Jobi 2 Appraisal Drilling, Exploration Area 1

Jobi 2 Appraisal Drilling, Exploration Area 1

Name of development company or institution
Heritage Oil and Gas (U) Limited
Potential loss of access to water quality
Yes
location country
Uganda

Heritage Oil and Gas (U) Limited has a joint venture with Energy Africa Limited of South Africa (Tullow Oil) and a production sharing agreement with the government of Uganda signed in July 2004 to explore, develop and produce hydrocarbons in Exploration Area 1of the Albertine Graben.
Jobi 2 is located north of the River Nile within the Murchison Falls National Park approximately 11km from the Delta, 3 km from the Albert Nile and 17km from Lake Albert. The Drilling site is to cover 12,000msq (1.2 hectares). Jobi 2 is located at UTM coordinates : 33396E, 261085N at an elevation of 644.3m.
The site is located on a gently sloping hill and it consists of a seasonal wetland and stream which will be blocked by being filled and compacted with murram. Approximately 3km access road will be constructed.
The identified impacts include; loss of vegetation and grazing land for wildlife, potential ground water contamination, wildlife road kills, potential increased rate of poaching wild animals, habitat loss for ranging and feeding, economic empowerment, employment opportunities, infrastructure development, population increase, decrease in tourist population, visual intrusion, potential oil spills and leakage leading to soil and water contamination.
The identified impacts will be monitored and mitigated by the developer. Drilling cuttings and waste water will be placed in pits lined with concrete and heavy duty pit liner. When the drilling operations are complete, the site will be restored to its original state as far as possible. Restoration involves removal of all infrastructure and equipment except the suspended well of about 10m x 10m. Compacted murram is ripped and removed and then top soil previously removed is put back and indigenous grass and trees re-planted.