(WO) — Uganda has named its new export crude blend “Pearl Sweet” as the country’s $15 billion Tilenga-Kingfisher-EACOP development moves toward first oil and exports.
Pearl Sweet will combine crude produced from the TotalEnergies-operated Tilenga development and CNOOC-operated Kingfisher development. The streams will be commingled at the Kabaale Shared Facilities in Hoima before entering the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) for export through Tanzania.
Tilenga is designed to produce approximately 190,000 bpd at peak, while Kingfisher has a planned peak capacity of about 40,000 bpd. Together, the developments are expected to produce approximately 230,000 bpd at peak.
The projects form part of the Lake Albert Integrated Development, which is based on approximately 1.65 Bbbl of recoverable oil resources. More than $12 billion has been invested to date across Tilenga, Kingfisher and EACOP out of an estimated $15 billion total development cost.
The Pearl Sweet blend is characterized as a medium-light crude with an API gravity of approximately 28–31° and low sulfur content. Uganda’s national oil company UNOC, along with TotalEnergies and CNOOC, will lead marketing of the crude to international buyers.
“Pearl Sweet gives Uganda’s crude what every traded grade needs: a clear identity, a defined quality and a name the market can recognise,” UNOC CEO Proscovia Nabbanja said. “For UNOC, the naming opens the next phase: taking Uganda’s barrels to market, building long-term relationships with refiners and traders and capturing maximum value for the country.”
The 1,443-km EACOP will transport the crude from Kabaale in western Uganda to the marine export terminal near Tanga, Tanzania, providing the landlocked country with access to international crude markets.
UNOC holds a 15% participating interest on behalf of the Ugandan government in both Tilenga and Kingfisher. Through National Pipeline Company Uganda Ltd., it also holds a 15% interest in EACOP alongside TotalEnergies, Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp. and CNOOC.
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