Ghana: WAPCo Resumes Gas Transportation To Tema Metering & Regulating Station
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has resumed gas transportation services to its Tema Regulating and Metering Station (TRMS) after a temporary shutdown earlier this week.
The shutdown was initiated to ensure the safety of the Tema facility.
The Tema Metering and Regulating Station experienced operational disruptions due to ongoing inspection and cleaning of the onshore pipeline between Itoki and Badagry in Nigeria.
As a result, gas supply to some power plants in the Tema power enclave was affected, leading to power outages in parts of Ghana.
In a statement issued on Friday, WAPCo expressed gratitude to its stakeholders for their patience during this period and apologized for any inconvenience caused.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Uganda: Gov’t To Fund US$4 Billion Oil Refinery Through Equity
The Republic of Uganda has expressed commitment to fully-fund its US$4 billion oil refinery through equity, with the United Arab Emirates-based Alpha MBM Investments pledging funding over a three-year period.
Cabinet, last Tuesday, approved the equity-based financing structure, marking a departure from traditional international project financing.
The decision reflects a strategic shift as both the Ugandan Government and its private-sector partner, Alpha MBM Investments, prioritised self-reliance in advancing the refinery project.
Uganda’s Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, highlighted the rationale behind the move, stating, “Those who have money no longer want to finance oil projects. We have to do it ourselves.”
She confirmed that Alpha MBM Group would spearhead funding efforts over the next three years to bring the project to fruition.
The refinery is expected to bolster Uganda‘s energy infrastructure, ensuring greater value addition to its hydrocarbon resources and supporting the country’s long-term energy and economic goals.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa: Eskom Hails Jailing Of Two People For Up To 15 Years
South Africa’s power utility company, Eskom, has welcomed the sentencing of two individuals involved in separate criminal activities targeting critical infrastructure at the Duvha Power Station in Mpumalanga.
The Middelburg Magistrate’s Court, on October 8, sentenced Tseliso Ramosebetsi to 15 years in prison.
Ramosebetsi was caught cutting and removing copper cables from the coal conveyor belt, a vital component of the Duvha Power Station’s operations.
Ramosebetsi and his accomplice, Mpho Johannes Machekela, were apprehended on 26th March 2024 after being detected through drone surveillance.
While Ramosebetsi has been brought to justice, Machekela absconded from trial, and a warrant for his arrest has been issued.
In a separate case, the Witbank Magistrate’s Court sentenced Frederick Jacobs Van Wyk to five years in prison on 23rd October 2024 for the theft of aluminium cables near the horticulture site outside the Duvha Power Station.
These significant sentences highlight the gravity of crimes against critical infrastructure and serve as a deterrent to others.
Eskom commended the South African Police Service (SAPS) for their dedication to securing these convictions and BB thanked its security teams for their vigilance and collaboration in protecting the nation’s assets.
Tampering with or damaging critical infrastructure is a criminal offence under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, with penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment.
Such activities disrupt essential services, pose serious safety risks, and undermine the sustainability of the electricity network and impacting communities and the economy.
Eskom is committed to safeguarding the security and integrity of its critical infrastructure.
The ongoing collaboration between Eskom’s internal security investigations team and law enforcement agencies, coordinated by the National Energy Crisis Committee’s (NECOM) Safety and Security Priority Committee, is yielding positive results in their efforts to combat crime and corruption.
Eskom urged the public to report any suspicious or unlawful activities anonymously through the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 11 27 22 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: GRIDCo, ECG Announce Temporary Power Outage In Parts Of Ghana
Ghana’s power transmission company, GRIDCo, and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have announced temporary power outage in some parts of the West African nation due to interruption in gas flow necessitated by a shutdown of WAPCo’s Tema Metering & Regulatory Station.
A joint statement issued by GRIDCo and ECG revealed that the situation had necessitated a shutdown of some power plants in the Tema power enclave.
“GRIDCo and ECG are optimistic that WAPCo will soon resolve the challenge and restore gas supply.
“Once gas supply resumes, power supply will be restored to all affected customers,” the joint statement said.
They apologised to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused.
It is not yet clear when the issue will be resolved.
WAPCo operates the West Africa Gas Pipeline that traverses four nations, namely Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana.
In November, the company announced that it was undertaking inspection and cleaning of its onshore pipeline which runs from Itoki, Ogun State in Nigeria, through Benin, Togo and Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana.
The exercise is being undertaken in two phases.
The first phase which began on Monday, 25th November, involves the cleaning and inspection of the onshore section of the pipeline which is located within Nigeria.
However, a statement issued on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, noted that while the exercise was progressing steadily, they encountered larger volume of liquids and debris at the Lagos Beach Compressor Station which was more than expected.
