Down the hills of Buhuka, along the shore of L. Albert, the hustle and bustle of construction.
Development activities at the three-billion-dollar Kingfisher oil field started in earnest following the signing of the Final Investment Decision in February this year.
As a result, the once-isolated fishing community in Buliisa, Buhuka is now seeing massive developments of a scale as yet unheard of in these parts.
Stretching over a licensed space of 33.8 square kilometres, the Kingfisher oil field sits on 570 million barrels of oil reserves with 186 million barrels recoverable. After the development stage, the field will constitute a central processing facility, feeder pipelines, and a supply base, among others.
Considering its location in a sensitive ecosystem, the Kingfisher project has demanded various environmental management strategies. Key among these measures is the institution of flood controls at the shoreline to protect wells and other facilities located in the flood-prone zones on the shores of L. Albert.
The project will see the construction of a jetty across the lake for safe transportation of gas and the elimination of risks such as spills. The jetty would guide deployment of risk aversion measures such as Oil Booms in case of a spill.
A jetty serves to enable the transfer of LNG between a berthed ship and the onshore terminal.
During this first development phase, supportive facilities for the erection of key oil and gas equipment and the machine will be set up prior to the start of production.
The first phase, which is slated to last 22 months, will be managed by Excel Construction Ltd and will see the development of infield roads, earthworks, engineering and civil works. The stage will also see the construction of permanent and temporary camps and storage facilities for equipment being sued on the site.
Like their counterparts in the sector, CNOOC which operates the Kingfisher field hopes to accomplish works at the site in time for the scheduled dates of the first oil production.
The Kingfisher oil field is owned by the joint venture partners of CNOOC, Total E&P Uganda B.V., and
UNOC, which hold 28.3%, 56.7% and 15% respectively.
