Uganda completes construction of 1st oil drilling rig

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Ugandan authorities said Thursday that construction of the country’s first oil rig has been completed and will soon start operations.

“It is going to be commissioned next week. After the commissioning, the drilling of oil will start,” Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry spokesman Solomon Muyita told Anadolu.

He said the oil drilling will not mean commercial production has begun and authorities will test if the rig is in perfect condition before operating the facility.

Dubbed “LR8001”, the rig was constructed on the Kingfisher oil field in the western district of Kikuube, 215 kilometers (134 miles) from the national capital of Kampala,

Construction started in November 2022 by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

Commercially viable oil in Uganda was discovered in 2006 and in 2008, an oil and gas policy was drafted.

The government signed a memorandum of understanding with companies in 2014 to utilize oil.