Gas from Oil Projects to Protect Environment, Boost Health 

By Herbert Yiga Ssempogo

Growing up in Kitovu, Masaka, I knew that my family, like many others, grappled with energy poverty - the lack of affordable, efficient energy.

As is the case in most homes today, the use of charcoal in peri-urban Kitovu was widespread. Families, which couldn’t afford charcoal used firewood from forests, both natural and planted. 

In the 90’s, there was an “innovation”; someone noticed that sawdust could provide energy. My family immediately adopted the trend. Young and energetic, I rode a bicycle to carpentry workshops in Nyendo, Kitovu “Teko” (technical institute) and Masaka town, to collect sawdust from furniture workshops. It was time-consuming and risky - the busy roads and bending below machines to gather sawdust. Although sawdust cooked faster, like firewood, it emitted smoke! Charcoal is probably worse as it emits carbon monoxide, causing death when used in poorly ventilated rooms.   

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 2.3 billion people still cook using solid fuels (such as wood, crop waste, charcoal, coal and dung) and kerosene in open fires and inefficient stoves. The majority, says WHO, are the poor in low and middle-income countries.

Years later, with streaks of gray visible in my hair and beard, indicating the passage of time, energy poverty is still a countywide challenge! Even the affluent always have a bag of charcoal, ‘just in case’. Kampala-bound pickup trucks laden with charcoal are a common sight on all roads from upcountry.
Energy poverty has grossly affected Uganda’s tree cover. According to the Global Forest Watch, in 2010, Uganda had 6.92 million hectares of natural forest, extending over 29% of its land area. In 2023, it lost 68.7 thousand hectares of natural forest, equivalent to 36.3 metric tons of CO₂ emissions.
According to the Clean Cooking Alliance, 2.4 billion people, or 40% of the world’s population, rely on open fires and inefficient fuels such as wood, charcoal, coal, and kerosene for cooking.  

“Lack of access to clean cooking solutions forces women and children in many developing countries to spend as much as 10 hours a week collecting fuel. In some cases, women provide 91% of households’ total efforts to collect fuel and water. Women have an average working day of 11-14 hours, compared to an average of 10 hours for men.”

But there’s hope; efficient energy will soon be available. As the clock ticks towards 2025, much of the Ugandan public interest is focused on the country’s black gold (oil). Yet, thankfully, a solution to the lingering energy poverty is part of the oil production and refining activities.

Oil and gas are akin to twins. For years, unwanted gas was flared (burnt) during production. However, this has side effects and was outlawed in Uganda. Cognizant of the country’s energy challenge, the key oil and gas projects - Tilenga and Kingfisher - will produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

Starting with the Kingfisher project in Kikuube district, it will produce 17,000 kilotons of LPG per year. To that end, on 23, January 2024, CNOOC Uganda on behalf of joint venture partners TotalEnergies and Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), received a five-year license to construct and operate a gas conversion storage facility. The facility is in sync with the oil production activities. 

Similarly, Tilenga in Buliisa and Nwoya will produce 80,000 kilotons of LPG per year.   According to TotalEnergies EP Uganda officials, producing the gas is part of the project’s carbon footprint reduction plan and reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Increased GHGs create a layer, which traps heat dramatically increasing temperatures, an undesirable situation.

On the other hand, the Uganda refinery (co-managed by UNOC) will produce 658 tons of LPG per day. Ahead of the gas production from Tilenga, Kingfisher and the refinery, UNOC is expected to roll out a project focusing on bulk LPG for institutions like schools. The projects’ output will ensure availability.

To popularize the use of gas in homes, in July 2022, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) launched a campaign to popularize LPG. Energy and Mineral Development Minister, Ruth Nankabirwa then said a total of one million cylinders weighing 13 kilograms would be distributed. The target, she disclosed, was to increase its household usage from 0.8% to 20% by 2030. Since the launch of this project in 2022/2023, a total of 13,733 kits have been distributed in Mukono, Kampala and Wakiso. Earlier in the 2020/21 financial year, the Government had exempted LPG from Value Added Tax. In 2022, imports jumped to 32,994,793 from 25,274, 173 in 2021.

Compared to charcoal and firewood, LPG doesn’t emit harmful smoke and lethal fumes like carbon monoxide, ash or soot. This makes it suitable for indoor use. Several health complications have been linked to inhalation of fumes off charcoal and firewood. According to WHO, each year, 3.2 million people die prematurely from illnesses attributable to household air pollution caused by the incomplete combustion of solid fuels and kerosene used for cooking. Particulate matter and other pollutants in household air pollution inflame the airways and lungs, impair immune response and reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

A healthy population means more productivity and, ultimately, a better standard of living.

In a recent article, CNOOC Uganda Limited noted the ease of refilling, transport and ignite LPG as some of its advantages, in comparison to charcoal and firewood.

“LPG is known for its high energy efficiency, which is a significant advantage over many other cooking fuels. It has a high calorific value, meaning it can produce more heat per unit than solid fuels like wood and charcoal making. This not only conserves fuel but also reduces cooking costs over time.”
The benefits of Uganda’s oil and gas projects, therefore, go beyond revenues from the sale of crude oil and refined products. They stretch to protection of the environment through efficient sources of energy like LPG.  END  

The writer is a Senior Corporate Relations Officer at Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC)