Uganda is expected to make an announcement on the third oil bidding round in the second quarter of this calendar year as the country seeks for more oil resources to support two key projects – the crude oil pipeline and oil refinery – that are both due for commissioning within five years.
In November last year, Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) published on its website the proposed basins it intended to explore, calling for the public to make comments about the possible environmental effects.
For three months, the government has been soliciting views from the public about the possible environment degradation if the Kyoga, Moroto Kadam, and the Hoima oil basins were to be licensed out for oil exploration.
The Ministry of Energy has received some comments, and it intends to integrate them in its final environmental assessment before it opens up the bidding process around April this year, according to sources within government.
It is not clear which blocks will be up for bidding in the third oil licensing round. However, at least three of the five oil blocks that were up for auctioning in the second oil licensing round were not taken up. The oil blocks – Avivi, Omuka, and Ngaji – could make a return in the third licensing round. The Ngaji has been a bone of contestation with environmental activists due to its location in the pristine Virunga area.
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