The statement said “this triggered some operational upsets at our Tema Regulatory & Metering Station, requiring a temporary shutdown for safety reasons and investigation.”
WAPCo expressed its gratitude to its key stakeholders for their patience during this process and apologised for any inconvenience caused.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: WAPCo Shuts Down Tema Metering & Regulating Station Temporarily
The West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) has temporarily shut down its Tema Metering and Regulating Station, a statement by the company has revealed.
The shutdown is aimed to ensure the safety of the facility following an operational upset that occurred due to the ongoing cleaning and inspection of its 56km ×30″ onshore pipeline section between Itoki and Badagry in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
WAPCo commenced inspection and cleaning of its onshore pipeline which runs from Itoki, Ogun State in Nigeria, through Benin, Togo and Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana.
The exercise is being undertaken in two phases. The first phase which began on Monday, 25th November, involves the cleaning and inspection of the onshore section of the pipeline which is located within Nigeria.
However, a statement issued on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, noted that while the exercise was progressing steadily, they encountered larger volume of liquids and debris at the Lagos Beach Compressor Station which was more than expected.
The statement said “this triggered some operational upsets at our Tema Regulatory & Metering Station, requiring a temporary shutdown for safety reasons and investigation”.
WAPCo expressed its gratitude to its key stakeholders for their patience during this process and apologised for any inconvenience caused.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Thugs Storm Ghana Gas Office In Accra, Beat Soldiers
The head office of Ghana National Gas Company Limited in Accra, the gas aggregator of the Republic of Ghana came, under siege by thugs suspected to be members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) whose flag-bearer was declared winner of the 2024 General Elections held on Saturday, 7th December.
The incident prompted a significant security response, with both soldiers and police officers deployed to the scene to maintain order.
Accra-based Citinewsroom.com reported that the thugs attempted to forcefully enter the GNGCL premises, leading to a confrontation with security personnel.
In an effort to disperse the gathering and restore calm, warning shots were fired by the security forces.
Two soldiers who were called in to calm the situation were beaten mercilessly.
Insiders told this portal that the thugs came in different batches and had different mission.
Since Monday, 9th December, 2024, when the country’s electoral management body, (Electoral Commission) declared Mr. John Dramani Mahama, flag bearer of NDC as a winner of the General Elections, supporters of his party have attacked a number of public places.
In some instances, they ransacked the offices.
This portal understands that some of the supporters, on motorbikes, went to the Tema Oil Refinery at about 10 pm on claims that they were there to protect the facility.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
This portal understands that some of the supporters, on motorbikes, went to the Tema Oil Refinery at about 10 pm on claims that they were there to protect the facility.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Kenya: Tanzania To Benefit From Kenya’s Renewable Energy Via New Transmission Line
The Republic of Kenya has completed a 400-kilovolt transmission line which will pave the way for renewable energy exports and regional energy integration.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi announced the milestone, highlighting that the line will also allow Tanzania to access clean energy from Ethiopia via Kenya’s infrastructure.
“Kenya has finalized the construction of the transmission line, enabling Tanzania to harness renewable energy from Kenya and Ethiopia,” said Wandayi during the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) Regional Trade Conference 2024.
Kenya’s renewable energy capacity, one of the highest in the region, includes geothermal (841.1 MW), hydroelectric (810.4 MW), wind (425.5 MW), and solar (210.3 MW).
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) reports that renewable energy accounts for 79.56% of Kenya’s total installed capacity of 2,776.3 MW as of December 2023.
The EAPP conference, attended by over 300 delegates, focused on strategies for energy integration, bringing together energy ministers, regulators, and development partners from across Africa.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Gambia: NAWEC Terminates Services Of Treasury Manager, Suspends Finance Director Over Misconduct
The Gambia’s National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) has terminated the services of its Treasury Manager and suspended the Finance Director following allegations of misconduct in a telephone conversation between the Director of Finance and a purported supplier.
A statement issued by NAWEC mentioned that the alleged conversation involved unauthorised financial arrangements in violation of the policies and ethical standards of NAWEC.
The statement said the company has a zero-tolerance stance on unethical practices and a strong commitment to transparency, accountability and the protection of public resources.
According to the statement, The Gambia Police Force and the NAWEC compliance team have been tasked to conduct comprehensive investigations into the matter.
It warned that if the allegations were substantiated, the company would take decisive disciplinary and legal actions in line with its internal policies and national laws.
“We appeal to the public and the media to exercise restraint while investigations are underway. Updates will be communicated promptly,” the statement concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Oil & Gas: Ghana Elects Mr John Mahama As New President
Ghana, an oil producing West African nation, has elected the flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, as the country’s sixth President under its Fourth Republic.
