WHY: letter that urged commercial banks not to pro- in Uganda.
group of more than 260 vide any financing for the construction of the In a company statement, Pouyanné was
NGOs recently argued link. quoted as saying Total was aware that its plans
that the pipeline posed The signatories included well-known inter- for developing of Tilenga, an oilfield within
too many social and
environmental risks. national groups such as Greenpeace and Friends Blocks 1 and 2 in western Uganda, and building
of the Earth, as well as more narrowly focused EACOP posed certain risks. “We acknowledge
WHAT NEXT: organisations such as the Africa Institute for that [the] Tilenga and EACOP projects repre-
Standard Bank is waiting Energy Governance and the Alliance for Food sent significant social and environmental stakes,
for the outcome of a new Sovereignty in Africa. which we are taking into consideration respon-
study before it decides The letter appears to have drawn a response sibly,” he said. “We are mobilising substantial
whether to proceed. from France’s Total, which is slated to lead the resources to ensure that these projects are car-
effort to construct the pipeline. (The French ried out in an exemplary manner and create
company will also operate one of the two fields value for the people in both countries.”

P4 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 10 10•March•2021