The bridge cannot support heavy commercial trucks transporting oil to Mombasa.
Delivery of Tullow Oil Plc’s early production equipment to South Lokichar in northwestern Kenya has been delayed after the Kainuk bridge on Turkwel River — a vital link between Kitale and Lodwar towns — collapsed in November following heavy rainfall.
The bridge cannot support heavy commercial trucks that are expected to haul crude oil under the early oil production scheme (EOPS) to Mombasa.
“Damage to the bridge has disrupted traffic on the highway and, by extension, Tullow’s mobilisation of EOPS equipment. The project schedule, however, remains on course,” Tullow’s said in an e-mail to The EastAfrican.
Tullow, Africa Oil Corporation and Maersk Oil have stockpiled 70,000 barrels of crude drilled from wells in the South Lokichar Basin. They have found 750,000 barrels of commercial crude since the first discovery was made in March 2012.
Africa Oil’s chief executive Keith Hill said they plan to carry out extended well testing of Amosing and Ngamia fields in Turkana County and that any crude oil they find will be stored as part of the EOPS.
He said the EOPS is expected to commence in the first half of this year subject to approvals from approval of the Energy Ministry, Energy Regulatory Commission, National Environment Management Authority, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) and other regulatory agencies.
KeNHA says the Kainuk bridge will open for use by vehicles not exceeding four tonnes even as the national government considers making a drift crossing across the Turkwel River. Drift crossing involves stabilising the river bed with concrete.
KeNHA is also upgrading highway from Lokichar to Kitale to enable moving of crude oil in insulated containers to Mombasa port for export ahead of the planned $2.1 billion pipeline spanning the 855km from South Lokichar to Lamu port.