The major contractor of the 900-mile East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) which runs all the way from Hoima in the western part of Uganda to the Port of Tanga in Tanzania has just recently kicked off the civil works, which entail the installation of the above ground installations in the two countries of Uganda and Tanzania. This move has just come after this project has entered its last crucial 2 years. The building of this pipeline shall cost a total of approximately $5 billion.
During the previous week, Pearl Engineering Ltd which is a subcontractor for the early civil works and ground preparation, handed over one of its own sites in order to be utilized in the accommodation of the main pipe yard of the project and the pump station one that is located in Hoima District of Uganda to the main contractor of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline which is China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Ltd (CPP). According to the Construction Lead for above ground installations at the Pearl Engineering Ltd, they were aiming to have completed to the project by the year 2025.
IN addition CPP also kicked off the construction works for the first of the two pump stations of the pipeline in Uganda. The other four are located in the neighboring country of Tanzania which will each possess a facility of 40 tonnes that will be pumping and ensuring the constant flow of the low-Sulphur Ugandan crude. The crude shall be flowing in a 24-inch heated pipeline that will be powered by a grid of mixed hydro and solar.
Also read: $5 Billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline Marks Major Milestone
East African Crude Oil Pipeline Power Consumption
As for the power consumption of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, the 296-kilometer Ugandan stretch will consume a total of 20MW while the longer 1,147-kilometer stretch that is situated in Tanzania will consume a total of 60MW of solar energy. All the installations that will be established will all be subjected to very thorough hydrostatic testing which is considered as a major safety component of the EACOP.
AS all the construction works on all of the above ground installations are gathering good pace, the construction works on the main facility of the 1,443 km buried pipeline are just about to kick off as the line pipes are almost arriving at the main camps and pipeyards in order for the responsible teams to both trench and string them. This is also taking place upstream at the projects of Kingfisher and Tilenga.
