Uganda, Tanzania CSOs raise environmental concerns over proposed Tanga energy hub
Feasibility studies for the proposed infrastructure are expected to be completed by October 2026, according to the communiqué
KAMPALA, August 20, 2026 — Civil society organisations [ CSOs ] in Uganda and Tanzania have raised environmental, livelihood and climate concerns over the proposed Tanga Regional Energy Hub, warning that the planned development could deepen communities’ dependence on fossil fuels and put sensitive ecosystems at risk.
In a communiqué dated August 12, 2026, the CSOs said the concerns follow the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] between Uganda National Oil Company [UNOC], Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation [TPDC] and Vitol Bahrain E.C. on August 6.
The signing ceremony, witnessed by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, marked the launch of the proposed Tanga Regional Energy Hub.
According to the organisations, the hub is expected to require about US$ 20 billion in investment and will include petroleum storage, refining, trading, logistics and regional distribution infrastructure.
The proposed infrastructure includes a crude oil refinery intended to complement Uganda’s planned 60,000-barrels-per-day Hoima refinery, a bidirectional refined petroleum products pipeline, a terminal tank farm and jetty, as well as a natural gas pipeline linking Uganda and Tanzania.
Feasibility studies for the proposed infrastructure are expected to be completed by October 2026, according to the communiqué.
The CSOs also pointed to plans for a 400-kilovolt electricity interconnector between Uganda and Tanzania, with the Ugandan section backed by US$ 250 million in World Bank financing.
They said the developments would build on the 1,443-kilometre East African Crude Oil Pipeline [EACOP], which is expected to transport crude oil from western Uganda to Chongoleani in Tanga, Tanzania.
The organisations warned that the scale of investment in oil and gas infrastructure could lock the region into fossil-fuel dependence at a time when countries are under increasing pressure to transition towards cleaner energy.
“Investing around US$ 20 billion in petroleum infrastructure, but making no equal large investments in alternative sources such as solar, wind, battery storage and other sources of renewable energy, means that Uganda and Tanzania are set to be dependent on fossil fuels for years to come,” the communiqué said.
The CSOs further argued that communities across East Africa are already experiencing the effects of climate change, including floods and droughts, and called for greater investment in resilience and access to affordable and reliable clean and renewable energy.
Livelihood concerns
The organisations also cited concerns arising from the implementation of EACOP, particularly compensation, communication and livelihood restoration for affected communities.
They referred to a 2023 report by Human Rights Watch which documented delayed payments, inadequate compensation and losses of land and livelihoods among households affected by the pipeline project.
The communiqué also cited research by Ugandan organisations which found gaps in the implementation of EACOP’s livelihood restoration programme, including late or poor-quality agricultural support and inadequate vocational skills training.
The CSOs questioned whether livelihoods of communities affected by EACOP would ultimately be restored.
Ecological risks
The organisations said the proposed hub and associated infrastructure would also intersect with environmentally sensitive ecosystems.
They cited a May 2026 spatial analysis showing that EACOP and its feeder pipelines intersect with wetlands, 11 rivers, four protected areas and seven key biodiversity areas, including Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda and mangrove ecosystems along Tanzania’s coast.
In Tanzania, they highlighted ecological risks along the Tanga coast, including the potential impact on the Pemba-Shimoni-Kisite site and the Tanga Coelacanth site, which they said are areas of significant marine ecological importance.
The communiqué said Tanzania’s mangroves along the coast had been valued at approximately US$2.1 billion and sequestered carbon at roughly 10 times the rate of tropical forest trees, making their protection important both economically and environmentally.
The CSOs said community members and civil society monitors in Chongoleani, Tanga, had reported that mangroves and other trees were already being cleared to make way for EACOP’s oil storage reservoirs and marine jetty.
Fishing communities had also reportedly raised concerns about reduced catches linked to noise pollution from drilling, as well as inadequate food support and compensation commitments.
Although EACOP developers have committed to a Tanga Coastal and Marine Biodiversity and Livelihoods Restoration Programme, the organisations said scientific advisers acknowledge that restoration of affected mangrove, seagrass and coral habitats could take 20 to 30 years or more.
The CSOs said these concerns needed to be considered against plans to establish a refinery, gas and petroleum products pipelines, a terminal tank farm, a jetty and expanded marine logistics under the Tanga hub project.
https://thecooperator.news/ugandan-farmers-launch-uk-court-case-to-halt-eacop/
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