UGANDA DELAYS REFINARY BID WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT TILL FEBRUARY NEXT YEAR

The government selected two consortia, one led by South Korea's SK Group and a second led by Russia's RT-Global Resources, as the final bidders for the $2.5 billion project.

Uganda delayed on Wednesday the target date for announcing a lead investor in its planned crude oil refinery to February next year after bidders requested incentives for the project.

The country plans to build the refinery to process its hydrocarbon reserves, which were discovered along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2006. Reserves are estimated at 6.5 billion barrels.

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In June, the government selected two consortia, one led by South Korea's SK Group and a second led by Russia's RT-Global Resources, as the final bidders for the $2.5 billion project. The ministry of energy previously aimed to announce the winner by the end of this year.

"During the negotiations, the bidders requested an incentive package," Kabagambe Kaliisa, the ministry of energy's permanent secretary, said in a statement. "This required additional time for consultations."

The refinery project is to be developed under a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement and the lead investor is expected to take a 60 per cent stake while the government takes the remaining equity.

According to the statement, the project will involve development of a refinery and product storage facilities in Hoima, western Uganda, and a 205-kilometre product pipeline to a terminal near the capital Kampala.

The East African