Search on for proposed oil pipeline consultant

The search has started for a consultant to supervise implement the proposed crude oil pipeline between Hoima in Uganda and Lamu through Lokichar in Kenya.

This comes a day after Canadian Africa Oil and its partner Tullow Oil Plc announced fresh discoveries of oil and natural gas in Northern Kenya.

The pipeline and associated infrastructure are being undertaken by Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

A 1,300-kilometre crude oil pipeline and fibre optic cable will be laid from Hoima and tank terminals will be built in Lamu and Lokichar as well as pumping stations.

It will be developed in two parts — from Hoima to the Uganda-Kenya border and from the border to Lamu.

The proposed pipeline will be used to export crude from Kenya and Uganda through to Lamu Port.

“The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum on behalf of the project steering committee, hereby invites proposals from experienced firms/consortiums to bid as lead consultant for supervision of implementation of the project and undertake a feasibility study and preliminary engineering designs for the pipeline,” read a tender notice by the Energy ministry.

Uganda’s oil discoveries have been established to be viable for commercial exploitation.

SET UP OIL REFINERY

On Wednesday, the country selected two consortiums from Russia and South Korea as final bidders to proceed to the final phase of tendering to set up an oil refinery with a capacity to process 60,000 barrels per day.

Kenya has a three per cent stake in the proposed refinery. A winner is expected to be announced in December and will take up 60 per cent ownership.

Currently, the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited, the region’s only processor, remains shut since last year following disagreement between the government and Essar Energy of India who co-owned it.