Government is not sure whether it will produce its first oil in the year 2025.

During a media tour with journalists from several media houses in Hoima last week at the Tilenga and Kingfisher projects, employees disclosed that they require about 17 months to finalize the entire infrastructure needed before the first oil is produced.

Now during the NRM Manifesto Week that is driven under the theme; “Securing your future” the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Pauline Irene Batebe attributed the extensions to issues to do with high capital investment among others.

It should be noted that for some time, the Government has assured Ugandans to have the first oil come out of the ground in 2025 but Batebe explained that despite the extensions they are still on track as far as producing Uganda’s oil is concerned.

She also explained that they are still finalizing with the formulation of the National Petroleum Policy which is expected to create a conducive environment for the production and utilization of petroleum products in the country.

Meanwhile, the Government has disclosed plans to rehabilitate the Kiira and Nalubaale hydro power dams come next financial year 2025/26.

Batebe says that they are looking at rehabilitating the turbines and other equipment at both dams.

She explained that the rehabilitation will take between 2-3 months and they are to spend about 200m Euros.

Government also assured Ugandans of its commitment to continue reducing electricity tariffs for domestic use.

Batebe noted that as of now, the cooking traffic for domestic users is at 402 per KW but they are still engaging to see that this tariff is reduced hence appealing to Ugandans to at least save for the electricity usage since President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni imposed a ban on charcoal burning to save the environment.

By Olivia Nabaggala

19 Nov 2024

END