Africa-focused British independent energy company, Savannah Energy, has announced the acquisition of producing oil fields in South Sudan from Malaysian state oil and gas company, Petronas, a move highly supported by the African Energy Chamber (AEC).
The announcement came on Dec. 12, with the acquisition having been made to the tune of $1.25 billion.
“With Savannah Energy, South Sudan will benefit with more jobs, local content, sustainable energy development, opportunities for women, and an aggressive turnaround of declining fields,” NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC said.
Ayuk added, “the opportunities for independent energy companies to participate in the continent’s energy future and allow Africa to bring energy to its people by making full use of its natural resources, which was highlighted during African Energy Week this year, where discussions were made supporting the presence of independents that can sustainably operate assets acquired from international supermajors.”
Having entered a Share Purchase Agreement with Petronas to procure the company’s entire oil and gas asset portfolio in South Sudan – through the acquisition of its subsidiary, Petronas Carigali Nile Limited – the completed transaction will result in Savannah Energy’s attainment of interests in three Joint Operating Companies (JOCs).
The other partners include international energy company, the China National Petroleum Corporation; India’s flagship energy major, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation; and South Sudan’s national oil and gas company, Nilepet.
The JOCs currently operate in Blocks 3/7, 1/2/4, and 5A in South Sudan and, with a gross output of 153,000 bopd, the Petronas assets comprise interests in 64 producing fields in the East African country.
“The Transaction Consideration is expected to be financed through a combination of the enlarged Group’s available cash resources and debt,” Savannah indicated in a statement.
Subject to the approval of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan as well as Savannah Energy’s shareholders, the announcement follows the procurement by Savannah Energy of oil and gas supermajor, ExxonMobil’s, entire upstream and downstream asset portfolio in Chad and Cameroon for $407 million.
Fully committed to bringing reliable and profitable projects to Africa, Savannah Energy has been unrivaled in its commitment to African energy, with the company’s vast portfolio of renewable energy projects – as well as its impressive upstream and midstream portfolio – contributing towards its Projects that Matter Initiative, which is active in Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
The most recent South Sudan acquisition is set to usher in new opportunities for energy security and affordability in Africa on the back of new exploration and production drives by independents.
The Institute for Energy Security (IES), an energy think tank in the Republic of Ghana has projected a significant fall in prices of petroleum products beginning this Friday, December 16, 2022.
According to IES, the expected price drops would be significant due to the 6.60% appreciation of the cedi against the US dollar.
It said the new prices will fall to about ¢13 and ¢16 per litre for petrol and diesel, whilst Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) will go for about ¢12 per kilogram.
Even before that, some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have begun reducing prices of petroleum products at the pumps.
“With the continued price falls recorded on the international market, consumers are set to see further price relief at the pumps. The Institute for Energy Security (IES) predicts that on the back of 9.02%, 8.08% and 7.38% fall in prices of Gasoline [petrol], Gasoil [diesel] and LPG respectively, the domestic OMCs outlets are set to reduce their prices further”, it explained.
World Market Price
The Global Standard & Poor’s (S&P’s) Platts averages monitored over the last pricing-window indicates that the price of petrol continue to fall, with the price in the period under review dropping by 9.02% from $838.78 per metric tonne to $763.10 per metric tonne.
Diesel price also further dropped by 8.08%, from $969.70 per metric tonne to $891.30 per metric tonne. LPG price also followed in the same direction, falling by 7.38% from $618.20 per metric tonne to $572.58 per metric tonne.
Petrol and diesel fall by 7%, 5.4% on December 1, 2022
The price reductions seen over the first half of December 2022 pegged the national average price per litre of petrol at ¢15.16 from ¢16.31, representing a 7.05% reduction over the period.
The national average price of diesel per litre moved from ¢19.86 to ¢18.78; falling by roughly 5.44%.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Managing Director of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), Mr Osmani Aludiba Ayuba says the company’s sustainability is under threat given the increasing rate of power theft by residents of Northern Ghana.
