• The first commercial oil discovery was made in the Lake Albert Rift Basin in 2006. Since then, successful well appraisals have boosted Uganda's proven crude oil reserves from zero in 2010 to 2.5 billion barrels as of January 1, 2013, according to the Oil & Gas Journal. Proven natural gas reserves were 500 billion cubic feet (Bcf) as of January 1, 2013.
• Currently, Uganda does not produce any hydrocarbons, but oil production is expected to start within the next five years. The United Kingdom-based Tullow, Paris-based Total, and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) are leading exploration and development activities in the Lake Albert area.
• Small-scale oil production may begin within the new few years to power local electricity plants. However, since Uganda does not have a refinery or an export crude oil pipeline, full-scale oil production will depend on when infrastructure is built. The Ugandan government and Total and CNOOC recently reached an agreement to build a 30,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) crude oil refinery, instead of the 180,000 bbl/d refinery that the government wanted. Nonetheless, the government and the consortium (Total, Tullow, and CNOOC) still have to decide on daily production levels and the export pipeline route.
• In 2011, the country consumed 23,000 bbl/d of petroleum products. Since Uganda is landlocked, it imports petroleum products via neighboring countries.
• According to the World Bank's latest data, only 9 percent of Uganda's population has access to electricity. Electricity net generation in Uganda was 2.4 billion kilowatthours (KWh) in 2010, of which 1.6 billion KWh derived from renewable sources (hydro and biomass) and 0.8 billion kWh from petroleum. The vast majority of the population relies on traditional biomass and waste for heating and cooking.

Analysis Last Updated: April 2013