South Africa: Millions Of Electricity Metering Systems Converted To Curb Theft
South Africa’s power utility company, Eskom and municipalities have converted half of over 11 million electricity metering systems to curb theft.
According to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) so far municipalities have managed to recode half of their costumers’ meters.
There are 11.6 million prepaid electricity meters in South Africa that need to be updated or recoded.
These meters are the responsibility of Eskom and the municipalities across the country.
And many of these could stop functioning from 24 November 2024 if they do not get updated in time.
The process commenced in August 2023.
Eskom says its project has been progressing well. It says it has recoded 52% of the prepaid meters as of 15 May 2024.
On the other hand, the SALGA says municipalities have to date reset 2.6 million prepaid meters.
“We have about 4.7 million metres that are on prepaid, and currently we have reset around 2.6 million and we’re left with around 2.1 million meters to be converted and we know out of 2.1 million meters there are meters that are faulty meters that will need replacement.
“We are in a process of quantifying that exact number for the meters that will need replacement and this replacement comes with the meters that would have already been converted to key revision number 2,” says Sila Mulaudzi, Sustainable Energy Specialist at SALGA.
Eskom says the process of buying electricity remains unchanged. However, customers are reminded to enter all previously purchased credit tokens. It says this is important because old credit tokens will not work after the meter is recoded.
The Johannesburg’s City Power has reiterated that come the deadline, credit tokens will start duplicating.
“The way prepaid meters are working, they are working through a standard called standard transaction system, which is called an STS and that STS allows the vending system to produce 20-digit numbers. Now these are random numbers that are able to tell the meter if you have bought for 500 or you bought 400.
Now what has been happening is that these numbers, random as they are, we are at risk that beyond November 2024 they those numbers will start duplicating, so it means, once you punch in that number on your meter, your meter will see it as if it’s a number that it has used before,” says Thamsanqa Mathiso, Meter Reading Manager, City Power.
Eskom urges customers to exercise caution during this period of recoding of meters. The power utility says this process is done at no cost to the customers.
Source: Sabcnews.com
Ghana: Premix Fuel Explosion Kills Two In Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis
Two persons aged seven and fifteen years old have died in a premix fuel explosion that occurred at Ngyirasia, a community in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis in the Western Region.
The incident also resulted in the injury of about thirteen people, according to a report by Accra-based Starr FM.
The injured persons are currently receiving treatment at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital and Saint Benedict Hospital at Inchaban.
Four of the victims are in critical condition.
Narrating the circumstances leading to the explosion, the Assembly Member for Mempeasem–Ngyeresia Electoral Area, Gabriel Ato Mensah, told the media that at about 4 pm Saturday, May 18, 2024, some fishermen were transporting premix fuel in gallons to their canoes along the beach.
He explained that due to the unavailability of an access route from the main road to the beach, the fisherfolks often roll barrels of fuel on the ground to the beach, however, this time while transporting the fuel, they exploded.
It is suspected that the fuel might have caught fire from a nearby fish oven.
The victims included eleven males and five females including children.
The blaze also affected a Land Rover and an Opel Astra vehicle, both stationary and wooden structures around.
Firefighters from the Western Region Headquarters of the Ghana National Fire Service reported to the scene promptly and brought the fire under control.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Sekondi Takoradi, Abdul Mumin Issah, has since visited the victims.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ECG Juapong District Cautions Public Against Network Interference
The Juapong District of the Electricity Company of Ghana, under the Tema Region, has cautioned the public to desist from interfering with the network of the power distributor as such interferences pose threats to the company, customers and the public as a whole.
This caution came as a result of the District discovering that a 200KVA transformer situated at Asikuma, a town under its jurisdiction, has suffered a burnout of the fuse protecting the transformer.
This discovery was on Saturday, 18th May 2024.
“I has come to the notice of the Company that some people, possibly electricians who are not staff of the company, constantly interfere with the distribution network, especially in times of outage, in a bid to restore supply.
“This, however, is dangerous as these persons will not be privy to the uniqueness of the network design for that particular area,” the Juapong District Engineer, Ing Rejoice Garfo sounded this caution on a stakeholder WhatsApp platform for those within the district.
