Its now a done deal. Tanzania on Tuesday approved construction of the controversial $3.5 billion crude oil pipeline, Taarifa Rwanda newspaper reported on Tuesday.
“This construction approval marks another step forward to EACOP as it allows commencement of the main construction activities in Tanzania, upon completion of the ongoing land access process,” EACOP Tanzania general manager Wendy Brown said at a function to receive the approval certificate.
This pipeline about 1,443 Km will transport crude oil from Lake Albert in northwestern Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean for delivery to international markets.

The $10 billion oilfields and pipeline project is being jointly developed by France’s Total Energies, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), along with the state oil companies of Uganda and Tanzania.
According to the Kampala regime, Uganda’s first oil is expected to flow in 2025 — almost two decades after reserves were discovered in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.

There are an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of crude under Lake Albert separating Uganda from DR Congo — of which about 1.4 billion are recoverable.
The reserves are expected to last up to 30 years, with production peaking at 230,000 barrels a day.
The underground heated pipeline is set to become the longest of its type when completed, expected in 2025.
“EACOP will comply with not only the laws of Tanzania and Uganda but also with the most stringent international standards,” Brown said.