The company is responsible for power supply in the northern part of Ghana and ECG is responsible for the southern part of Ghana.
“Our losses in the northern area in general and Tamale, in particular, constitute an existential threat to NEDCo. Whereas the losses in the northern area hover around 45%, the case in Tamale township is around 48%. The power theft situation in Tamale, if not addressed immediately, can cause the collapse of NEDCo in the very foreseeable future,” Mr Osmani Aludiba Ayuba said during the inauguration of Special Revenue Protection Taskforce by the Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi.
The members of the Taskforce are Terence Ninnang, Ali Philip, Hilda Alhassan, Abdul -Malik Hussein, Winfred Sewua, Ayishetu Ayamga, Elvis Demuyakor, John Yamoah and Alexander Otu-Larbi.
Mr Osman Ayuba revealed that the current tariff regime sells a unit of power to them at 50.28GHp/kWh, but because they sell the same unit to lifeline customers at 41.91GHp/kWh, there are making a loss of 8.37/kWh.
Mr Ayuba stated that his outfit has procured some smart pre-payment meters mainly to replace the other types that lend themselves more readily to manipulation and power theft.
The Managing Director of NEDCo said management, under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy, has constituted the Special Revenue Protection Taskforce to help collect revenue in the region.
“We have put in some pragmatic steps towards improving our overall customer-centeredness with your support and cooperation.”
The King of Dagbon, Nidan Ya Na Abubakari II commended the government for its continuous commitment to providing affordable electricity for Ghanaians.
“It is breathtaking to see the determination of the government, through your ministry, to provide affordable electricity to Ghanaians in furtherance of the government’s pledge to the Ghanaian people. The good leadership you exhibit at your ministry has sown a seed of hope and expectations of the people in government.”
The Energy Minister called for the support of the King of Dagbon to help officials of NEDCo with the installation of new pre-paid meters in Dagbon when he paid a courtesy call on him at the Gbewa Palace.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
A former president of the Republic of Ghana, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, is calling on the Akufo-Addo administration to go back to the discussion table to consider privatising the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to ensure efficiency in the company’s operations.
According to him, privatisation of ECG is very critical to ensure efficiency in its operations.
ECG is responsible for the distribution of power in the southern part of Ghana.
In 2014, the erstwhile John Mahama-led National Democratic Congress administration signed an agreement with Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a United States Agency, for the implementation of Ghana Power Compact II.
Parts of the terms of the agreement were for ECG to be given to a concessionaire for 20 years, with the private sector participant having 80 per cent while the Ghanaian stake was 20 per cent.
After winning the 2016 General Elections and forming government in 2017, the Akufo-Addo administration, under the then Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, restructured the stakes with the private participation (foreign) having 51 per cent while the Ghanaian stake was 41 per cent.
A Ghanaian consortium called Power Distribution Services (PDS) Limited was selected to partner with Meralco, a Philippine-based company for the deal.
However, the deal failed to go through as a result of alleged fraud.
Barely three years when the private sector participation in ECG failed, the former Ghanaian leader still believe the state power distribution company has to be privatised to inject some efficiency and improve its revenue mobilisation efforts.
Addressing participants at the ‘Leadership Series’ of the Academic City University College in Accra at the weekend, John Mahama said the privatisation of the ECG has now become critical to salvaging the company.
“It is something that we need to look at again because ECG, as the state-owned enterprise, is not able to collect its money efficiently. It needs some private sector injections,” John Mahama said.
“One of the things we need to do is to roll out prepaid meter as quickly as possible because if you have a prepaid meter, nobody will come and read your meter and bring a bill and you won’t pay and all that…”
He continued, “…And so I do believe we must still seek the privatisation of the Electricity Company of Ghana so that we can inject more investment into it because some of that money was going to provide more money for prepaid meters and also improve the efficiency of collection of bills.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s southern power distribution company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has served notice to power customers to purchase enough credits to enable them to have power through the Christmas and New Year seasons.