Mr Mahama, who was the fourth President of Ghana between 2012 and 2016, launched a comeback and succeeded in beating the governing party’s flag bearer and Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in an election that was contested by twelve presidential candidates.
Certified results announced by the country’s electoral management body, (Electoral Commission), on Monday, 9th December 2024, showed that Mr Mahama obtained 6,328,397 representing (56.55%) while Dr Mahamudu Bawumia garnered 4,657,304, representing (41.61%).
The 10 remaining presidential candidates polled 205,721, representing (1.84%).
The election which was held on Saturday, 7th December 2024, recorded pockets of violence in some constituencies across the country.
The opposition party secured a commanding majority of 185 seats in Parliament while the governing party secured about 65 seats with three independent seats.
Ghana commenced oil production in 2010 under the National Democratic Congress administration led by the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills.
Initial output increased from 24.2 million barrels in 2011 to a peak of 71.44 barrels in 2019.
Production from the basin has since dropped after 2019 by about 32 per cent to 48.25 MMbbl in 2023.
Currently, the country’s daily oil production from the three oil fields is hovering around 120, 242 barrels per day.
The decline in oil production has been a major concern to many industry watchers in the country.
Recently, at the Africa Oil Week (AOW) in Cape Town, South Africa, the Chief Executive Officer of Petroleum Commission, Ghana, Lawyer Egbert Faibille Jnr., told oil and gas investors that his outfit had presented a raft of proposals to the Ministry of Energy seeking a review of Ghana’s fiscal regime to make the upstream sector very attractive.
Subsequently, at the launch of the AOW in Accra last month, the Minister for Energy Herbert Krapa told this portal that the Ministry had received the proposals and is working on them.
Ahead of this year’s election, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised in their 2024 Manifesto to increase exploration activities to establish new reserves by rebuilding investor confidence through policy and regulatory clarity, consistency, predictability, transparency, and governance and attract world-class investors.
It also plans to innovate multi-field development systems that optimise the development of infrastructure and allow profitable production of otherwise marginal fields.
Additionally, the NDC plans to fully domesticate the non-revenue benefits of the oil and gas industry for Ghanaians by enhancing technology transfer, supporting local businesses, and increasing local content in procurement. This includes re-establishing the National Oil Company (NOC) as a centre of excellence and reviewing laws and policies to align with these goals.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
World’s Only Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker Fleet Marks 65th Anniversary
65 years ago, the first vessel with a nuclear power plant gave humanity the opportunity to explore hard-to-reach Arctic territories and lay new routes.
65 years ago, the flag was raised on the world’s first nuclear icebreaker – Lenin.
Its launch was a big step for all of humanity as it allowed to transfer through multimetre ice in the northern part of our planet. Lenin led thousands of ships through the Arctic ice, covered 654 thousand nautical miles – 151 times distance from north to south of the African continent – and worked on the Northern Sea Route for 30 years.
Anniversary events dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the country’s icebreaker fleet were held on December 3 in Murmansk, hosted by Atomflot (a part of Rosatom Group).
A meeting of Atomflot employees and an award ceremony for seamen and shore-based personnel was held in celebration of the holiday. Andrei Chibis, Governor of the Murmansk Region, Sergey Dubovoy, Chairman of the Murmansk Regional Duma, Boris Kabakov, Director of the Department of Project Implementation in the NSR and Arctic of the Arctic Directorate of Rosatom State Corporation, and Yakov Antonov, Head of Atomflot, were among guests.
“This is a great year when we can say clearly that transition from icebreakers of the past generation to 22220 icebreakers of a completely new generation has taken place. There is demand for our services. And, most importantly, there is clear support from our partners. When you understand and see the significance of our services and their relevance, it lifts your spirits and strengthens seamen’s confidence in the future,” Yakov Antonov emphasised.
Today, Atomflot’s nuclear icebreaker fleet includes seven nuclear icebreakers.
Three of them are the newest Project 22220 icebreakers with 60 MW shaft power – Arktika, Sibir and Ural.
Project 22220 nuclear icebreakers are based on a nuclear power plant with two RITM-200 reactors with thermal capacity of 175 MW each, thanks to which the period of operation without fuel recharging is increased up to 7 years, and the ice penetration reaches 2.9 metres.
They can change their draft from 10.5 to 9.03, which allows them to operate both at sea and in river mouths. Four more icebreakers of this project and the heavy-duty icebreaker Russia of project 10510 are at different stages of construction.
The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is the shortest shipping route between western Eurasia and the Asia-Pacific region. The length of the route is 5.6 thousand kilometres.
