The Uganda Oil National Oil Company expressed interest in exploring the Omuka and Kasurubani oil blocks in the Second Licensing Round.
UNOC and DGR Global Limited in Australia are the only two entities that submitted Requests for Proposals for three out of the five oil blocks that were up for licensing. The latter expressed interest in Turaco as well.
Out of the six applicants that submitted Applications for Qualification, four were invited to bid for the oil blocks.
The Final Evaluation report by the Second Round Licensing Committee has thus far been approved by the Minister of Energy and Minerals Development.
Patricia Kevine Litho, the Head Communications and Information Management at the Ministry of Energy and Minerals Development only confirmed that “the bids were submitted and negotiations with the oil companies including UNOC and DGR Global Limited were finalized.”
The development marks a milestone for the country’s potential to becoming an operator in the oil and gas sector through UNOC whose mandate includes taking care of government’s commercial interests in the sector and reserves replacement.
“Participating in the Second Licensing Round is well in line with UNOC’s ambitions of eventually attaining the required capacity to become an operator,” a statement by the Chief Executive Officer Proscovia Nabbanja reads following the Ministry’s notice of Request for Qualification in September 2020.
Also in a statement, UNOC Corporate Affairs Officer Peter Muliisa says licensing UNOC would enable the company participate in exploration as a state-owned company, a milestone thus far.
The Second Licensing Round was first announced in September 2019 for five blocks including Avivi, Omuka, Kasurubani, Turaco and Ngaji.
There was no interest shown in Avivi and Ngaji during the bidding stage. The former is located in Moyo District while the latter is located in Mitooma District in the Lake Edward Basin, in a highly protected conservation area.