In a communiqué issued by ECG titled ‘Season’s Greetings’, the ECG said: “ECG takes this opportunity to remind all our post-paid customers to pay their bills promptly to enjoy continued electricity supply during the festive season. “Prepaid customers are also advised to purchase enough electricity credits to carry them through the Christmas and New Year Seasons.
“Once again, we wish to express our profound gratitude to all our loyal customers for their support throughout the year. We kindly urge you to be conscious of your safety and be moderate in your celebrations.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s second largest state power generation company and leading renewable energy company Bui Power Authority has signed a cooperation agreement with Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, or German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD) to build the capacity of students pursuing courses in renewable energy in the country.
The agreement will enable students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and University of Energy and Natural Resources to undertake practicals at the Bui Generation Station (BGS).
Commenting Chief Executive Officer of BPA, Mr. Samuel Kofi Dzamesi assured the delegation of the Authority’s commitment to the realization of the Professional Education for Renewable Energy in Ghana (ProREG) project
He expressed BPA’s willingness to impact practical knowledge of the various generating plants, that is, the Hydro and Solar plants whilst also building capacity of the students in respective fields.
The CEO urged the German delegation to provide the needed support by honouring their commitments to ensure the successful completion of the project.
The delegation, on their part, reaffirmed their commitment to the project and showed their gratitude for the good work and services being provided by BPA.
They had the opportunity to inspect BPA’s 30kW rooftop Solar as well as the 1kW wind turbine at the BPA Head Office in Accra.
The Authority also facilitated a visit to the Bui Generating Station, where the grateful delegation also inspected the hydro and solar generating plants at the Bui enclave.
They also visited UENR in Sunyani in the Bono Region and had a closed-door meeting with the institution’s governing council. They also inspected a one million euros Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability, a World Bank project.
Prof. Osvaldo Romero Romero, a member of the delegation from the Berlin University of Applied Science, said the partnership is also a way to learn from the stakeholders in Ghana with a good chance to expand their cooperation.
The trained students from UENR and KNUST find their way to BPA, Volta River Authority, and other renewable energy-related institutions, hence the need to get them practical expertise.
“Our active involvement is also to support lecturers who teach these students to have practical and industrial exposure”, Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo, the Renewable Energy Director at BPA said on behalf of the CEO.
Mr. Ahiataku-Togobo further said, “That is why my CEO, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, has willingly made available our Bui Generation Station and our Tsatsadu Generation Station in the Volta Region so that students can have the opportunity to have hands-on experience in the various renewable energy plants in the Ghana”.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
US Department of Energy officials announced Tuesday that US scientists for the first time have successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain.
It’s a major step in a decades-long attempt to source clean, limitless energy from nuclear fusion – the reaction that happens when two or more atoms are fused together.
Nuclear fusion happens when two or more atoms are fused into one larger one, a process that generates a massive amount of energy as heat. That heat can be used to warm water, create steam and turn turbines to generate power.
Fusion promises a virtually limitless form of energy that, unlike fossil fuels, emits zero greenhouse gases and, unlike the nuclear fission power used today, produces no long-life radioactive waste. Mastering it could literally save humanity from climate change.
US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm called the historic achievement by a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility a “milestone” that moves the world closer to the possibility of “zero carbon abundant fusion energy.”
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks during a press conference on Tuesday. (US Department of Energy)
According to her, the nuclear fusion experiment conducted by US scientists replicated “certain conditions that are only found in the stars and sun.”
“Ignition allows us to replicate for the first-time certain conditions that are only found in the stars and sun. This milestone moves us one significant step closer to the possibility of zero carbon abundant fusion energy powering our society,” she said.
Granholm continued: “This is what it looks like for America to lead, and we’re just getting started.”
“If we can advance fusion energy, we could use it to produce clean electricity, transportation fuels, power, heavy industry and so much more.”.
A so-called “net energy gain” is a major milestone in a decades-long attempt to source clean, limitless energy from nuclear fusion – the reaction that happens when two or more atoms are fused together. The experiment put in 2.05 megajoules of energy to the target and resulted in 3.15 MJ of fusion energy output – generating more than 50% more energy than was put in. It’s the first time an experiment resulted in a meaningful gain of energy.
