Govt. eyes road hazard management system ahead of early crude oil exports

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has invited bids for a consultancy firm to design and implement a road hazard management system ahead of early oil exports by road scheduled to start sometime this month.

The move is part of efforts to contain and minimize dangers associated with transporting crude oil seeing as it will be passing through populated areas.

In the design of the system, the Ministry of Energy will be looking to map out potential danger areas along the road network as well as towns and communities that could be affected in case of a disaster.

“The scope of the assignment will include but not limited to review existing road safety measures along the road transport corridor between Eldoret to Mombasa and foresee road sections to be used to supply crude oil,” the ministry says in a request for expression of interest.

The firm will also be charged with designing an emergency response plan in the event of an accident.

Kenya plans to export crude oil from oil fields in Turkana down to the coastal city of Mombasa by road in the absence of an oil pipeline.

The exercise will see 2,000 barrels of crude oil moved daily by road for storage in Mombasa.

The government had initially planned to load the crude oil onto trains from Eldoret but scrapped the idea in favor of completing the near 1,000 kilometer journey by road.

Already British oil exploration firm Tullow has awarded a transport contract to three transport companies which will provide trucks with a capacity to move up to 150 barrels of crude oil.

However transportation of highly flammable fluids is considered dangerous with the government keen to be on top of all the safety aspects associated with the export process.

The works will include preparation of a risk assessment criteria and proposal of mitigation plans.

Kenya has struck 750,000 barrels of crude oil which has already been passed as commercially viable.