Ghana: ECG MD Blames Gh¢10.21 Billion Loss In 2022 On Cedi Depreciation
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the entity responsible for power distribution in the southern part of Ghana, has blamed the Gh¢10.21 billion losses recorded in 2022 on the depreciation of the local currency Cedi against the US dollar.
The 2022 loss is very significant compared with the Gh¢1.91 billion loss it recorded in 2021.
Answering questions at the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament on Monday, August 12, 2024, the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Samuel Dubik Mahama explained the reasons for the loss and among the reasons he cited were payments to the IPPS in foreign currency as well as the purchasing of meters, transformers and other components in dollars.
The Member of Parliament for Buem, Kofi Adams, noted that the financial performance of ECG for 2022 did not look good if compared to the 2021 report.
The legislator indicated that the company’s distribution expenses rose to 32.6 per cent and administrative expenses also saw a rise of 36.3 per cent.
However, responding to the issue raised by the legislator, Mr Samuel Dubik Mahama explained that “our distribution cost going up is as a result of the forex.
Most of the jobs that we do within ECG are all priced in US dollars.
The meter, transformer purchase and other intensification jobs are all priced in dollars. The ECG now pays the IPPS and that is also done in dollars from its current jobs.”
Mr Mahama acknowledged the challenges some consumers are facing about billing but said the company is expanding its engagements in communities within the regions to educate consumers.
“We have engaged a few communities in the Volta and Central Regions, but we need to expand it and also intensify it. What we are realising now is that most people don’t know that meters expire.
“They don’t have a long lifespan and it’s something that is not the fault of the customer so it’s something that we have to educate them on,” he said.
He further explained that “…now we have moved to meters that are properly electronic so with this, when you are charging your phone, it sees everything.
“So every single action you take will reflect, and let’s not forget that the PURC has increased tariffs to about 75 per cent and the whole conversation about electricity conservation must be brought back because the mere fact that there is no plug-in the wall socket doesn’t mean that you should leave it on because it’s reading.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa: We’re Expecting 500MW Power Back By The End Of August-Minister
South Africa’s Minister for Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says the power grid is expected to be strengthened with generating units expected back by the end of August.
He was speaking during a media briefing in Pretoria on Monday morning.
“We are expecting Medupi Unit 4 to give us 800MW megawatts and to fire up Kusile Unit 6, which is another 800MW. We are hoping to get an extension of life of Koeberg Unit 2… We are not complacent.
“We are doing everything by the book and we are still optimistic about getting that extension of life, and it will give us an additional 980MW.
“We do expect that by the end of August this year, just from the Eskom fleet, we should be getting an additional 2 500MW,” he said.
The Minister cautioned, however, that although “we remain buoyant” regarding Eskom’s performance, load shedding is still not a thing of the past.
“I really want to caution that load shedding is not behind us. In the next three weeks or so Eskom will be sharing what the summer outlook is. We are still buoyant about the performance of these generation plants.
“Having said that, we need to caution against any early declaration to decree load shedding as behind us. We do everything possible to resolve this question but the numbers do indicate that we are within touching distance,” Ramokgopa said.
The Minister made special mention of Tutuka, Kendal and Kriel power stations.
“Tutuka has experienced a significant amount of challenges over a period of time… but we are seeing results now. Just this period from March to August, the unplanned capacity loss factor [UCLF] has reduced by 29%.
“That’s significant from where Tutuka started; they’ve moved from 2 411MW to 949MW.
“At Kendal, there were major issues with regard to exceeding the emissions standards, so there [were] a number of interventions that had to be made.
“Today… we were able to reduce the [UCLF] from 2 500MW out and now we’re sitting at about 919MW.
“We have seen exceptional results at Kriel, with the reduction in the UCLF having gone down 53% from 1 400MW to about 508MW,” the Minister said.
He explained that change in leadership at the helm has changed the trajectory of those stations.
“The people issues do matter and the Eskom leadership has taken that into account. The fact that you place the most seasoned, loyal and patriotic individuals to be at the helm of those power stations has given us the kind of results that are required,” Ramokgopa said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Zimbabwe: Gov’t Plans To Construct 250 MW Solar Plant To Deal With Incessant Power Outages
Zimbabwean is in the process of constructing two solar power plants with a total capacity of 250 megawatts to alleviate the country from a power deficit, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Zimbabwe is in the throes of power outages which the government is blaming on the El Nino-induced drought which has decreased water levels at the country’s hydro-generating plant in Kariba Drought, coupled with antiquated power plants in Hwange has seen the government implementing power cuts.