“This monumental scientific breakthrough is a milestone for the future of clean energy,” said Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California.
The breakthrough was made by a team of scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility in California on Dec. 5 – a facility the size of a sports stadium and equipped with 192 lasers.
The Director of Livermore, Dr. Kim Budil, called scientists’ attempts to realize fusion ignition in the lab “one of the most significant scientific challenges ever tackled by humanity” and cheered the work of her lab’s scientists.
“Achieving it is a triumph of science, engineering, and most of all, people,” Budil said in a statement. “Crossing this threshold is the vision that has driven 60 years of dedicated pursuit. These are the problems that the U.S. national laboratories were created to solve,” he said.
“This is very important because from an energy perspective, it can’t be an energy source if you’re not getting out more energy than you’re putting in,” Julio Friedmann, chief scientist at Carbon Direct and a former chief energy technologist at Lawrence Livermore, said as reported by CNN.
“Prior breakthroughs have been important but it’s not the same thing as generating energy that could one day be used on a larger scale.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The European Union reached on Tuesday a provisional agreement to impose a carbon tax on the imports of polluting non-EU products such as iron and steel, cement, aluminum, fertilizers, and electricity, in a first trade regulation accounting for carbon emission intensity.
The provisional deal, which the European Parliament and the EU member states reached after more than a year of negotiations, is aimed at protecting EU industries that reduce emissions from competing products manufactured or derived from non-EU countries with less ambitious climate goals and legislation.
The new rules are in full compliance with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Parliament said in a statement on Tuesday.
The legislation, which has yet to be formally approved and adopted by the European Parliament and European Council before becoming EU law, consists of a so-called EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) designed to combat climate change and prevent carbon leakage.
The mechanism will be set up to equalize the price of carbon paid for EU products operating under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the one for imported goods.
This will be achieved by obliging companies that import into the EU to purchase so-called CBAM certificates to pay the difference between the carbon price paid in the country of production and the price of carbon allowances in the EU ETS.
The mechanism is expected to apply from 1 October 2023 but with a transition period where the obligations of the importer shall be limited to reporting.
The carbon tax will cover iron and steel, cement, aluminum, fertilizers, and electricity, and extended to hydrogen, indirect emissions under certain conditions, certain precursors, as well as some downstream products such as screws and bolts and similar articles of iron or steel.
While the EU says that the law will incentivize non-EU countries to increase their climate ambition, the EU’s key trading partners, including the United States and emerging economies in Asia, have expressed concern that the new rules would further complicate trade and raise export costs for U.S. and other manufacturers.
Source: Oilprice.com
The police in Uganda have arrested three people suspected of being involved in the vandalism of power transmission lines in the East African nation.
The suspects were arrested in the Nama sub-county and Mukono district last Thursday evening and Friday morning, a tweet by Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) revealed.
UETCL urged the public to support all efforts to bring an end to the criminal activities which are hampering the country’s regular electricity supply.
The police, recently, arrested scores of people who had transmission tower parts in Kisenyi and surrounding areas.
Some unidentified persons have been vandalising power installations of the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited for some time now.
The development is costing the company huge sums of money.
It is not yet clear why Ugandan citizens are destroying power installations.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Greenpeace, an environmental advocacy group has asked the High Court to issue a judicial review on whether the UK’s massive oil and gas licensing round – expected to award more than 100 new licenses – failed to adequately assess the climate impact of more drilling in the North Sea.
In September, the previous government of Liz Truss paved the way for more than 100 new oil and gas licenses in the UK North Sea as the UK focused on its energy security.
In early October, the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) – the UK’s oil and gas regulator – launched the 33rd offshore licensing round, inviting applications for licenses to explore and potentially develop 898 blocks and part-blocks in the North Sea, which may lead to over 100 licenses being awarded.
