Uganda National Pipeline Company

Uganda National Pipeline Company (UNPC), legally National Pipeline Company Uganda Limited, is a state-owned infrastructure company within Uganda’s petroleum sector. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC), the government company established to participate in commercial activities across the oil value chain. UNPC’s role is focused on infrastructure rather than upstream oil production: it holds and manages Uganda’s interests in crude-oil pipelines, petroleum-products pipelines, natural-gas pipeline projects, storage facilities and associated assets. The company was incorporated as a private limited liability company on 12 June 2015 under Uganda’s Companies Act. Its creation followed the policy and legal framework developed through Uganda’s 2008 National Oil and Gas Policy and the Petroleum Acts of 2013. The institutional purpose was to ensure that the Ugandan state retained a direct commercial interest in the infrastructure needed to move and store petroleum, as the country progressed toward development of its discovered oil resources. UNPC’s most prominent investment is its 15% interest in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), a heated export pipeline intended to carry crude oil from Uganda’s oil fields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga. The project is being developed with TotalEnergies, China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation. Through its equity position and government agreements, UNPC represents Uganda’s participation in one of the country’s largest petroleum infrastructure projects. Its responsibilities include supporting the Ugandan side of the project, including compensation and resettlement processes for affected communities, alongside the other project participants and public authorities. Storage is another central part of the company’s business. UNPC has been associated with the Jinja Petroleum Storage Terminal and manages the Kampala Storage Terminal in Namwabula, Mpigi District. The Kampala facility is intended to provide a major receiving and distribution point for imported petroleum products. It supports UNOC’s role in petroleum-product imports and is designed to help supply Uganda while also enabling distribution toward neighbouring markets, including Tanzania. This infrastructure is strategically important because Uganda has historically depended heavily on import routes through Kenya. UNPC is also connected to longer-term infrastructure plans, including a proposed Hoima–Kampala multi-product pipeline, possible petroleum-product links between Tanga and Kampala, and infrastructure associated with a proposed oil refinery at Kabaale in Hoima District. These projects remain at different stages of planning and development, and not all have a confirmed construction timetable. The company’s positioning is that of a public-sector pipeline and terminal asset holder: it is intended to secure national participation, improve supply resilience and support commercialization of Uganda’s petroleum resources. Its operations place it at the intersection of state energy policy, regional logistics, international oil investment and infrastructure finance. UNPC is based in Kampala and works with UNOC, government agencies, international oil companies, contractors, financiers and neighbouring-country institutions. The company remains active as Uganda develops its export and domestic petroleum infrastructure, although the timing and completion of some linked projects remain subject to financing, regulatory, environmental, land-acquisition and regional logistics issues.

Uganda National Pipeline Company was created during the institutional development of Uganda’s petroleum industry. Uganda’s National Oil and Gas Policy, adopted in 2008, identified the need for national participation in the petroleum value chain. Subsequent petroleum legislation, including the Petroleum Acts of 2013, provided the legal framework for commercial state participation and the management of oil-related infrastructure. Within this framework, Uganda National Oil Company was established as the government’s commercial vehicle, while UNPC was created as a specialist subsidiary for pipelines, storage and related infrastructure. UNPC was incorporated on 12 June 2015 as a private limited liability company under the Companies Act. Its principal purpose was to hold the Ugandan government’s interest in crude-oil pipelines, petroleum-products pipelines, natural-gas pipelines, storage facilities and associated infrastructure. The arrangement separated infrastructure ownership and management from the broader responsibilities of UNOC and allowed Uganda to participate directly in projects that connect domestic petroleum resources with local and regional markets. The company’s early operating focus included petroleum storage. By 2017, UNPC had begun managing the Jinja Petroleum Storage Terminal in partnership with One Petroleum Limited. Storage terminals are strategically significant in Uganda because the country relies on imported refined petroleum products while developing its own upstream resources and planned refining capacity. Terminal management therefore connected UNPC’s infrastructure mandate with the practical requirements of national fuel supply. UNPC later became a participant in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. The heated pipeline is intended to transport crude from Uganda’s Tilenga and Kingfisher developments to Tanga in Tanzania for export. Uganda National Pipeline Company holds a 15% share in the project, alongside Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation, while TotalEnergies and CNOOC hold the principal private-sector interests. UNPC’s role gives the Ugandan state a direct commercial position in the export route and links the company to project development, land acquisition, compensation, resettlement, construction and regulatory coordination. The company also manages the Kampala Storage Terminal at Namwabula in Mpigi District. The terminal is designed to receive and store imported petroleum products for distribution in Uganda and potentially neighbouring markets. Its development supports UNOC’s petroleum-import activities and is intended to reduce the country’s dependence on a single logistics corridor through Kenya. A reported operating arrangement with Vitol Bahrain EC places the terminal within a wider commercial supply-chain structure, although the terminal’s ultimate capacity and future expansion remain matters of project development. Other infrastructure associated with UNPC’s mandate includes a proposed multi-product pipeline between Hoima and Kampala, which could connect future refining or petroleum-processing facilities with the Kampala storage system. Uganda and Tanzania have also considered a petroleum-products pipeline from Tanga to Kampala. UNPC is consequently involved in a broader regional infrastructure concept in which crude exports, imported refined products, storage and domestic distribution are treated as connected parts of Uganda’s petroleum strategy. UNPC’s development has taken place amid substantial environmental, social, financial and geopolitical scrutiny of Uganda’s oil projects. The EACOP project has faced criticism from environmental organizations and concerns from some financial institutions, while project participants have continued to seek funding and build the pipeline. For UNPC, these debates affect the cost, schedule, stakeholder relationships and reputational environment of its most important investment. The company’s responsibilities also include supporting compensation and resettlement work for people affected by the Ugandan section of the export project. Today, UNPC remains an active UNOC subsidiary and a specialized public-sector infrastructure brand. It does not primarily market consumer fuel products under its own name. Instead, its identity is tied to ownership, management and development of strategic petroleum logistics assets. Its future significance depends on the completion and operation of EACOP, the performance of Kampala and other storage facilities, the development of refinery and domestic pipeline proposals, and Uganda’s wider transition from petroleum exploration to production and export.

