Below we provide a response and correction to specific inaccurate claims presented in the film about the EACOP/Tilenga project produced by the Green Youth Movement in Denmark, including allegations regarding compensation, environmental impact, and community engagement.
TotalEnergies will not tolerate any threat or attack against those who peacefully defend and promote human rights. Whenever the EACOP Project is alerted of allegations of threats, intimidation, harassment, or violence against Human Right Defenders’ (HRD) in relation to their activities, it follows up on the cases with the relevant authorities to recall the importance of respecting the human rights of the arrested protestors.
As a recent example, in the context of HRD-arrests following anti-EACOP protests in front of the offices of KCB bank in Uganda in April and May 2025, TEPU sent an official request to the Ministry for internal affairs.
The EACOP Project communicates with relevant government officials on Human Rights and advocates for professional conduct of police and army units. In particular, the Project has organized sensitization of law enforcement officers and security officers on Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHRs) and internationally recognized human rights. To mitigate the risks linked to the use of force during protests by community members or students, VPSHR training of field officers on this topic has been held.
At no point have the companies sought to silence affected persons or stakeholders. On the contrary, communities are encouraged to engage freely with all stakeholders, including civil society, and the media.
TotalEnergies is fully aware of the challenges at stake with regard to freedom of the press and general information.
The Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies SE has several times either written to or spoken to the President of the Republic of Uganda to share his concern on issues of freedom of expression and to request that the rights of concerned individuals be respected. He emphasized the importance that TotalEnergies places on freedom of the press and open dialogue with all stakeholders.
On May 3, 2023, to mark World Press Freedom Day, representatives of TotalEnergies EP Uganda's management attended an event organized by the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) to raise awareness of the importance of respecting the right to freedom of expression. More info here: (https://eacop.com/human-rights-policy/)
The land acquisition is carried out on behalf of the Ugandan and Tanzanian Governments in close collaboration with specialized partners and local stakeholders and done in accordance with national laws and aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the World Bank’s IFC Performance Standards.
Independent experts have also assessed performance and implementation against these standards, and a summary of their findings is published on the EACOP website. https://eacop.com/report/environment-and-social-due-diligence-esdd-non-technical-summary-nts/
Resettlement action plans were developed in collaboration with the authorities and local stakeholders. These plans outline the procedures and measures to be followed to mitigate potential negative effects, compensate for losses, and provide development benefits to individuals and communities affected by the projects. Again, they are made public. https://eacop.com/land-acquisition.
The Project required the acquisition of about 5,200 hectares of land, impacting 13,686 households. Of these, 539 households (4% of the total) had their primary dwelling on the affected land and were thus offered a choice of replacement housing or cash compensation. The other 96% were ‘economically impacted’ meaning that the project footprint impacted their land, crops, trees and structures, and were thus entitled to compensation at full replacement cost.
As of end of June 2025, 99% of compensation agreements have been signed, 99% of households have been compensated and 97% of the grievances received were closed. All the new residences have been built. Activities are now focused on post-acquisition support as required under IFC PS5, namely: distribution of food to eligible households known as ‘transitional support’ and typically provided for a period of 6-12 months, delivery of ‘Livelihoods Restoration Programs’ to eligible households.
PAPs (Project Affected People) are under no compulsion to sign their agreements and only do so if they accept compensation as a fair reflection of the value of their affected land and assets. This is clearly communicated to PAPs attending the Entitlement Briefing and Compensation Agreement signing.
PAPs are also advised of a reflection period of two weeks and advised to only sign their Compensation Agreement (CA) if they feel they are fairly compensated for their affected land and assets.
Third-Party Legal Advisors attend all the Entitlement Briefings and Compensation Agreement signing to provide the affected people with independent advice on their Compensation Agreements, their legal rights and to answer any questions raised by the affected people (PAP).
Whilst some PAPs chose to sign their Compensation Agreements on the same day as the Entitlement Briefing, they were under no compulsion or pressure to do so. Other PAPs utilized the two (2) week reflection period to consult others before signing on a subsequent date.
It is important to note that all entitlement briefings were translated into local languages to ensure all the PAPs understood the implications of what was required of them in line with IFC requirements and general good practice. The Compensation Agreements contain a Certificate of Translation and a Certificate of Attesting Witness, as required under the Illiterates Protection Act, Cap 78 for cases of illiterate PAPs.
We remain open to continued dialogue and encourage all stakeholders to raise concerns through the established grievance procedures or by engaging directly with EACOP. Toll Free Line: 0800 216 000 Email: [email protected]
There has been no pollution of local water supplies. There has been clean controlled runoff water going into water streams from our sites.
Water pollution risks associated with the EACOP pipeline were carefully assessed and incorporated in the design of the project, ensuring that appropriate mitigation measures were considered in its planning and development.
The route of the pipeline was narrowed and finalized after extensive technical, geographical, environmental and land usage studies, designed to minimize its environmental impact and avoid sensitive areas as much as possible. The entire pipeline will be built underground and re-vegetated upon completion.
Light was identified as one of the major potential impacts in the Comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) and mitigations were accordingly designed to ensure minimization of light pollution in the park. Field operation activities for the drilling rig take place both day and night, and artificial lighting is required for safety and security reasons during night operations. As a mitigation, TEPU has ensured that warm lighting is used, and lights are inward facing on all its well pads (including rigs) to limit light pollution.
No, it is not correct. There will be a total of 8 wellpads located inside the park boundaries. The total project footprint within the park is less than 0.03% of the park’s surface area, ensuring minimal spatial disruption. The decision to allow oil drilling in Murchison Falls National Park was made by the Government of Uganda who sought TotalEnergies to assist realize this development. Comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) were conducted in accordance with national and international requirements and approved by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). No processing facilities are located inside the park.
No, such a promise has not been made. Some light is required for security reasons, but many measures are in place to minimize the impact on the environment.
An estimated USD1.8bn will be directly spent with local contractors during the construction phase. The Tilenga and EACOP projects (the Projects) will create close to 18,000 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect jobs for Ugandan and Tanzanian nationals during the construction phase.
As at end of July 2025, the construction phase has generated the creation of 22,765 direct jobs exceeding the initial target of 15,330. Regarding the amounts and benefits for Ugandan and Tanzanian businesses, USD 1.42 billion have been spent locally, representing 103% of the expected local expenditures. For the training, 2.1 million hours have been delivered over 2.3 million planned.
Beyond job creation, Uganda’s crude oil commercialization strategy is to promote a refinery of 60,000 bbls/day that meets the petroleum products needs of Uganda and its regional neighbors . Also, a significant portion of the oil revenues, in the form of royalties and profit sharing, will be returned to the Government of Uganda.
In addition, TotalEnergies has committed to reinvesting a significant portion of project revenues into local development initiatives, including renewable energy projects and infrastructure improvements, benefiting the populations of Uganda and Tanzania.
The World Bank underlines the oil development’s positive impact on Uganda’s growth (https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/uganda/overview):
“Over the medium term, the start of oil production is expected to significantly boost growth, accelerating to 10.4% in 2027 before returning to around 6% as the oil production plateaus. The developments in the oil and gas sector that are expected to drive growth in the medium term, are anticipated to have positive spillover effects across other sectors of the economy, leading to improvements in public infrastructure, increased private sector activity, and strong net flows of Foreign Direct Investment.
Poverty is expected to decline slightly in FY25, with a faster reduction anticipated as economic growth accelerates over the medium term. The strategic investment of oil revenues in social services, infrastructure, and human capital could further lower poverty rates to 38% by 2027.”