According to the authority and the UK government, Britain’s energy security will be “significantly boosted” with the launch of the 33rd licensing round.
Authorities will be looking at operators starting production after license awards as quickly as possible, and in order to encourage that, the NSTA has identified four priority cluster areas in the Southern North Sea.
Those areas have known oil and gas reserves, are close to infrastructure, and have the potential to be developed quickly. The authority will seek to license blocks in these areas ahead of others.
The application period will run until January 12, 2023, and the first licenses are expected to be awarded in the second quarter of 2023, the NSTA said.
Commenting on the legal challenge to the licensing round, Philip Evans, oil and gas campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said, as carried by the Financial Times, “These licences are a complete disaster.”
In allowing the massive licensing round to proceed, the UK government has “failed in its legal duty to properly assess their climate impact,” Evans said.
Friends of the Earth and Uplift, two other climate campaign groups, have called on the UK’s Business Secretary Grant Shapps to reverse the decision for the licensing process of his predecessor Jacob Rees-Mogg, saying that the approval of the licensing round was “unlawful”.
Source: Oilprice.com
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday departed Abuja to Washington DC, United States of America, where he is expected to speak on climate change and energy transition at the U.S—Africa Leaders’ Summit.
The summit will be held between Tuesday, 13th December and Thursday 15th December 2022.
A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu said President Muhammadu Buhari would, on the first day of the summit, speak on ‘Conservation, Climate Adaptation, and a Just Energy Transition’, dwelling directly on the ‘Just Energy Transition’ component.
The President would also address some of the other sub-themes as well as participate in the US—Africa Business Forum (USABF) hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which focuses on increased trade and investment between the U.S. and African countries.
“On the sidelines of the Summit, the Corporate Council of Africa will host the Nigerian delegation to the US—Nigeria Business and Investment Forum Business Roundtable during which Nigerian organisations and businesses are expected to sign agreements with their American counterparts,” part of his statement read.
Mr. Buhari’s journey to the U.S., alongside 49 other African heads of state, followed the invitation of the country’s President, Joe Biden, to the international summit.
The U.S—Africa Leaders’ Summit is one of Mr. Biden’s top foreign-policy priorities this year and would also be the first opportunity for his administration to showcase how it views U.S—Africa relations after Donald Trump’s presidency.
The summit is expected to demonstrate the enduring commitment of the U.S. to Africa and underscore the increased cooperation on shared global priorities.
The summit further seeks to foster new economic engagement; advance peace, security and good governance; and reinforce the commitment to democracy, human rights and civil society.
Also, it seeks to strengthen regional and global health security; promote food security; respond to the climate crisis; amplify diaspora ties and promote education and youth leadership.
President Buhari was accompanied by Governors Bala Mohammed and Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq of Bauchi and Kwara states respectively.
Some ministers and other top government officials are expected to return to the country on December 18.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has been ranked fourth in the 2022 Electricity Regulatory Index (ERI) for Africa.
This was made known when the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank (WB) on the Global Electricity Regulatory Index (GERI), launched the ERI report virtually on Thursday, December 8, 2022.
Forty three (43), countries in Africa with 44 regulatory institutions, participated in the assessment process, which was based on well-developed electricity regulatory frameworks, the capacity to exercise the necessary regulatory oversight and authority on the regulated entities, and the ability to achieve measurable outcomes.
These frameworks were categorized into three pillars: Regulatory Governance Index (RGI), which assesses the extent to which the laws, procedures, standards, and policies governing the electricity sector provide for a transparent, predictable, and credible regulatory framework, which meets international standards; Regulatory Substance Index (RSI), which evaluates how well electricity sector regulators are carrying out their mandate and implementing the practices and processes that affect regulatory outcomes; and the Regulatory Outcome Index (ROI), which measures the perspectives of distribution utility companies and/or consumers, and the degree to which the regulator has a positive or negative impact on the sector.
The PURC ranked fourth among the 44 African regulatory institutions sampled, only after Uganda, Egypt and Senegal.