• 2025

  EACOP coating plant reported fully operational

  [1]Uganda National Pipeline Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The coating plant associated with EACOP was reported to be fully operational, representing a further construction milestone for the export project.

• 2024

  Kampala Storage Terminal enters strategic supply arrangements

  [1]Uganda National Pipeline Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Kampala Storage Terminal became part of UNOC’s petroleum-import and distribution arrangements, strengthening Uganda’s domestic fuel logistics.

• 2024

  EACOP construction progresses

  [1]Uganda National Pipeline Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline advanced, including pipe installation and operation of a coating plant, with UNPC participating as Uganda’s equity holder.

• 2017

  Jinja storage-terminal management begins

  [1]Uganda National Pipeline Companyen.wikipedia.org

  UNPC began managing the Jinja Petroleum Storage Terminal with One Petroleum Limited, establishing an early operational focus on petroleum storage.

• 2015

  UNPC incorporated

  [1]Uganda National Pipeline Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Uganda National Pipeline Company was incorporated on 12 June as a private limited liability company under Uganda’s Companies Act, with a mandate covering pipeline and storage infrastructure.

A state-owned petroleum infrastructure company designed to hold Uganda’s commercial interests in pipelines, storage terminals and related oil-and-gas logistics assets.

• Crude-oil export infrastructure

  East African Crude Oil Pipeline participation

  UNPC holds Uganda’s 15% interest in the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, a heated export route intended to connect crude-oil production in western Uganda with the port of Tanga in Tanzania. The company’s participation represents national ownership in the pipeline and involves coordination around construction, government agreements, land access, compensation and resettlement. The project is being developed with TotalEnergies, CNOOC and Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation.

• Petroleum-products storage

  Kampala Storage Terminal

  The Kampala Storage Terminal at Namwabula in Mpigi District is a petroleum-products receiving and storage facility managed by UNPC. It supports Uganda National Oil Company’s import and distribution activities and is intended to improve supply security by providing a domestic logistics hub. The terminal is also positioned to support deliveries toward neighbouring markets, including Tanzania, and to reduce reliance on established import routes through Kenya.

• Petroleum-products storage · 2017

  Jinja Petroleum Storage Terminal

  The Jinja Petroleum Storage Terminal was an early operating asset associated with UNPC. From 2017, the company managed the terminal with One Petroleum Limited. Its role is consistent with UNPC’s mandate to develop and operate storage infrastructure that supports Uganda’s petroleum-product supply chain.

• Refined-products pipeline

  Hoima–Kampala Multi-Product Pipeline

  The Hoima–Kampala Multi-Product Pipeline is a proposed infrastructure link intended to move refined petroleum products from the Hoima area toward the Kampala Storage Terminal. It is associated with Uganda’s wider refinery and petroleum-development plans, but the project has not been assigned a confirmed operating date in the available reference material.

• Regional petroleum-products pipeline

  Tanga–Kampala petroleum-products pipeline

  UNPC has been associated with discussions concerning a petroleum-products pipeline connecting Tanzania’s port and fuel infrastructure at Tanga with Kampala. The concept could provide an additional regional supply route for Uganda, but its construction status and schedule remain uncertain.

• 2024

  Use Kampala Storage Terminal to support petroleum importsStrategy

  Background

  Uganda sought to strengthen domestic fuel logistics and reduce dependence on established import corridors through Kenya.

  Action taken

  UNPC operated the Kampala Storage Terminal as part of UNOC’s petroleum-import and distribution arrangements.

  Aftermath

  The terminal became a strategic receiving and storage point for Uganda and potential regional distribution.

  Source

• 2017

  Take on Jinja terminal managementStrategy

  Background

  Uganda’s petroleum supply system required domestic storage capacity and operational expertise while the country continued to rely on imported refined products.

  Action taken

  UNPC began managing the Jinja Petroleum Storage Terminal with One Petroleum Limited.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement gave UNPC an early operational role in petroleum storage and logistics.

  Source

• 2015

  Create a dedicated national pipeline subsidiaryStrategy

  Background

  Uganda needed a commercial state vehicle to hold interests in petroleum pipelines, storage terminals and related infrastructure as its oil industry moved toward development.

  Action taken

  Uganda National Oil Company established UNPC as a wholly owned subsidiary under the Companies Act framework.

  Aftermath

  UNPC became the specialized state entity for Uganda’s pipeline and petroleum-storage participation.

  Source

1. 1Uganda National Pipeline Companyen.wikipedia.org