She pleaded that “if such interferences are not stopped, the entire transformer could get damaged,” adding that “in such an instance, the customers will likely remain without supply for a while until a new transformer is installed.”
The Juapong District Manager, Ing William Ahenkorah, added that “these transformers cost the company a lot of resources to be replaced, which means resources meant for other projects will have to be redirected to replacing the damaged transformers.”
He added that “these situations burden the financial operation of the company.”
Ing Ahenkorah also cautioned that before any part of the distribution network is worked on, the teamwork ensures that power is off where necessary.
This, he said “is to avoid accidents, injury and possible death.
“Imagine, then, if an unauthorised person decides to work on the network because of an outage, and then the network gets energised. This can lead to loss of life.”
Ing Ahenkorah is, therefore, cautioning the customers and the general public to report all issues concerning power supply, outage, and related problems to the ECG for resolution, rather than taking chances on their own.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: President Akufo-Addo Appoints Joseph Kpemka As Deputy MD Of BOST
A former Member of Parliament for the Tempane Constituency in the Upper East Region, Joseph Dindiok Kpemka, has been appointed as Deputy Managing Director of the Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation (BEST) Company Limited, formerly BOST.
His appointment was contained in a letter signed by Nana Bediatuo Asante, Secretary to the President of Ghana.
The letter asked the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to take the necessary steps to regularise his appointment.
“The President of the Republic has nominated Mr Joseph Dindiok Kpemka for appointment as Deputy Managing Director of Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation Limited Company.
”Kindly take the necessary steps to regularise the said appointment by the relevant provisions of the Companies Act, 2019(Act 929) and the constitution of the company,” the letter said.
The appointment of Mr Kpemka adds up to two Deputy Managing Directors assisting Mr Edwin Nii Obodai Provencal in managing the company.
Kpemka holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Ghana as well as an L.L.B and a Barrister of Law from the Ghana School of Law.
He served as a Deputy Minister for Attorney General and Minister for Justice in the first term of the Akufo-Addo government.
Bulk Energy Storage and Transportation Company (BEST), formerly Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company Limited, was created in 1993 as a private liability company with the sole shareholder being the Government of Ghana.
The company’s mandate is to develop a network of storage tanks, pipelines and bulk transportation infrastructure throughout the country, as well as keep Strategic Reserve Stocks for Ghana.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: NPA Devises Ways To Stabilise Price Of Gas
Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has implemented strategies to eliminate a huge jump in the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) due to the implementation of the Cylinder Recirculation Model (CRM).
One of the strategies is the introduction of a tender programme for the importation of LPG, which has significantly reduced the premium on the purchase of LPG.
The programme has brought down the price of LPG from US$100 per metric tonne (MT) to US$30 MT, saving Ghana US$70 MT which would be used for investment in cylinders and bottling plants under the CRM.
The Bono Regional Manager of the NPA, Mr. Kwadwo Odarno Appiah, gave the information at the Bono Regional version of the NPA town hall meetings on CRM in Sunyani, the Bono Regional capital, on Thursday.
He said NPA would continue to engage the Ministry of Finance to consider the removal of certain taxes to reduce the price of LPG to make it affordable for all.
Mr. Appiah said Ghanaians would begin to exchange their old cylinders for new ones under the CRM in the coming weeks.
The meeting, which brought together hundreds of people, was aimed at sensitising the public on the implementation of the CRM.
It was also to update and educate them about the policy and its intended purposes and solicit their support in the implementation of the policy.
Mr Appiah said the NPA had had several engagements with service providers, industry experts and external stakeholders to ensure successful implementation.
He said they had also conducted several consumer sensitisation campaigns and programmes to educate the public on CRM and the safe use of LPG in general.
Mr Appiah urged Ghanaians to patronise the implementation of the CRM to avoid smoke-related diseases.
He said a recent study showed that about 18,000 people in the country die yearly from the use of unclean fuels.
Mr Appiah said the smoke from cooking with firewood and charcoal caused several diseases to its users particularly women, who always spend hours in the kitchen cooking.
“The smoke also makes them weak and when used over a long period affects their eyes,” he said.
Mr Appiah said the smoke also affected the world in general because it destroyed the air people breathe in and caused global warming especially as most trees had been felled.
