The Albert Lake Basin in the hinterland of East Africa has reached a critical engineering milestone, with the mechanical completion of the Uganda Emerald Bird Oil Field EPC3 project undertaken by CNOOC Engineering. A group of Chinese builders overcame difficulties and built the first commercial oil field core project in the complex and harsh geological environment, laying a solid foundation for the transformation of the local industry.

Tackling Overseas Projects

On September 10, 2026, the EPC3 project of Uganda's Kingfisher Oilfield officially completed mechanical construction, marking the completion of the first commercial oilfield core ground engineering in the area and entering the preparation stage for production. The project includes a central processing plant capable of processing 2 million tons of crude oil annually, four cluster well sites, and multiple supporting facilities, with a massive construction scale. After the completion of the project, Uganda will officially join the ranks of oil producing countries, completely changing the traditional agricultural dominated economic structure.

The project has a considerable construction volume, with a total of 75000 square meters of one thousand person campsite built, 83 kilometers of pipelines and 700 kilometers of cables laid, more than 300 sets of equipment installed, and over 43000 tons of cross-border transportation materials transported, with a total transportation distance of 3.62 million kilometers. The construction team relies on a self-developed digital management platform to achieve efficient collaborative construction across multiple regions, accumulating mature experience in overseas engineering management.

The geological conditions at the construction site are extremely poor, with a large area of humus soil layer having extremely low bearing capacity. Construction is like building a factory on a sponge. The team has carried out deep earthwork replacement operations, with an excavation and replacement area comparable to 14 football fields, a maximum excavation depth of 9 meters, and a total replacement volume of over 1.2 million cubic meters. It can stably carry various large equipment and ensure the stable operation of the oilfield for 25 years.

Deeply cultivate local development

The entire project construction process takes into account green development and local co construction, building a multi energy complementary power supply system and sewage recycling system, and supporting the construction of a 20000 ton annual liquefied petroleum gas recovery device to achieve efficient resource utilization. At the same time, actively carry out public welfare assistance, repair rural roads, donate educational materials, and benefit local people's livelihoods. Keywords: CNOOC, Uganda Energy Project

The project has employed more than 1500 local employees from Uganda, with a localization rate of over 90%. It has completed 135000 man hours of skill training and cultivated the first batch of professional oil and gas industry workers for the local area. After the project is put into operation, the peak daily output of the oilfield can reach 40000 barrels, which will comprehensively drive local employment and infrastructure upgrading, and activate new vitality for energy development in East Africa.Editor/Min Jing