Mnangagwa said Hwange 7 and 8 Units that were commissioned last year will boost the power supply in the country.
“The role of the energy and power sector in socio-economic development through industrialisation cannot be over-emphasised.
“Low power production levels at Kariba Power Station are being offset by the Hwange 7 & 8 expansion project, which now feeds a constant supply to the national grid.
“Among numerous power augmentation projects, two large solar plants with a total capacity of 250 megawatts are being developed and will soon be commissioned,” said Mnangagwa.
As of August 10 2024, Zimbabwe Power Company was producing 1314MW with Hwange Power station providing 1099MW and Kariba hydropower station generating 215MW.
Zimbabwe reportedly requires 5000MW of energy to sustain households and the industry with imports from South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia failing to meet the threshold.
Zambia which shares the Kariba Hydropower station with Zimbabwe announced that it will be importing energy from Zimbabwe as it buckles under the El Nino-induced drought.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Air Force Destroys 13 Illegal Refining Sites In Niger Delta
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) under the Operation Delta Safe says its airstrike operation at the weekend led to the destruction of 13 illegal refining sites.
A statement issued by the Air Force Director for Public Relations and Information, AVM Edward Gabkwet, on Sunday, August 11, 2024, said that 10 overhead tanks and several gallons of illegally refined products were also destroyed in the operation.
He said that the airstrikes were part of efforts to curtail activities of oil thieves and economic saboteurs engaged in illegal and nefarious acts of bursting oil pipelines and siphoning crude oil.
He said that the air component had increased its rate of patrol, especially within the Niger Delta region, with the aim of locating illegal oil refining sites and destroying them.
“In arguably one of its most successful operations conducted along the Imo River, near Obuzor and Okoloma, about 13 active illegal refining sites were discovered.
“These sites were subsequently destroyed after the crew employed the weapons on board the aircraft.
“Several overhead tanks connected to reservoirs, as well as numerous gallons were also destroyed in the process.
“In all, 13 illegal sites, 10 overhead tanks and several gallons of illegally refined products were effectively destroyed,” he said.
Gabkwet said that the crew also spotted a truck along the riverbank, with four canoes, loading illegal products into the truck.
According to him, after a thorough scan of the area and observing the criminals dispersed in disarray upon siting the aircraft, the truck as well as the canoes, were attacked and destroyed.
He said that the crew continued its patrol over the Trans Niger Pipeline, from Rumuekpe-Nkpoku to Bonny.
“The patrol team covered End Point, Bodo trunk line, Point, Small line attachment, Nkpoku-New Ebubu Trunkline, and Rumuekpe-Nkpoku line with no unusual activity observed.
“The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has commended the Air Component for its commitment to diminishing the activities of oil thieves in the Niger Delta Region,” he said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: Aflao Fuel Station Aids Middlemen To Smuggle Fuel To Togo
A report reaching this portal indicates that some Togolese nationals have been buying fuel from Express Petroleum filling station located at Aflao in the Volta Region and reselling it in Togo.
Videos and photos received from a patriotic citizen of the area on Monday showed scores of Togolese with bicycles and motorcycles who had come to the station with yellow gallons to buy fuel.
Sources close to the area told this portal that the situation had been going on for several months.
The informant gathered courage and stopped the illegal acts but told this portal that the operator of the station called for police intervention after preventing the smugglers from continuing their illegal acts.
This portal has been informed that a similar thing is happening at other filling stations at Aflao which is close to the Ghana -Togo border.
Few years ago, the petroleum downstream regulator – National Petroleum Authority (NPA) – clamped down on these illegal acts across Ghana’s border in the East and North. However, it appears the menace is resurfacing.
This portal, therefore, calls on NPA to resume its surveillance activities to halt the situation.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa Battles To Fund Vital Grid Upgrade For Green Energy
South Africa’s plan to expand its power grid, now the biggest bottleneck to replacing coal with renewables, has hit a snag: finding investors to lend the necessary $21 billion to a near-bankrupt state monopoly.
Since May’s election brought a coalition government to power, there has been a policy shift favouring renewables, after years of bureaucratic delays and contradictory messages about South Africa’s willingness to give up coal, which provides 80% of its power.
But as private providers – including Mainstream Renewable (owned by Aker Horizons EDF Renewables and Acciona SA – prepare to transform the sector, many face another problem: how to get power from sunny and windy outposts to energy-hungry urban centres.
Six officials told Reuters over the past month they were considering options for financing some 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) of power lines and pylons, but hadn’t yet found a solution.
