{"id":723,"date":"2026-02-04T12:40:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/?p=723"},"modified":"2026-02-04T12:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:40:08","slug":"uganda-moves-closer-to-first-oil-pau-executive-director-concludes-two-day-tilenga-project-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/2026\/02\/04\/uganda-moves-closer-to-first-oil-pau-executive-director-concludes-two-day-tilenga-project-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Uganda Moves Closer to First Oil: PAU Executive Director Concludes Two-Day Tilenga Project Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/122-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/122-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/122-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/122-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/122-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/122.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mr. Ernest N.T. Rubondo<\/strong>, Executive Director of the <strong>Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU)<\/strong>, concluded a two-day supervisory field visit to the <strong>Tilenga Project<\/strong>, inspecting key operations and infrastructure that are driving Uganda toward its <strong>First Oil<\/strong> milestone in July 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/124-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/124-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/124-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/124-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/124-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/124.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 1: Operations North of the Nile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On the first day of the tour, Mr. Rubondo visited drilling activities at the <strong>Jobi Rii 5, 4, and 10 well pads<\/strong> north of the Nile. He also assessed <strong>restoration works at the Horizontal Directional Drilling crossing point<\/strong>, the area where flowlines will transport crude beneath the Nile to the <strong>Central Processing Facility (CPF) South of the Nile<\/strong> in Buliisa District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/125-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-726\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/125-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/125-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/125-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/125-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/125.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Total Energies Uganda<\/strong>, operator of the Tilenga Project on behalf of the Joint Venture Partners, briefed the ED that the project has now reached <strong>63% overall progress<\/strong>, with <strong>187 wells already drilled<\/strong> \u2014 exceeding the <strong>170 wells required for First Oil<\/strong>. This milestone marks a significant achievement as the project continues toward completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 2: Industrial Area and Key Installations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/123-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/123-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/123-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/123-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/123-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/123.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The second day focused on inspecting construction works in the <strong>Industrial Area<\/strong>, which houses the <strong>Central Processing Facility<\/strong>, drilling and construction support bases, a <strong>4,000-man camp<\/strong>, and the <strong>Water Abstraction Point<\/strong> \u2014 a critical facility for ongoing industrial operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Significant progress was observed at the CPF, with <strong>oil storage tanks, PIG launchers, water treatment systems, and the central control building<\/strong> already in place. The ED also visited the <strong>Kasamene-2 well pad<\/strong>, further reviewing drilling activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cAll stakeholders are working to ensure that First Oil is achieved as planned,\u201d said Mr. Rubondo, commending the pace of work and alignment of all project activities toward the July 2026 target.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/121-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/121-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/121-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/121-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/121-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/121.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Highlights from Mr. Rubondo\u2019s Supervisory Visit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tilenga Project \u2013 Total Energies Uganda<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Overall progress: <strong>63%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wells drilled: <strong>187<\/strong> (exceeding 170 required for First Oil)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total wells planned: <strong>420<\/strong> across 29 well pads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kingfisher Project \u2013 CNOOC Uganda Ltd<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Overall completion: <strong>76%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wells drilled: <strong>21<\/strong> (17 required for First Oil)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total wells planned: <strong>31<\/strong> across 4 well pads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Overall progress: <strong>80%<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>All <strong>296 km of Ugandan line pipes delivered<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Over <strong>200 km of pipeline welded<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The two-day visit underscores Uganda\u2019s solid progress across its <strong>oil and gas projects<\/strong>, signaling strong momentum as the country moves closer to its <strong>First Oil milestone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mr. Ernest N.T. Rubondo, Executive Director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), concluded a two-day supervisory field visit to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"right-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"disabled","ast-banner-title-visibility":"disabled","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"disabled","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":730,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723\/revisions\/730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gugudde.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}