East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project, known as EACOP, is being developed by a consortium including France's TotalEnergies, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the Ugandan and Tanzanian national oil companies to carry crude oil from Uganda's Lake Albert oilfields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga for export. Construction formally began in 2023, and because the crude is unusually waxy, the pipeline must be heated along its full length to keep the oil flowing, a design requirement that adds significantly to its cost. The project has drawn sustained international opposition from environmental and human rights groups over its route through sensitive ecosystems and its associated land acquisition, with several international banks declining to finance it.