“Our quest to decarbonise … relies heavily on our ability to expand the grid,” new Energy Minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa told Reuters at his office in Pretoria late last month.
“But raising 390 billion rand ($21.30 billion), the state doesn’t have the balance sheet to roll out that size of capital investment.”
Meanwhile, donors offering a total of $11.6 billion mostly in loans to fund climate-related projects are reluctant to lend the needed cash to state power firm Eskom without sovereign guarantees, which the government cannot currently provide, two donor country sources and a South African source involved in the programme, told Reuters.
That is because of its high debt levels – Eskom owes over 400 billion rand, even after receiving billions in government debt relief.
Broke municipalities also owe the utility 78 billion rand, which Ramokgopa calls an “existential threat”.
Representatives of the German and French partners in the donor-funded program did not respond to emailed questions, while British partners declined to officially comment.
Source: Reuters.com
Kenya: Chinese Smart-Meter Company Opens Manufacturing Plant At Machakos County
Global provider of smart energy solutions, CHINT Global, has opened a new manufacturing plant at Graylands Industrial Park in Athi River, Machakos County in the Republic of Kenya.
The facility will produce CHD130 Single Phase DIN-Rail Meter, CHS120 Single Phase Smart Meter, and CHS320 Three Phase Smart Meter for residential and commercial customers and feature anti-tamper systems, flexible installation options, and secure communication protocols.
“Our new factory in Kenya is not just a manufacturing site; it is a beacon of innovation, sustainability, and economic growth for the region,” said Lily Zhang, President of CHINT Global.
The manufacturing plant has a maximum production capacity of 400,000 meters per year and will initially employ 40 people—90 percent of whom are local staff.
The factory is expected to achieve a localisation rate of 30%–40% for its products, with plans to increase this rate as the facility grows.
The 4,000-square-meter factory will primarily serve the local Kenyan market but with export capacity to Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Congo (DRC), and Somalia.
“The introduction of CHINT’s advanced metering solutions is a game-changer for KPLC,” Joy Brenda Masinde, Chairman of KPLC, said.
“These meters will enable us to provide our customers with accurate billing, reduce losses, and improve the overall efficiency of our energy distribution. This is not just an investment in technology; it’s an investment in Kenya’s future.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Mozambique: Karpowership To Supply Electricity To Five Million People
The Turkish power company, Karpowership has announced a plan to install a floating thermoelectric power plant in Maputo Bay, in order to sell electricity to five million people in Mozambique, as well as exporting it to neighboring countries, especially South Africa.
The plant will have the capacity to produce 470-500 megawatts (MW) of energy.
The maritime infrastructure, which will be powered by natural gas, is now travelling along the African coast via the Indian Ocean, having set sail from Indonesia and it has the Canary Islands as its final destination.
According to Karpowership commercial director, Zeynep Yilmaz, speaking to reporters in Maputo, during the presentation of the floating thermoelectric power station, the ship, which is currently docked at Maputo Port, will also create jobs for young Mozambicans.
“This plant can supply energy to around five million inhabitants and also export to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia, as well as injecting money back into the Mozambican economy.
“With its operation, thousands of jobs will be created for Mozambique’s young generation”, Yilmaz said.
Yilmaz explained that the purpose of the ship’s journey along the coast is to showing the nature of the infrastructure and provide more information on its management and operation, taking into account that the electricity it produces has a very low economic cost.
“We hope to do this by using Mozambique’s natural gas, because the country has gas available in Maputo that comes from the Temane field (in the southern province of Inhambane) and that gas is available today.
We can use this gas to distribute more electricity to Mozambicans and it can also be exported to create a flow of money for the Mozambican economy”, she said.
Over the last year, the South African state company Eskom went into talks with the Mozambican publicly owned electricity company, EDM, for buying the output from a 415 Megawatt Karpowership power station.
Eskom took its decision after it declined to sign agreements to procure power from facilities the Turkish company planned to moor off the South African coast, although the company had won, in 2021, a tender to supply 1,220 megawatts of power to South Africa.
Environmental objections, a lawsuit and Eskom’s demand for an indemnity against any adverse outcomes from corruption allegations made the South African authorities stall the deal.
However, Eskom may be forced to buy Karpowership power via Mozambique, since its current electricity production cannot meet the demand.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Former AOMC CEO Kwaku Agyemang-Duah Passes On
The former Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC) and Industry Co-ordinator Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, is reportedly dead.
Sources close to him told this portal that Mr Agyemang-Duah had been sick for some days and was admitted to a hospital in Accra.
However, he was reportedly called to glory at the weekend.
The family is yet to issue an official statement.
