Uganda’s Hydrocarbon Journey: From Discovery to First Oil

Uganda has discovered over 1.4 billion barrels of oil (Bbo) in recent years, with multiple giant fields contributing to this wealth. This article traces the history of hydrocarbon exploration in Uganda and its advancement toward first oil.

Exploring the East Africa Rift System.

Tullow Oil’s exploration efforts have made the East African Rift System a focal point since significant discoveries in the Lake Albert Rift Basin began in 2006. This success has led many explorationists to ponder the location of the next major find. The Lokichar Basin in Kenya’s East Africa Rift System emerged in 2012, but that is a different narrative.

Oil seeps around Lake Albert and Lake Tanganyika have been known for over a century, first sampled by early geologists. The 1930s and 1940s saw shallow wells testing these Tertiary rifts, but interest dwindled until Chevron’s success in Sudan’s Cretaceous rift basins reignited interest in the 1980s and ’90s.

Pioneers like Amoco and Shell drilled several wildcats, including Loperot-1 and Eliye Springs-1, with limited success. However, the early 21st century marked renewed interest, particularly around Lake Albert, spearheaded by Tullow Oil alongside Heritage Oil, Energy Africa, and Hardman, later acquired by Tullow and sold partially to Total and CNOOC.

Significant Discoveries in the Lake Albert Basin.

Lake Albert features numerous natural oil seeps onshore and offshore, the latter identified by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Over 20 separate discoveries have been made, primarily syn-rift in nature. Key discoveries include Mputa, Waraga, Nzizi, and Kingfisher, with the remaining finds located in the Victoria Nile Delta play.

The basin’s success hinges on a prolific Miocene-age Type I/II lacustrine source rock. The rapid and recent hydrocarbon migration has been facilitated by excellent Pliocene-Miocene reservoir sequences and frequent extensional faults. Initial seismic data, recorded by Heritage Oil and Energy Africa in 1998, paved the way for subsequent discoveries. Wells such as Waraga-1, Mputa-1, and Kingfisher-1 marked the first significant flows of oil, demonstrating the potential of Uganda’s oil reserves.

Seismic Data and Drilling Success.

Early seismic surveys, particularly 2D data, were crucial in identifying promising structures such as Ngassa and Kingfisher. The light rig Eagle Drill, mobilized in 2005, led to significant discoveries, including Mputa-1 and Waraga-1. By 2007, Tullow Oil had commenced appraising these fields, acquiring more seismic data and making further discoveries like Ngassa.

The Victoria Nile Petroleum Play.

The northern Lake Albert Basin, near the ‘Paraa’ oil seep in Murchison Falls National Park, revealed a new play type similar to the Brent province of the Northern North Sea. This area, characterized by tilted fault blocks and high-amplitude seismic anomalies, proved fruitful with discoveries such as Kasamene-1, Ngege, and Kigogole.

Key Discoveries and Commercialization.

Kasamene-1 confirmed the existence of high-quality reservoirs with excellent porosities and permeabilities, de-risking multiple discoveries in Blocks 1 and 2. Subsequent finds at Ngiri-1 and Jobi-1, among others, cemented the commercial viability of Uganda’s oil. By 2009, over a billion barrels had been discovered, setting the stage for commercial production.

The pioneering efforts by entities like Uganda’s Petroleum Exploration and Production Department (PEPD), independents such as Hardman, Energy Africa, Heritage, and Tullow Oil, and major oil companies like CNOOC and Total, are poised to bring Ugandan crude to the global market. This will drive substantial investment and positively impact the lives of Ugandans.