One of the strategic goals of Rosatom State Corporation is to make the NSR an efficient transport artery linking Europe, Russia and the Asia-Pacific region. A federal project to develop the Great Northern Sea Route – a transport corridor from St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad to Vladivostok – is currently being developed.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Zambia: ZESCO Hints Of Intense Load-Shedding As 300MW Power Imports Is Lost
Zambians are likely to experience intense load-shedding from now as the country’s power distribution company, ZESCO Limited, has announced the unavailability 300MW of power imports from its neighbour, Mozambique.
This will affect power supply in the Southern African nation.
A statement issued by ZESCO Limited on Sunday attributed the unforeseen development to the shutdown of some of Mozambique’s power generating facilities.
“The power is sourced by ZESCO and independent power traders to cushion our power supply gap arising from the country’s drought induced hydropower generation deficit,” it said.
In view of this unfortunate development, ZESCO said it had instituted emergency load management measures that have affected the supply of the scheduled seven hours of power supply to its residential customers until the situation normalises.
ZESCO said it would monitor the situation and update its customers and the public as more information becomes available.
“The Corporation regrets the impact of this unplanned power import reduction and seeks our customers understanding and cooperation.
“In this period of emergency load management, customers are advised to strictly treat all power supply lines to be live at all times, as power supply schedules may change without prior notice,” the statement concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Equinor Completes Nigeria, Azerbaijan Asset Sales Of Up To $2 Billion
Equinor has closed the planned sale of its assets in Nigeria and Azerbaijan for a total consideration of up to $2 billion, completing exits from the two countries after some 30 years, the Norwegian oil and gas firm said on Monday.
The divestments, first announced in 2023 and completed in recent weeks, will boost cash flow in the fourth quarter and were in line with Equinor’s strategy to optimise its international portfolio, the group said in a statement.
“The exits enable investments to deepen further in countries where Equinor can add the most value and build a more focused and robust international portfolio,” the company said without elaborating.
Equinor has previously said it plans to increase its international output by some 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) by 2030 by bringing on stream new fields in Brazil, Britain and the United States.
In Nigeria, Equinor sold its assets, including a 20.21% stake in the Agbami oil field operated by Chevron , to Chappal Energies for up to $1.2 billion, consisting of $710 million in cash and the remainder in contingent payments.
The company did not say how market prices and other factors could affect contingent payments.
In Azerbaijan it sold a 7.27% stake in the Azeri Chirag Gunashli (ACG) field, a 8.71% stake in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and a 50% stake in the Karabagh project to Azerbaijan’s SOCAR and India’s ONGC for a total of $745 million.
Equinor’s net production in Azerbaijan and Nigeria averaged 24,600 and 17,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), respectively, during the first three quarters of 2024.
Source: Reuters.com
South Africa: Electricity Minister Promises To Work With Municipalities Regarding Eskom Debt
South Africa’s Minister for Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has promised to work with ailing municipalities in the country to deal with their debt to Eskom.
The minister visited Tokologo Local Municipality in Boshof in the Free State to address municipal debt issues.
The municipality owes the power entity R328 million.
The last time the municipality honoured its debt with Eskom was three years ago.
Eskom intended to reduce electricity supply by the end of January next year but that move has since been averted.
Minister Ramokgopa says the municipality and the provincial government will look into how they resolve the issue.
Source: hhtps://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa: High Court Stops New Coal Capacity Plan
South Africa’s High Court has ruled that government plans for new coal-fired power capacity are unlawful as they violate the constitutional right to health.
The Government planned to seek 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired electricity capacity.
However , the plans have been challenged in court by three activists group who argued that new coal plants could lead to damages to public health.
The High Court held that the government plans and decisions to seek the procurement of new coal power are “unlawful and invalid,” Judge C.J. van der Westhuizen wrote in a ruling published on Wednesday and quoted by Bloomberg.
South Africa, one of the world’s largest coal producers and exporters, continues to rely on coal for a large part of its energy mix. Currently, some 85% of South Africa’s electricity is generated via coal-fired power stations.
South Africa could see an additional up to 50,000 deaths due to air pollution and billions of U.S. dollars in health costs if a proposal to delay the decommissioning of coal-fired power plants goes through, a Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said earlier this year.
In a 2023 report, CREA said that if the rate of decommissioning in the 2030s and 2040s is not accelerated from current plans, further delays to the decommissioning of other units would multiply the health impacts of the delay to 32,300 deaths from air pollution and economic costs of $40 billion (721 billion South African rands).
Crippled by an energy crisis for several years, South Africa is struggling to shut down coal plants, while it needs billions of U.S. dollars to boost the share of clean energy sources in its power mix.
South Africa is currently negotiating loan guarantees with its international partners in its $9.3-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) program for energy investment.
The lack of loan guarantees has so far withheld the disbursement of much of the funds of the multi-billion-dollar partnership aimed at helping South Africa reduce its reliance on coal and cut carbon emissions.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com