“Let us embrace the model and ensure our safety, switching from charcoal and firewood to gas for a better, healthier life,” he said,
Mr Appiah said the cooking style in Ghana and most parts of Africa has put the lives of women in danger, because of the smoke they inhale from firewood and charcoal.
He said it was for that reason that the government has always promoted LPG as a cleaner, safer and healthier alternative fuel for cooking since it does not produce smoke.
Mr Appiah said though acquiring firewood is free, they (users) should be mindful that the diseases the smoke would bring to them could cost them their lives, which makes it more expensive than LPG or any other fuel.
He said the NPA’s immediate target was to achieve 50 per cent access by 2030 and explained that under the model, consumers would not own cylinders.
Mr Appiah said anyone who wished to use LPG could walk to a cylinder exchange point, register and gain access to the cylinder to use, stressing that “consumers will only pay for the LPG.”
He said the government considered several issues that had created barriers to people using LPG and had come up with CRM.
He urged the LPG marketing companies and dealers in the region to embrace CRM, as it would improve their operations and give them access to more consumers, increase jobs and create value in the process.
He said the NPA had put measures in place to serve all communities with LPG without having to travel long distances.
The Bono Regional Minister, Ms Justina Owusu-Banahene, said they needed to take pragmatic steps to ensure that the adverse effects of the charcoal and firewood were brought to the barest minimum if not eradicated.
She said the use of firewood and charcoal had adverse effects on the forest’s resources and the entire ecosystem.
Ms Owusu-Banahene urged the public to support the government’s efforts to ensure that the majority of Ghanaians have access to safe, clean and environmentally friendly LPG.
The Sunyanihenmaa, Nana Akosua Dua Asor Sika Brayie II, commended the NPA for the sensitisation and urged the Authority to continue to educate the public on CRM.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Tinubu’s Order To MDAs To Buy Oil Gas Powered Vehicles Problematic–Energy Experts
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu earlier, this week, ordered all government agencies to purchase only gas-powered vehicles as part of the country’s efforts to transition to cleaner energy and cut high fuel costs.
“All new government vehicles, generators or tricycles must utilise compressed natural gas (CNG), and solar power or be powered by electric energy sources,” the President said.
The President’s directive which was conveyed by the Presidential Spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, has, however, been described as unrealistic by some industry players in the West African nation.
In a report filed by advisors’ report, some energy experts contended that the directive suffers from a lack of a clear policy framework, emphasising that the prohibition of petrol-powered vehicles within the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) is merely an illusion, rendering compliance by MDAs unattainable.
They, therefore, challenged President Tinubu to lead by example by ensuring that all Presidential fleets were converted to CNG-powered vehicles.
This, according to them, would be a better approach than merely issuing orders to the MDAs to comply.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa: Eskom Achieves 70% Available Energy, Reduces Unplanned Outages To Less Than 10 000MW
South Africa’s Minister for Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has commended Eskom for achieving an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) above 70%, a feat last achieved nearly three years ago, as the Unplanned Capability Loss Factor (UCLF) is now less than 10 000MW.
In his Energy Action Plan media briefing yesterday, Ramokgopa said consistently good performance from Kusile, Lethabo, Majuba, Matla and Medupi from the latter part of 2023 had contributed to the EAF trend, but the improvement was also being seen in older power stations with improved performance from Arnot, Camden, Hendrina as well as Grootvlei.
He said the improvement in Eskom’s power generation was reflected in the EAF rising to 62.08% in week 18 of 2024, from only 49.99% in week 15 of 2023, and had now reached 70.78%.
“As I stand before you today, the Energy Availability Factor of Eskom has breached the 70% mark. That’s significant. The last time we achieved this was in August 2021,” Ramokgopa said.
“The month-to-date statistics suggest that we are at 64.34% and the year to date we are at 59.92%. But we have breached the psychological mark of 70% as a result of this consistent performance.
“This reduction in the UCLF is due to a year’s hard work on planned maintenance which has resulted in improving the reliability of Eskom’s power plants. This improvement is reflected in the EAF breaching the 70% level and is currently at 70.78%, with Kusile at 93%.”
