French oil group Total pledged on Monday to limit the impact of the ‘Tilenga’ oil exploration project in Uganda, assuring that it will publish “with transparency” the audits carried out.
According to the French news agency, France-Presse, the French oil company explained that “although the oil exploration permits cover almost 10% of the Murchison Falls national park, project development will be limited to a perimeter of less than 1%, and areas not included in the exploration will be returned immediately.”
At issue is the use of the Murchison Falls National Park to drill more than a third of the 400 wells that the oil company will explore, and the construction of a 1,445-kilometer oil pipeline between Uganda and Tanzania, which has drawn much criticism from environmental groups.
The surface occupied by temporary and permanent facilities will be “minimized”, with a footprint of less than 0.05% of the park, the oil company adds in a press release quoted by AFP, according to which the group has also defined compensation plans with local authorities, including biodiversity protection and protection of animals and their natural habitats.
