Effects of oil and gas exploration in the Albertine Rift region on biodiversity

50 Pages·2012·4.28 MB·English

Effects of oil and gas exploration in
the Albertine Rift region on
biodiversity
Louise Johnson 2007 Assessing the Impacts
of Energy Developments and
Developing Appropriate Mitigation
in the Uganda portion of the Albertine Rift
Status of Oil Exploration in Uganda
• first attempts at drilling were in late 1930’s at
Buitaba Waki-B1 well
• current oil reserves variously estimated (range
ffrroomm aass llooww aass 33..55 ttoo aass hhiigghh aass 770000 mmiilllliioonn bbbbll))
• production potential is about 200,000 b/d once
the country's known fields are developed
• bulk of the oil exploration activities so far
concentrated in Exploration areas 1, 2 and 3 with
several productive wells successfully drilled
Louise Johnson 2007 Assessing the Impacts
of Energy Developments and
Developing Appropriate Mitigation
in the Uganda portion of the Albertine Rift
ctd
Status of Oil Exploration
• Prospecting for oil in Uganda’s Albertine Rift
restarted in 2003 - 04
• government has licensed five exploration areas
(EAs) out of a total of nine, both onshore and
ooffffsshhoorree iinn LLaakkee AAllbbeerrtt..
• Key of the licensed blocks are EAs 1, 2 and 3A,
respectively in the Pakwach, Northern Lake Albert
and Southern Lake Albert/Semliki Basins.
• By 2009 Tullow and Heritage had drilled 27 oil
wells, of which 25 were confirmed to contain
commercially viable hydrocarbons
ctd
Status of Oil Exploration
• Several productive wells drilled in Kabwoya,
Bugungu WRs, MF National Park and Tonya
CWA
•• AAnn aaddddiittiioonnaall ggoooodd nnuummbbeerr iinn iinntteerrmmeeddiiaattee
unprotected areas (in Bulisa area)
• Exploration prospects in the QENP area,
Semliki WR & West Nile
ctd
Status of Oil Exploration
• Additional seismic survey, further exploratory
drilling, the longer-term production stage,
pipelines, decommissioning plans and audits
aarree eennvviissaaggeedd ttoo ccoonnttiinnuuee iinn tthhee AAllbbeerrttiinnee RRiifftt
area in general and in the Protected Areas
within it in particular
• Variety of
ecosystems in the
AR area
•• LLaarrggeellyy aaccccoouunntt ffoorr
the rich
biodiversity area is
known for
Plumptre 2002Extent and Status of the Forests in the
Ugandan Albertine Rift
• Fragile systems with loose soils easily erodible
• Low lying flat areas not so dense vegetation
• With scattered trees