The late Kwaku Agyemang-Duah retired from the AOMC in March this year after leading the organisation for several years and transforming it to its current state.
He was a highly experienced executive in the petroleum industry, with a career spanning several decades.
He was an accomplished industry expert and served on several influential boards and committees, including the GIPC Board of Governors, the UPPF Management Committee at the National Petroleum Authority, the Disciplinary and Complaints Settlement Committee at the National Petroleum Authority, the Consumer Service Committee at the National Petroleum Authority, and the Ministerial Advisory Board at the Ministry of Energy.
He was also an astute expert in quality management systems and served on the Ghana Quality Standards Committee.
Before his position at the AOMC, Mr Agyemang-Duah held various positions such as Director of Operations, Director of Administration and Senior Staff at Kaiser Aluminum, as well as Director of Marketing at Dock Operations and Shipping.
His expertise and leadership contributed significantly to the growth and success of these organisations.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Fire Incident At ExxonMobil’s Retail Outlet In Lagos Causes Injuries, Destroys Six Vehicles
ExxonMobil’s retail outlet along the Awolowo Road, opposite Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, went up in flames on Thursday, leaving two people critically injured and six vehicles burnt.
A segment of a nearby building was also destroyed.
The fire incident was caused by the explosion of a 12-tonne gas truck at the filling station.
Emergency responders said that the gas truck exploded at about 11 a.m.
Though no casualties were recorded, two adult males are said to have been severely burnt and rushed to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for treatment.
A statement by the Head of the Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, said others who sustained minor injuries were promptly rescued and given immediate medical attention by the agency’s pre-hospital care team in collaboration with LASAMBUS.
“In response to distress calls received by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, through the 767/112 Toll-Free Emergency lines at 1108hrs, the agency activated its Tiger Response Team from the Command and Control Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
“Upon arrival of the Tiger Team at the incident scene, it was observed that the Mobil filling station at the location above was engulfed in flames.
“On further investigations conducted at the incident scene, the fire was attributed to the explosion of a 12-tonne gas truck, registration number unknown, which impacted several cars within the filling station and portions of a nearby building,” the statement read in part.
It added that the agency’s response team and personnel from the Lagos State Fire Service and Rescue team, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and the Nigeria Police were deployed to the scene to prevent the fire from escalating.
“The fire is under control, as it was quickly contained by the agency’s LRT and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to prevent it from escalating to the surroundings,” it stated.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, according to LASEMA.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Setting Nuclear Power Plant On Fire
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of setting the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on fire.
AFP reported that the fire started in one of the cooling towers of the nuclear power facility that has been under Russian control since 2022.
The report cited a Russian official at the facility who said the fire had been “completely extinguished”.
The official, as well as the Russian governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, blamed the Ukrainian army for starting the fire.
Zelensky, on the other hand, blamed the Russian forces for starting the fire.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported multiple explosions heard at the site of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility and a statement by the plant’s management that these were the result of drone attacks.
“Cooling towers are used during power operation of the plant,” the director of the IAEA said in a statement.
“Their damage does not directly impact the safety of the six units in shutdown.
However, any kind of fire on the site or in its vicinity represents a risk of spreading the fire also to facilities essential for safety.”
“These reckless attacks endanger nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now,” Rafael Mariano Grossi said.
In another statement, the IAEA said it had requested access to the cooling towers of the nuclear power plant in order to assess the damage.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest in Europe.
It was built during Soviet times and attacks on it tend to raise fears of a repeat of the Chernobyl disaster even though that was not a result of any military action on the territory of the facility.
The site has seen several attacks, since the Russian forces captured in back in March 2022, with the two sides trading accusations for who is responsible for the attacks.
Source: Oilprice.com
Ghana: LPG Marketers Cease To Do Business With Sage Petroleum, Blue Ocean …Direct Tanker Drivers To Load From Other BDCs
The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Marketers Companies Association of Ghana has ceased to do business with Sage Petroleum (Quantum Terminal) and Blue Ocean, both LPG loading terminals in Tema in the Greater Accra of Ghana.
The Association has, therefore, directed members of the Gas Tanker Drivers Association not to honour any invitation from the two terminals effective Monday, August 12, 2024.
“A letter written by Mallam Bukari Amadu, Chairman of LPG Marketers Companies Association, Ghana, and addressed to the Gas Tanker Drivers Association, which was intercepted by this portal, said: “Effective Monday, August 12, 2024, all LPGMCs shall cease and desist from doing business with SAGE PETROLEUM (Tema Quantum Terminal) and Blue Ocean depots in Tema. Your members are, therefore, strictly entreated not to honour any invitation or order to load from the two depots mentioned above.