Eskom senior manager in the group executive generation office, Eric Shunmagum, said the target was still to get to a consistent 65% EAF this financial year that ends in March 2025, and to reach 70% in the 2025/6 financial year.
He added that there had been no specific damage to Eskom infrastructure from this weekend’s solar flare activity. In 2003 several power transformers had been damaged by that year’s solar flare activity.
Meanwhile, Ramokgopa was at pains to stress that the current sequence of 47 days without load shedding had nothing to do with electioneering, ahead of the 29 May national elections.
This comes as load shedding has been suspended for 47 consecutive days during which diesel-powered Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGTs) usage has been lower than the same time last year.
The suspension of load shedding was driven by an improvement in coal fleet performance supported by solar during the day as May had seen clear skies and expensive diesel was not being used to keep the lights on.
The OCGT load factor for April 2024 dropped to 6.8% compared with the April 2023 figure of 19.13%.
“There are some commentators that say Eskom is using expensive diesel-fuelled OCGTs to make sure there is no load shedding ahead of the elections, but they could not be further from the truth as some days in May we have not had to use OCGTs at all,” Ramokgopa said.
He said there was no OCGTs usage on 5, 10 and 11 May.
In April, the OCGTs only provided 86MW compared with 344MW the same month last year, while OCGTs only provided 8MW this month compared with 488MW for the whole of May 2023.
Ramokgopa said that unplanned outages were reduced by 4400MW since April 26, 2024, due to extensive maintenance.
He said this patient investment in planned maintenance has meant that Eskom now has a 4 000MW margin between its winter base case assumption of 14 000MW unplanned outages, and the current unplanned outages of less than 10 000MW.
Ramakgopa noted that in terms of planned maintenance from December 2023 to March 2024, Eskom averaged 16.25% over 4 months, which was the highest over the last three years and enabled Eskom to adhere to the recovery plan, and allow for opportunistic maintenance to address prevailing short-term risks to availability.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Kenya, Uganda To Extend Oil Pipeline From Eldoret To Kampala
Kenya and Uganda have signed a tripartite agreement allowing Uganda’s state oil firm to import her petroleum products through Kenya.
President William Ruto made the announcement on Thursday after meeting his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni at State House, Nairobi.
He said the two nations had agreed during the second session of the Joint Ministerial Meeting (JMC) held early this week in Kampala where seven instruments of cooperation were signed.
“The Tripartite Agreement on the Importation and Transit of Refined Petroleum Products through Kenya to Uganda whose signing we have just witnessed enables the Uganda National Oil Company Limited to Import refined petroleum commodities directly from producer jurisdictions thus bringing to an end the challenges faced by the sector In Uganda,” stated Ruto.
According to President Ruto, the seven MoUs signed helped to resolve other trade barriers between the two countries.
The other agreements included MoUs in Education cooperation, sports, youth affairs, Public Service Management and Development and cooperation between Foreign Service institutions.
President Ruto further noted that the two nations had also agreed to jointly extend the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kampala to DRC.
“The meeting also emphasized the importance of extending the SGR not only from Naivasha to Malaba but all the way to Kampala and DRC as an efficient and sustainable Infrastructural artery for the transportation of goods,” he said.
“We have obliged our respective Ministers to take joint urgent measures to mobilize resources for the implementation of this regional shared Infrastructure and report on progress by the end of 2024.”
The agreement which comes months after a dispute between the two countries over oil transportation.
The two nations had been at loggerheads after Nairobi denied Uganda’s government owned oil marketer a license to operate locally and handle fuel imports to the capital Kampala.
Nairobi refused the use of the Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) infrastructure to move its refined petroleum products from Mombasa port to Uganda.
The aftermath saw Uganda suing Kenya at the East African Court of Justice on December 28, accusing Kenya of denying the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) rights to operate as an Oil Marketing Company (OMC) in Kenya.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Federal Gov’t To Pay N130bn Gas Supply Debt – Power Minister
Nigeria’s Minister for Power Adebayo Adelabu has assured that Federal Government will soon begin the payment of N130 billion debt owned suppliers of gas for power generation in the country.
According to the Minister, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved submission of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, (Gas) to defray outstanding debt owed to the gas supply companies to the power sector operators.
The minister said the payments would be in two parts as there is the legacy debt and the current debt.
