The EU Parliament passed a resolution Sept. 15 condemning the Uganda-Tanzania Crude Oil Pipeline project (UTCOP or EACOP). Naturally, the EU’s case is about “human rights” and “environmental concerns.” The EU Parliament says that all oil and gas development projects in East Africa should stop, because they are an “affront” to the fight against climate change.
The EU Parliament resolution, in its own words, “Calls for the EU and the international community to exert maximum pressure on Ugandan and Tanzanian authorities, as well as the project promoters and stakeholders.” In particular, the EU Parliament hopes to force French President Emmanuel Macron to lean on TotalEnergies to pull out of the project. TotalEnergies, which is partnered with China’s CNOOC for extraction, has recently been accused in the Atlanticist buzz of cozying up to Moscow.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni responded by saying that if TotalEnergies pulled out, Uganda would find another partner for extraction. Museveni is one of the African leaders who have adopted the expression, “Africa will not be bullied,” made famous in August by South African Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor.
Pipeline construction will be led by China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering and coordinated by Australia’s WorleyParsons Ltd. But public hearings are the current hurdle. The projected pipeline will run from Lake Albert, where Uganda is extracting crude, south through Uganda and then Tanzania to its Port of Tanga. At 1,410 km (880 mi), it will be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world.
