How Uganda manages oil waste

As Uganda prepares to achieve its first oil production milestone by 2025 as targeted by the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU),significant progress is being made in the Kingfisher Development Area (KFDA) near Lake Albert in Kikuube District.
KFDA, operated by Cnooc Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (Cnooc), on behalf of a joint venture, is expected to produce 186.5 million barrels of oil from a single field.

Total Energies EP Uganda B.V. (TEPU) holds the majority interest in the project at 56.67 percent, followed by Cnooc with 28.33 percent and the Uganda National Oil Company (Unoc) with 15 percent.

While oil extraction remains the primary focus, the responsible management of waste generated during drilling operations is equally critical.
Ms Gloria Sebikari, the manager of corporate affairs at PAU, says the government has established a waste management facility on a 200-acre site atop the Lake Albert escarpment to treat waste from KDFA.
She says Luweero Industries Limited operates the treatment plant in partnership with China Oil HBP Science & Technology Corporation.

The facility is equipped with two Thermal Desorption Units (TDUs) designed to extract base oil from cuttings before disposal and has a landfill with a 46,000m³ capacity and a wastewater treatment plant to manage waste from drilling operations.

Ms Sebikari adds that since its commissioning in January last year, the facility has treated and disposed of 25,000
metric tonnes of waste. Mr Andrew Miwanda, the waste treatment and disposal manager at Luweero Industries Limited, says the waste received at the facility includes oil-free solid and liquid waste.

“The solid waste from Cnooc is transported in designated skips, with each truck carrying six skips. Each skip is 2.5 cubic metres. This method helps us control the weight and navigate the sensitive terrain. In the event of an accident, it allows us to safeguard and collect the waste before it affects the environment,” he says, adding that liquid waste is transported in trucks equipped with tanks.

Mr Miwanda says once the waste reaches the treatment plant, it undergoes meticulous processes to ensure proper disposal.
Oil-contaminated solid waste is treated in a Thermal Desorption Unit (TDU), which heats it to up to 6000C to separate oil and water from the solids.

“After separation, the materials go through cooling towers. The oil and water are collected in tanks, while the solids, which appear as black material resembling manure, are taken to our engineered landfill. This solid material is treated further to ensure it is stable and safe for storage,” he says.
He adds that the facility uses a solidification and stabilisation process to treat the solids during this stage and contaminants that were not removed during separation are neutralised.

“We mix the waste with cement in precise ratios based on laboratory tests that identify the contaminants. Cement reacts with these elements to form compounds that are stable and non-leachable, ensuring the final product is solidified and safe for landfill storage,” Mr Miwanda says.
According to the waste treatment and disposal manager, the old treatment plant can process three metric tonnesof waste per hour, while the newer unit handles up to 10 metric tonnes per hour.

He says the facility receives approximately 60 metric tonnes of solid waste daily.
For liquid waste, Mr Miwanda explains that the separation process involves recovering and reusing oil while water is sent to a wastewater treatment plant.

“The wastewater treatment plant has a capacity of 20 cubic metres per hour, but we currently treat about four cubic metres per hour. The thermal desorption units also consume more than 50 cubic metres of water daily for cooling during the heating process, and all the treated water is reused within the facility,” he says.

Capacity and future plans The waste treatment and disposal manager says they are collaborating with their regulator to address the unique nature of the waste treated at the facility.
He says in the future,sustainable management will involve repurposing treated waste but adds that achieving this requires extensive research.

“We are now partnering with higher institutions of learning and other researchers to conduct comprehensive studies on these waste materials. The goal is to transform them into valuable materials instead of continuing to dig more landfills,” he adds.
Mr Miwanda says current studies have focused on synthetic mud-cutting waste, which resembles black soil that many people mistake for manure.

He says during treatment, the material is heated to about 600 degrees Celsius, rendering it inert. This process removes all nutrients, making it unsuitable for plant growth.
“Because it originates from deep cores of the earth, its composition is highly unique. We have discovered it possesses distinctive properties such as solidifying at low cement concentrations to form lightweight, durable materials,” he says, adding: “Geologists canuse it to trace the earth's formation in the Albertine region, which could unlock more investment opportunities beyond oil exploration. This could help us better understand what lies beneath the surface.”

Mr Miwanda says since the facility began operations in May last year, it has treated 22,000 metric tonnes of solid waste and 530 cubic metres of liquid waste. The landfill currently has a total capacity of 52,000 metric tonnes.
“With plans to operate here for over 50 years, we have already secured over 1,000 hectares of land to create additional landfills as needed. We are fully prepared to handle the long-term waste management demands of the petroleum industry,” h e says.

Landfill Management 

Mr Miwanda says the facility’s landfill is designed specifically for petroleum waste, and adhering to strict guidelines set by the National Environment Management Authority (Nema).
“Our landfill is constructed with five protective layers, including compacted murram, clay, and sand, ensuring the waste remains contained for up to 100 years without contaminating the environment. We only dispose of pre-mud cuttings, and once the landfill reaches 90 percent capacity, it will be decommissioned. Currently, it is at 40 percent capacity, and we plan to begin constructing a new landfill soon,” the waste treatment and disposal manager says.
He says the landfill has a leachate collection system that redirects any leachate to the wastewater treatment plant. Additionally, it uses an HDPE liner designed to last a century, ensuring no waste escapes into the surrounding environment.
“Even after the landfill is decommissioned, long-term monitoring will continue. When the landfill is full, we will close it and monitor it for 30 years to ensure environmental safety,” he says.

Mr Ronald Agutoka, the environmental officer from PAU, says during the early exploration phase, the government lacked the necessary technologies, facilities, and regulatory framework to
effectively manage waste generated by oil-related activities.
He says initially, drilling waste was gathered at various consolidation sites across the development areas.

“These facilities are strictly monitored and inspected by various agencies, including Nema and PAU. For wastewater treatment, the Directorate of Water Resources Management issues waste water discharge permits,” Mr Agutoka notes.
To ensure safety and accountability, the environmental officer says waste management involves multiple steps, including transporting waste in leakproof containers from the point of gen eration to the treatment facility.

All waste transfers must be documented with waste transfer notes, ensuring traceability throughout the process.
“Waste transfer notes must be issued from the point of generation to the treatment plant, and all documents must accompany the waste. In the event of any issue, we must be able to trace the waste's journey,from its generation to transportation, treatment, and disposal,” he says.

Mr Agutoka adds that the waste treated at these facilities is safe, as it is managed in compliance with the regulatory framework.
He says the waste is carefully disposed of in designated locations and is never mixed with other types of waste, ensuring petroleum-related waste is handled with the highest standards of environmental care.

Mr Michael Omonyi, the human resource manager at Luweero Industries Limited, says the facility employs 121 staff, including 15 Chinese nationals.
To ensure knowledge transfer, each Chinese worker is paired with a Ugandan during working hours, so that by the time the Chinese workers return home, Ugandans can fully operate the treatment plant.
However, oil waste from Tilenga, managed by TotalEnergies EP Uganda B.V. (TEPU), is transported to another treatment facility operated by EnviroServ near Kabalega International Airport.