The construction engineer at Total Energies noted that at the moment they are undertaking infrastructure to enable work and that currently, they are labeling the entire grounds.
By Okot Lil Romeo
Buliisa – July 21, 2022: Total E&P are yet to complete the compensation of over 622 displaced families as they commenced construction of the central processing plant for the oil and well pads officers. The facility will accommodate over 4000 workers.
There are already some compensation and resettlement of people from the Oil and Well pad areas measuring 700 acres to enable the construction of infrastructures for its Tilenga project comprising Oil fields in Buliisa and Nwoya districts.
Christopher Ocowun, the Total E&P Public Relations Officer says relocation and compensation of 622 people are being done to enable the creation of internal roads within industrial areas and to allow the building of offices; both temporary and permanent houses for housing the workers and other departments within.
Ocowun adds that they have constructed 30 well-structured houses for primary residents who were living in the affected area out of 60 villages in Buliisa district deriving their livelihoods from the land.
Total Energies have so far supported over 800 local communities, and scholarships in the four districts of Nwoya, Pakwach, Masindi, and Buliisa since their operations started in 2013. They are supporting 20 students per district.
He [Ocowun] also revealed that those displaced are going to be supported with agricultural items [services] like cassava and vegetables growing and also in village savings since a number of them are involved in different activities.
Under the infrastructure project, the PRO has said they are having access roads to enable the production of Oil as part of the government contribution.
He, however, says under the resettlement action they have supported 230 farmers who are growing cassava, and 137 are engaged in growing vegetables like cabbages, tomatoes, eggplant, and watermelon along the Nile for commercial purposes.
About 10 groups of 40 members each in different villages formed village savings and loan associations while others were involved in beekeeping and planting trees.
Solomon Balemezi, the construction engineer at Total Energies noted that at the moment they are undertaking infrastructure to enable work and that currently, they are labeling the entire grounds.
Charles Tokwiny Wawire, the project engineer says they have 31 well pads, 10 in the north part of the Nile and 21 in the South Nile that is within the Buliisa region.
“At the moment we are doing the site preparation of these well-pads so that they will be in a position to commence the drilling exercise and the drilling is going on average of 15 well pads,” he said.
According to him, the exercise is happening in two well pads in the South and then two well pads in the North are Jubiree [5], Gunya [1], and Njirii [3].
“We are trying to prepare roads that can lead to the well-pads for the activities to kick off,” Tokwiny said.
The land for the feeder roads, pipeline, and access roads for the well-pad fall under Resettlement Action 2 and 5, and the process of acquiring the land is ongoing where about 4,900 pads under raff 2 and 5 have been paid their compensation money and under this program, they are building 204 resettlement houses newly and also youth livelihoods program for the affected persons, according to Tokwiny.
The Tilenga Project is located in Buliisa and Nwoya districts. The project covers 6fields with over 400 wells to be drilled on 31 well pads in line with the company’s commitment to limit social, environmental, and biodiversity impacts.
Other main project installations include a central processing facility, flow lines, lake water abstraction facility, feeder line, and construction camps and support bases. Some of the Lake Albert resources will be transported through a 1,443 km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from Kabale, Hoima in Uganda to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanga port in Tanzania for export to the international market.
According to the petroleum Authority of Uganda, the plan for the first Oil revenues remains 2025 and all is geared towards achieving that.
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