“For the current debt, approval has been given for a cash payment of about N130 billion from the gas stabilisation fund which the Federal Ministry of Finance will pay.
“The payment for the legacy debt is actually going to be made but from future royalties and exchange of incomes in the gas sub-sector which is quite satisfactory to the gas supply companies.
“The last figure was about 1.3 billion dollars and this payment, we believe, will go a long way to encourage these gas companies to enter into firm supply contracts with the power generating companies, ‘’ Mr Adelabu said on Thursday at the 2024 Eight Africa Energy Marketplace in Abuja.
The forum was organised by African Development Bank, AfDB, Ministry of Power and the United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility, UKNIAF.
The theme of the forum titled “Towards Nigeria’s Sustainable Energy Future: Policy, Regulation, and Investment – A Policy Dialogue for the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan (NIEP-SIP)”.
Mr Adelabu said the Federal Government planned to adopt a model that would ensure firm contracts between gas companies and majority of the power generating companies.
“The day they cannot supply gas, there is no penalty but once there is a firm contract, they will be under contractual obligation to supply gas to these power generating companies so that we have a consistent power generation.
Mr Adelabu said that for the power generating companies, the debt is put at N1.3 trillion.
The minister said the ministry of power has the consent of the President to pay on a condition of settling the reconciliation of the debts between the government and the power generating companies.
“And this, we have successfully done, and are being signed off by both parties. Majority has signed off and we are actually engaging others, so we have 100 per cent sign off from the power generating companies.
‘The modalities for paying this will be two ways; there will be immediate cash injection as government is not buoyant enough to pay the N1.3 trillion at once.
“A fraction will be paid in cash, while the remaining fraction will be settled through a guarantee debt instrument, preferably a promissory note, ‘’ he said.
On his part, Sanusi Garba, Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, said the poor financial state of the Electricity Distribution Company, DisCos, made it difficult for them to raise the needed capital to invest.
Mr Garba said the challenges facing the sector were a culmination of all past inactions and missteps by those saddled with the responsibilities of managing the sector both at policy and operational levels.
He said, “today when you look at distribution companies, they are clearly and technically insolvent, and you also want them to raise capital in terms of debt or equity.
“It’s a herculean task. I also want to mention that implementing the power sector reform requires very strong political will to implement decisions that impact on the wider public,” he said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Senate Approves Tinubu’s $500m World Bank Loan for Electricity Metres
Nigeria’s Senate Wednesday approved a $500 million World Bank loan request by President Bola Tinubu to provide electricity metres for the citizens.
The fund was approved for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) after considering the report of the Committee on local and foreign debts.
The report was presented by the Vice Chairman of the Committee, Senator Haruna Manu.
The $500 million loan was part of the $7.94 billion World Bank loan which President Bola Tinubu sought the Senate’s approval for on November 1, 2023.
It was under the 2022-2024 external borrowing plan. The President also sought the approval for €100 million then.
However, the Senate gave the approval to borrow $7.4 billion approved during its special plenary on December 30 after considering the report of the Committee on local and foreign debt.
Manu, while presenting the report, said the $500m for the BPE could not be approved because the agency did not appear before the committee to defend the proposal
He noted that the terms and conditions under which the loan was brought will not in any manner compromise the sustainability of Nigeria’s economic growth or hinder the integrity and independence of Nigeria as a sovereign nation.
He said, “The Committee recommends that the Senate do approve the ongoing negotiations of the external borrowing in the sum of $500m for BPE; that the terforions of the loan from the funding agency be forwarded to the National Assembly before execution.”
It will be recalled that the Senate had earlier put on hold the approval of the N$500m because the BPE was unavailable to defend it when it was scheduled to appear before its committees.
However, following the defence of the borrowing, the Senate on Wednesday gave its approval for the loan in unanimous decision presided over by its Deputy President, Sen. Barau Jibrin.
“The programme development objective of this project is to improve financial and technical performance of electricity distribution companies,” the Senate report said.
After considering the report, the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the meeting, ruled in favour of the loan request approval after a voice vote.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
China To Boost Coal Output
China’s biggest coal-producing province is set to boost output in June in a bid to prop up the provincial economy after a drop in coal production earlier this year.
