Uganda Delays Commercial Crude Production to June 2027 Amid Infrastructure Issues

Uganda's plans to join Africa's oil-exporting countries have hit another snag. The country has pushed back the start of commercial crude production from Lake Albert oil fields to June 2027, just days after promoting its newly named Pearl Sweet crude at an international conference in Singapore.

The delay is linked to the completion and integration of infrastructure needed to move the crude from Uganda to international markets. The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is expected to be ready to receive crude by mid-December 2026, but some work remains on pump stations, electrical installations, instrumentation, telecommunications, and security systems.

Uganda had previously set a target of July 2026 for commercial production, but officials now say the end of June 2027 is more realistic. The setback comes after Uganda promoted Pearl Sweet at the Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) in Singapore, where officials said the crude would be priced against Platts Dated Brent and that the first cargo was expected by the end of 2026.