Four Ugandan farmers filed a case against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) at the UK's High Court on Tuesday, seeking to have Ugandan constitutional, environmental and climate law applied to EACOP Ltd, the UK-registered company financing the project
Rights NGO Avaaz, which is supporting the case, has called it "first-of-its-kind" litigation against the $5.6 billion project, led by French energy giant TotalEnergies, which holds the majority stake.
Due to begin operating in 2027, EACOP would become the world's longest heated pipeline, running 1,443km (897 miles) from Uganda's oilfields near Lake Albert to the Tanzanian coastal port of Tanga.
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The claim was filed before the pipeline starts operating and asks the court to enforce Uganda's legal protections against a company incorporated in England and Wales.
EACOP has already faced several lawsuits in France, where a Paris court ruled last week that TotalEnergies was liable for emissions generated by its clients, a decision hailed as a landmark for climate law.
A 'global test case'
The claimants argue the project would affect more than 100,000 people through land acquisition, and that it crosses critical freshwater systems and protected habitats.
"The case seeks remedies that could go to the heart of the project's commercial viability, including an injunction to stop oil being transported through the pipeline," Avaaz said in a statement earlier this year.
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The NGO said it believes this is the first time Ugandan environmental law has been brought before a foreign court, describing EACOP as a "global test case for whether new fossil fuel megaprojects can still be forced through despite mounting legal, financial, climate and community opposition."
Claimants say a successful ruling could ultimately prevent the pipeline from becoming operational.
Company denies harm
TotalEnergies maintains that "strict measures have been taken to avoid, mitigate and offset" the project's environmental impact, pointing to efforts to restore forest and wetland areas and boost biodiversity nearby.
Ugandan opponents of the pipeline, meanwhile, have told local media they have faced intimidation and arrest by police in the area, where the project is seen as a political priority.
The UK claim alleges that the pipeline violates Uganda's constitution and breaches the country's environmental and climate legislation.
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(with newswires)
