A controversial oil project that would connect oilfields in a
The 897-mile (1443-kilometer) East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), planned by French oil giant TotalEnergies and the
At least 20 banks and eight insurers have ruled themselves out of the project, many coming under pressure from environmental groups. South Africa’s
All three signed up to the benchmark Equator Principles, voluntary environmental and human rights guidelines for financing infrastructure projects. A report by the non-governmental organization
Oil wells will be drilled within
“An oil spill could prove disastrous for the millions that rely on the lake’s watershed for drinking water and food production,” the environmental campaign group 350.org has warned.
The report says the risk of oil spills breaches an Equator Principle requiring minimal environmental impact. A review of the plans by the nonprofit
“EACOP oil spills will occur over the lifetime of the project,” the review concluded.
The pipeline’s environmental assessment doesn’t contain a robust oil spill plan, the report’s authors contend, a further breach of the Principles. The pipeline will also traverse an earthquake zone — the
TotalEnergies said the pipeline's state of the art design will ensure safety for decades.
The oil has a high wax content, solidifying at temperatures below 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) which would stop oil from spreading as liquid, the company said. Emergency plans are being prepared, the company insisted. Summer temperatures can hit 104 Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in
Human rights standards have also allegedly been broken, according to the report. At least four letters from UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights, sent to the Ugandan president and TotalEnergies’ CEO
The Equator Principles are “not being met with regard to the risks facing community members that express criticism,” the report finds.
TotalEnergies said it was unaware of threats emanating from its own staff. The company said it is “vocal about the need" for Ugandan security forces to respect human rights, and had written to the Ugandan president to share its concerns.
“TotalEnergies does not tolerate any threats or attacks against those who peacefully defend and promote human rights,” the statement read.
The Principles have also been violated by a lack of community engagement “free of manipulation, interference, or coercion, or intimidation”, according to the analysis.
More than 120,000 people will lose land to make way for the project, an evaluation by environmental campaign group
But the report found these requirements were not "sufficiently met”.
The project has “systematically failed” to consult and disclose accessible information, it said.
TotalEnergies said only 13,300 people would be economically impacted across
Finally, the project violates standards on land acquisition and resettlement, the report finds. Compensation processes “exacerbated, rather than mitigated” negative impacts, impoverishing villagers who lost access to farmland and faced long delays awaiting compensation.
TotalEnergies said it had already begun paying compensation. The process abides by local laws and is in compliance with the Principles, the company insisted.
Equator Principles chair
Despite environmental and human rights concerns, the campaign to stop the pipeline is “unrealistic”, said Angelo Izama, of Ugandan think tank Fanaka Kwa Wote.
“Uganda is being thrust into this role as a poster child for climate damage, and it’s really unfair,” he said.
It amounted to a "dismissal of the national interests of
Ugandan oil officials declined to comment.
But President
Efforts to stop the pipeline have left some dismayed at what they see as concerted efforts to sabotage the project.
“TotalEnergies and CNOOC ... have the financial muscle and technical know-how to deliver a world-class project" wrote Elison Karuhanga, a prominent oil attorney, in Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper.
Additional reporting by
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