Uganda: Uganda edges closer to commercial oil production as China-aided Kingfisher field nears completion.

Shotlist FILE: Western Region, Uganda - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Aerial shots of Kingfisher Oilfield, oil storage tanks, pipelines, premises 2. Various of Chinese, local workers Western Region, Uganda - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland) 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Peng, general manager, Kingfisher Project, COOEC Uganda (partially overlaid with shot 4/ending with shot 5): "The project has completed the construction of a 75,000-square-meter camp capable of accommodating 1,000 people, equivalent to the area of 10 standard football fields. The project team independently developed an intelligent, visualized project management platform for overseas operations, enabling real-time data sharing across companies, time zones and regions. This has created a replicable model for the digital management of overseas engineering projects." FILE: Western Region, Uganda - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 4. Animation showing location of Kingfisher Oilfield on shores of Lake Albert ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 5. Various of local workers in office 6. Aerial shots of Kingfisher Oilfield under construction 7. Aerial shots of Kingfisher Oilfield, premises Western Region, Uganda - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Xiangdong, President, CNOOC Uganda Limited: "Once fully operational, the Kingfisher Oilfield is expected to reach a peak production capacity of 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day. This will provide a strong boost to local employment, infrastructure development and related industries, helping transform Uganda's long-standing economic structure, which has heavily relied on agriculture and livestock, and creating new opportunities for the country's industrial development." FILE: Western Region, Uganda - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 9. Aerial shots of Kingfisher Oilfield, oil storage tanks, pipelines, premises Storyline Uganda's first commercial oilfield, Kingfisher, has reached mechanical completion, a milestone set to reshape the East African nation's economy as it prepares to join the ranks of oil-producing countries. Located in western Uganda's Albertine Basin, the Kingfisher Oilfield is now entering its final construction phase. Officials on the ground say the project's core surface facilities are complete, including a central processing facility with an annual capacity of two million tons, four well pads, pipelines and supporting infrastructure. The field is being jointly developed by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and TotalEnergies, with CNOOC Uganda Limited serving as operator. "The project has completed the construction of a 75,000-square-meter camp capable of accommodating 1,000 people, equivalent to the area of 10 standard football fields. The project team independently developed an intelligent, visualized project management platform for overseas operations, enabling real-time data sharing across companies, time zones and regions. This has created a replicable model for the digital management of overseas engineering projects," said Zhang Peng, general manager of COOEC Uganda Kingfisher Project. For Uganda, the project could be a game-changer as the East African economy looks beyond its traditional reliance on agriculture and livestock. The government hopes petroleum production will generate jobs, spur infrastructure development and support new industries. The project has currently employed more than 1,500 people, with local workers making up over 90 percent of the workforce. Expectations are rising over the project's potential economic impact. "Once fully operational, the Kingfisher Oilfield is expected to reach a peak production capacity of 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day. This will provide a strong boost to local employment, infrastructure development and related industries, helping transform Uganda's long-standing economic structure, which has heavily relied on agriculture and livestock, and creating new opportunities for the country's industrial development," said Liu Xiangdong, president of CNOOC Uganda Limited. Uganda discovered commercial quantities of oil in the Albertine region in 2006 and has since invested in infrastructure to support the production, transportation and commercialization of its petroleum resources.