East Africa advances regional energy integration with Tanzania gas pipeline and Uganda oil pipeline

Tanzania announced plans to supply natural gas to Uganda and Kenya through a new cross‑border pipeline, a project presented by Engineer Charles Sangweni of the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority at a conference in Zanzibar. The pipeline is part of Tanzania’s strategy to expand clean‑energy access, boost regional integration and involve youth in the sector.

Uganda expects to achieve its first commercial oil production by the end of September, after missing a July target. The Tilenga and Kingfisher projects are slated to deliver up to 230,000 barrels per day, with crude to be exported via the nearly completed East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a 1,443‑kilometre heated line to Tanzania’s port of Tanga. The pipeline consortium includes TotalEnergies, the Uganda National Oil Company, the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation and China’s CNOOC. Despite over 90% completion, the project faces cost overruns, legal disputes over land compensation and financing withdrawals. Uganda plans to use associated gas locally rather than flaring it.