Kampala — TWENTY security and energy officials from the DR Congo have toured the oil exploration sites in the Albertine region in Hoima district to assess the activities of the oil drilling companies.

The team, led by the permanent secretary in the Congolese foreign affairs ministry, Leonard Ngoy Lulu, visited the oil wells at Ngassa, Kaiso-Tonya and Mputa 2 on Wednesday.

The officials, accompanied by Uganda ministry of energy officials, resident district commissioners and chairpersons of the surrounding districts, were conducted around the sites by Tullow Oil Exploration vice-president Tim O'Hanlon.

At Ngassa oil well on the shores of Lake Albert, where exploration worth $40m (about sh70b) is being carried out, the Congolese asked questions about the depth of the wells and whether the drilling process would not affect their side.

O'Hanlon explained that about five kilometers of the drilling path had been diverted due to the hard rocks.

He revealed that over $200m (sh350b) had been used to explore eight wells of Nzizi, Mputa, Waraga and Ngassa.

"We are still at the stage of exploration because we are collecting information to present to the Government. We are just carrying out on-shore exploration."

An energy ministry official, Fred Kabanda, said the ministry identifies areas with oil potential to petroleum companies and trains Ugandans in petroleum-related professions.

It also initiates policies for the operations of the oil companies and monitors their operation, he added.

Kabanda said five exploration sites had been licensed to Tullow Uganda Operations, Neptune Petroleum and Heritage Oil and Gas companies.

The Hoima Resident District Commissioner, Martha Asiimwe, commended the Government for the explorations.

After the five-hour tour, the Congolese officials made no comments, saying they would have to first study and consult during the Joint Permanent Commission meeting, which started yesterday at Munyonyo Speke Resort in Kampala.