This was achieved based on the significant progress made by the Commission in the operations of its functions as per the legal mandate, clarity of roles of independence, accountability, transparency, predictability, participation, and open access to information for various stakeholders.
For the year under review (2022) and in the interest of deepening its transparency, the Commission was able to among others, undertake consumer service clinics, which enabled the Commission to bring its complaints resolution processes closer to consumers; published the reckoner (electricity and water), which enables consumers to compute their own tariffs based on consumption levels; redesigned the Commission’s website to accommodate new developments, such as hosting the public utilities regulatory information system (PURIS); as well as constituting regulatory audit teams to undertake verification exercises, based on submitted investment needs of the Utilities.
Furthermore, the Commission made significant progress on transparency in its tariff-setting processes by publishing approved guidelines for setting tariffs, quality of service measures to guide the regulated utilities, and improved considerably on its institutional capacity to enable it to fulfill its mandate.
Through this, the Commission was able to reverse the tariff structure, which was previously punitive for industry. This was to enhance the competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.
The African Development Bank, since 2018, has embarked on carrying out surveys on the level of development of Regulatory Frameworks in the electricity sector in Africa.
From year to year, the Bank through the ERI continues to inspire African countries to achieve better electricity sector performance through reforms that have been or are to be put in place but also through improvements to the current framework in which, the electricity sector finds itself.
Africa needs investments in the energy sector, and this requires making the sector attractive, ridding it of all the administrative and organizational red tape that still hinders active private sector participation.
The ERI has evolved considerably since 2018 when only 15 countries participated in it, compared with 44 countries in 2022, which now participate in the ERI.
The Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the African Development Bank noted that “…the ERI has been influential not only in Africa but also the rest of the world”.
The World Bank on its part has also assessed the regulatory frameworks within the sector, including the report on Rethinking Power Sector Reforms in the Developing World. These efforts are aimed at providing a quantitative basis for measuring the adoption of regulatory best practices, which allows for countries to identify gaps in their regulatory framework and benchmark their performance against regional or global peers.
The African Development Bank and World Bank as a collaborative partnership joined forces to harmonize the structure of indicators under both projects, resulting in the development of the Global Electricity Regulatory Index (GERI), which was produced by the World Bank.
Whiles the AfDB, measures the level of development of electricity sector regulatory frameworks in African countries and the capacity of regulatory authorities to effectively carry out their relevant functions and duties, the World Bank measures broadly on the global space.
As at the end of 2021, the GERI, reports on results from a first global survey comprising a snapshot of the regulatory context in 82 low-and middle-income countries.
According to the Executive Secretary of the PURC Dr. Ismael Ackah, being ranked fourth this year is an improvement on the Commission’s seventh position in the previous year.
The Commission owes this to the cooperation of its numerous stakeholders to which the Commission is grateful.
The Head of Corporate Communications for Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) has urged the media to support the development of Ghana’s oil and gas sector by ensuring accurate and factual reporting of issues in the industry.
Mr Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu made the call when he interacted with a section of the media in Takoradi in the Western Region.
“Let me safely emphasise that if the media’s impact will be relevant to the transformation of the industry, you will have to consider proper checks and balance, accurate and circumspect reportage (in terms of being truthful and presenting the facts),” Mr. Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah Bonsu said.
He added: “As the Head of Corporate Communication, I would like to emphasise that the role you (media) play is very significant to my success as a leader and the growth of the industry. You are the ears, eyes and mouthpiece of the people; and for our achievements and stories to be known or heard, depend on your effectiveness and efficiency.
“Ghanaians will not know the many Corporate Social Responsibility projects we have accomplished if we do not use your medium to tell our story,” he said.
He noted that the oil and gas industry is a new area to most Ghanaians and for that matter, it is quite difficult to understand and appreciate the issues in the sector.
To support building the capacity of the media in this regard, Mr. Owusu Bempah said Ghana National Gas Company and Ghana Journalists Association have collaborated to establish a course purposely to serve the energy sector communication.
“This is a process and I believe we shall surely achieve this,” he explained.
