19 March 2014, Nairobi – Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum predicts that the Lamu-Turkana oil pipeline will be completed by November 2016, after the project was fast-tracked at the request of the cabinet, Kenya’s Daily Nation reported Saturday (March 15th).
“We want to expedite the project as an urgent one to realise revenues as early as possible,” said Energy and Petroleum Principal Secretary Joseph Njoroge.
The ministry will issue international tenders for the pipeline’s design and construction on Friday. The tenders will be conducted on a turnkey model, whereby the contractor carries out the project with their own funds before selling it back to the government upon completion.
The government had previously planned to exclude companies involved in exploration from bidding for the construction and design, including the London-based oil exploration firm Tullow Oil, but this restriction has been lifted.
The pipeline will cost an estimated 255 billion shillings ($2.9 billion) and will connect the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia transport corridor.
Oil production is expected to begin in 2017-2018, according to the Ministry of Energy.
– Sabahi