President Yoweri Museveni and other officials at the Kingfisher Development Area in Kikuube District.President Yoweri Museveni has unveiled the official name of Uganda’s crude oil as “Pearl Sweet” with the slogan “Born of the Pearl,” as the country moves closer to commercial production.The President unveiled the name on Wednesday at the Kingfisher Development Area in Kikuube District, turning a technical milestone into a symbolic national moment.The name blends Uganda’s identity as the “Pearl of Africa” with a key technical characteristic of its crude – low sulphur content. In petroleum terminology, “sweet crude” refers to oil with low sulphur, making it easier and cheaper to refine than high-sulphur “sour” crude.“I asked my people, ‘Is there sugar in the petroleum? Why do you call it sweet?'” Museveni said, drawing laughter before explaining the technical meaning. “The Pearl is Uganda.”The branding comes as Uganda prepares to cross its most consequential threshold in its two-decade oil journey, from discovery and development into production, with first commercial output expected by the end of September 2026.Uganda’s petroleum journey took concrete shape after commercial discoveries in the Albertine Graben in 2006. Government says exploration has established about 6.5 billion barrels of oil initially in place, of which 1.4 billion barrels are recoverable, alongside nearly 500 billion cubic feet of natural gas.At Kingfisher, operated by CNOOC Uganda Limited, the transformation is now visible.The development comprises four well pads and 31 development wells and is designed for peak production of about 40,000 barrels per day, according to Irene Bateebe, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development.CNOOC President Liu Xiangdong said the project’s Central Processing Facility achieved mechanical completion on August 24, with 22 wells already drilled.“Today, we can see how far the project has come,” Liu said, recalling CNOOC’s entry into the project in 2012.Kingfisher is only half of Uganda’s planned upstream production. The larger Tilenga project, operated by TotalEnergies EP Uganda, is designed to produce approximately 190,000 barrels per day at peak. Together, the two developments are expected to reach around 230,000 barrels per day, Bateebe said.Because Uganda is landlocked, its crude must travel hundreds of kilometres to reach international markets.The solution is the 1,443km East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), running from Kabaale in Hoima to the Chongoleani Peninsula near Tanzania’s Tanga port. The insulated pipeline is designed to transport up to 246,000 barrels per day.EACOP had reached 92.7% overall completion by September 1, according to the pipeline company.President Museveni said the pipeline is central to the economics of Uganda’s petroleum strategy, noting that transporting crude through EACOP will cost about $12.77 per barrel, while refining petroleum domestically could eliminate export transportation costs.The President portrayed oil development as an energy-security strategy rather than merely an export business.Government plans to develop a 60,000-barrel-per-day refinery at Kabaale, alongside a multi-products pipeline and petroleum storage infrastructure. The refinery is currently in the pre-final investment decision phase following an implementation agreement with Alpha MBM International LLC-FZ.Museveni said associated gas that would have been flared at Kingfisher will instead be used to generate about 80 megawatts of electricity, with additional gas processed into Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking.“No flaring of gas,” Museveni declared.Under Article 244 of the Constitution, petroleum is vested in the Government on behalf of the people. The Petroleum (Exploration, Development and Production) Act, 2013 requires sustainable development, public safety, environmental protection, national content, transparency and accountability, while the Public Finance Management Act, 2015 establishes the Petroleum Fund and framework for revenue management.Uganda has been a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative since 2020.-URNThe post ‘Born of the Pearl’: Museveni Names Uganda’s Crude ‘Pearl Sweet’ Ahead of First Oil appeared first on Business Focus.