“The leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association paid a courtesy call on the management of GNGC and at this meeting, Dr Ben K.D Asante, the CEO of Ghana Gas, demonstrating the company’s support for the media, announced that the company is ready to fund two journalists who are ready to take up a short course in any energy-related field,” he said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has disclosed that the East African nation will not renew South African power firm, Eskom’s licences to run two of its hydropower stations if they expire in March 2023.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the country plans to bring the electricity sector under the government’s control to reduce electricity costs to consumers.
Instead, the government will create a new entity which will be known as Uganda National Electricity Company Limited (UNECL), a state-run company, to manage the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the electricity sector, the statement by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development revealed.
President Yoweri Museveni has repeatedly complained that expensive private capital was responsible for high electricity tariffs in Uganda, which makes it unaffordable for consumers.
“The ministry has already formally notified Eskom of the government’s decision not to renew their concession agreements when they come to their natural end in March 2023,” the ministry said in the statement.
Eskom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Eskom runs two hydropower plants at the source of the River Nile in Jinja, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
The government intends to “minimise expensive private capital” in the electricity sector by bringing it under direct state management and control, the ministry said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 
This was achieved based on the significant progress made by the Commission in the operations of its functions as per the legal mandate, clarity of roles of independence, accountability, transparency, predictability, participation, and open access to information for various stakeholders.
For the year under review (2022) and in the interest of deepening its transparency, the Commission was able to among others, undertake consumer service clinics, which enabled the Commission to bring its complaints resolution processes closer to consumers; published the reckoner (electricity and water), which enables consumers to compute their own tariffs based on consumption levels; redesigned the Commission’s website to accommodate new developments, such as hosting the public utilities regulatory information system (PURIS); as well as constituting regulatory audit teams to undertake verification exercises, based on submitted investment needs of the Utilities.
Furthermore, the Commission made significant progress on transparency in its tariff-setting processes by publishing approved guidelines for setting tariffs, quality of service measures to guide the regulated utilities, and improved considerably on its institutional capacity to enable it to fulfill its mandate.
Through this, the Commission was able to reverse the tariff structure, which was previously punitive for industry. This was to enhance the competitiveness of Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.
The African Development Bank, since 2018, has embarked on carrying out surveys on the level of development of Regulatory Frameworks in the electricity sector in Africa.
From year to year, the Bank through the ERI continues to inspire African countries to achieve better electricity sector performance through reforms that have been or are to be put in place but also through improvements to the current framework in which, the electricity sector finds itself.
Africa needs investments in the energy sector, and this requires making the sector attractive, ridding it of all the administrative and organizational red tape that still hinders active private sector participation.
The ERI has evolved considerably since 2018 when only 15 countries participated in it, compared with 44 countries in 2022, which now participate in the ERI.
The Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation at the African Development Bank noted that “…the ERI has been influential not only in Africa but also the rest of the world”.
The World Bank on its part has also assessed the regulatory frameworks within the sector, including the report on Rethinking Power Sector Reforms in the Developing World. These efforts are aimed at providing a quantitative basis for measuring the adoption of regulatory best practices, which allows for countries to identify gaps in their regulatory framework and benchmark their performance against regional or global peers.
The African Development Bank and World Bank as a collaborative partnership joined forces to harmonize the structure of indicators under both projects, resulting in the development of the Global Electricity Regulatory Index (GERI), which was produced by the World Bank.
Whiles the AfDB, measures the level of development of electricity sector regulatory frameworks in African countries and the capacity of regulatory authorities to effectively carry out their relevant functions and duties, the World Bank measures broadly on the global space.
As at the end of 2021, the GERI, reports on results from a first global survey comprising a snapshot of the regulatory context in 82 low-and middle-income countries.
According to the Executive Secretary of the PURC Dr. Ismael Ackah, being ranked fourth this year is an improvement on the Commission’s seventh position in the previous year.
The Commission owes this to the cooperation of its numerous stakeholders to which the Commission is grateful.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 