“Your maximum cooperation is urgently needed as we embark on a series of measures, aimed at protecting indigenous businesses, saving over ten thousand Ghanaian jobs and ultimately protecting $400 million investments made by local Ghanaians over the past 30 years against foreign aggression,” a portion of the letter read.
It is not clear why the LPG Marketers Companies Association has ceased to do business with the two BDCs but energynewsafrica.com’s sources indicate that the decision is based on the involvement of the two companies in Cylinder Recirculation Model programme.
According to sources, the two companies have registered new businesses and are aggressively taking over the LPG distribution business.
The Association claimed in the letter that its persistent requests to be part of the CRM by making its distribution network (800 Gas stations), available for CRM cylinders retail has been vehemently denied by the regulator.
When contained via telephone, Chairman of Gas Tanker Drivers Association, Shafiu Mohammed, confirmed receiving the letter, adding “we are going to abide by the directive of our truck owners.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Libya: Force Majeure Declared At Libya’s Largest Oilfield
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) has declared force majeure at the Sharara oilfield, after protests halted production at the country’s largest field earlier this week.
Considering the current circumstances at Sharara that prevented NOC from carrying out crude oil loading operations, the state oil company of Libya declared force majeure effective August 7, NOC said in a notice.
Sharara fully halted oil production on Monday after output was curbed during the weekend due to protests.
The oilfield, which has the capacity to pump more than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, last produced around 270,000 bpd on Saturday.
However, the field began to gradually cut production on Saturday after workers at the oilfield were told to do so, according to Bloomberg’s anonymous sources.
Earlier on Monday, Libya’s internationally recognized government accused its rival government in the east of “political blackmail” following protests that led to operational curbs at the Sharara oilfield.
The statement said the output reduction at the field was extortion but did not elaborate on the claim.
Reuters reported on Saturday that protesters at the field had forced the personnel at the field to begin winding down production, citing two unnamed engineers working at the field.
The Sharara field is a regular target for warring political and military factions in Libya, which boasts the biggest oil reserves in Africa but is having difficulty exploiting them fully due to the complicated political situation in the country.
The latest shutdown at Sharara took place in January this year, again prompted by protesters demanding greater involvement of the government in regional affairs such as job creation and more investments in the regional economy.
Earlier this year, the head of the National Oil Corporation said that there were plans to boost the total to 1.5 million barrels daily by 2025 and expand it further to 2 million bpd in 2027.
Events such as the current ongoing output cuts at Sharara, however, suggest these plans will be quite challenging to implement in the absence of a radical shift in the country’s political environment.
Source: Oilprice.com
Nigeria: Army Recovers 238,500 Litres Of Stolen Crude Oil In 3 States
Nigerian Army, has recovered about 238,500 litres of stolen crude oil from suspected oil thieves in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers States.
Speaking to the press on Thursday in Port Harcourt, Spokesperson for the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt.-Col. Danjuma Danjuma mentioned that the crude oil was seized from trucks and illegal refining sites in the states.
He said that five suspects who were apprehended in the process would soon be prosecuted.
“These seizures are part of ongoing efforts to combat oil theft and illegal bunkering of petroleum products in the Niger Delta,” he said.
Mr Danjuma said that 110,000 litres of crude oil stored in an oven and a massive metal reservoir were discovered at an illegal refining site along Dasaba Creek in Bayelsa.
The spokesman added that troops of the 16 Brigade intercepted a truck with registration number, UDH 983 XR on Elebele-Emeyal Road, Ogbia, carrying 30,000 litres of stolen crude oil.
He said that acting on intelligence, soldiers, traced inter-connected hoses from the Indorama Petrochemical pipeline, Eleme, Rivers, to a tank located in the bush.
“More than 33,000 litres of crude oil, two pumping machines, a long hose and eleven drums used for the crime were recovered from the site.
“At Cawthorne Channel 1, troops, collaborating with other security agencies, deactivated an illegal refining site containing more than 5,500 litres of crude oil.
“The site is located near Well Head 8, behind Glisten Community in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers,” he added.
The army image maker further said that 63 Brigade troops seized 30,000 litres of crude oil from a truck during a routine patrol in Mosogar, Delta.
According to him, the truck was intercepted along a trunkline belonging to Seplat Energy Nigeria Limited.
“These discoveries are the result of our renewed efforts to clamp down on economic saboteurs
“We urge the public to provide security agencies with reliable intelligence to track down oil thieves and economic saboteurs,” he said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com