EACOP crude pipeline receives first 100 km of line pipe

East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Co. Ltd. has taken delivery of the first 100 km of 24-in. OD line pipe at the port of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, marking the start of the project’s main construction phase. EACOP will transport 246,000 b/d of crude oil 1,443 km from the Lake Albert region of Uganda to the Chongoleani peninsula near Tanga, Tanzania, for export to world markets.

The 18-m pipe lengths will be transported from the coast to a coating plant at the pipeline’s midpoint for installation of thermal insulation and external protective coating. Insulated pipe will then be transported from the coating plant to a piping yard along EACOP’s right-of-way before being strung out for installation. A total of 16 main camps with piping yards will be sited along EACOP’s route at roughly even intervals.

EACOP includes six pumping stations (two in Uganda, four in Tanzania), two pressure reduction stations, and a marine export terminal at Tanga. The waxy, high-viscosity crude it will transport requires heating the pipeline to more than 50° C.

Power for both the pumping stations and heat will come from a hybrid power generation and distribution package, combining solar farms (in Tanzania), battery banks, and connections to the Ugandan and Tanzania grids, backed up by combustion engine power generation. EACOP estimates a 60% reduction in emissions versus traditional power sources.

Lake Albert crude development includes Tilenga and Kingfisher oil projects and construction of EACOP. Tilenga, operated by TotalEnergies E&P Uganda, and Kingfisher, operated by China National Offshore Oil Corp., are expected to start producing in 2025 and reach a cumulative plateau production of 230,000 b/d (OGJ Online, Feb. 1, 2022).