Production in Shanxi declined substantially in the first quarter, due to closer oversight on safety practices after a series of fatal accidents.
It was down by some 25%, which affected the GDP growth of the province, Bloomberg reported, adding that Shanxi dropped to the 31st place among Chinese provinces in terms of economic growth.
The decline followed orders from state regulators to halt some production and conduct safety inspections between March and May. Shanxi produces about 29% of China’s coal, both coking and thermal.
This has in turn boosted imports of both coking coal, which China generally tends to import a lot of because of insufficient local supply, and also thermal coal, which it does produce locally in substantial volumes.
While demand for both kinds of coal remains quite strong, demand for thermal coal has recently been affected negatively by surging hydropower production, China’s Coal Transportation and Distribution Association said earlier this week.
Hydropower generation in China jumped by 42.9% in the last third of April compared to the same period last year and is “very likely to maintain double-digit growth,” Reuters quoted Feng Huamin, an analyst at China Coal Transportation and Distribution Association, as saying at a market seminar on Wednesday.
This is a reversal of the situation from last year when insufficient rains and drought caused a spike in coal consumption for electricity generation because wind and solar could not shoulder the whole additional burden of demand.
Meanwhile, China has generally boosted its imports of coal so far this year, as it looks to stockpile fuel for the power plants ahead of the summer amid international prices that were half last year’s levels in the first four months of 2024.
Source: Oilprice.com
Uganda: Gov’t In Talks With China’s Sinohydro Over Power Line To South Sudan
Uganda is in talks with Chinese firm Sinohydro (SINOH.UL) Corporation Limited for the development of a $180 million power transmission line to allow Uganda to export power to energy-starved South Sudan, the president’s office said.
As part of the talks, a delegation led by Yang Yi Xin, Sinohydro Corporation’s vice president, met Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni on Monday, a statement from Museveni’s office said late on Monday.
The project will involve the construction of a 138-km (85.75 miles) high-voltage transmission line to take power to South Sudan, the expansion of two substations and construction of one new one, the statement said.
“We are very much willing to help develop this project with the required finance if needed,” Xin was quoted as telling the president.
Museveni expressed support for Sinohydro’s offer to develop the project, the statement said.
In June last year the two countries signed a power sales agreement to allow Uganda to sell electricity to South Sudan.
The Chinese firm is completing a $1.5 billion, 600 megawatt hydropower project on River Nile in northern Uganda that is meant to be the source for the electricity exports to South Sudan.
Source: Reuters.com
Benin Gives Niger Temporal Access To Cotonou Port For Oil Shipment To China
The Republic of Benin has provisionally reversed its decision to block exports of crude oil from Niger Republic to China via its Cotonou Port and agreed to hold a meeting between the two countries, the West African nation’s Minister for Water, Energy and Mines said on Wednesday.
Last week, three vessels carrying crude oil from Niger and destined for China arrived in Benin, but the Benin authorities prevented them from docking at the Cotonou Port.
President Patrice Talon declared that the Contonou Port would not be opened to Niger oil export unless the junta in Niamey ends the border blockade with Benin.
“If you want to load your oil in our waters, you can’t view Benin as an enemy and at the same time expect your oil to cross our territory,” President Patrice Talon said in a statement.
“We’re open to working with Niger. They’re the ones that refused to allow trucks to cross.
“Benin is not an enemy country and if tomorrow the Nigerien authorities decide to collaborate with Benin formally, the boats will be loaded,” he added.
However, on Wednesday, Benin’s Minister for Water, Energy and Mines, Samou Seïdou Adambi, announced that his country had decided to allow Niger to have access to their port after a meeting with Chinese partners, according to Reuters.
“We have decided to authorise the loading of the first vessel in our waters. However, it is important to note that this authorisation is provisional,” Samou Seidou Adambi told reporters after a meeting with the Chinese partners.
Benin intends to respect all the agreements within the pipeline project, Adambi said, adding that the country planned to hold a meeting to examine “urgent matters relating to the proper conduct of the pipeline’s export operations.”
Relations between Benin and Niger have been strained since the coup in Niger in July, which led the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, to impose strict sanctions for more than six months.
Trade flows in the region were expected to normalise after the West African regional bloc lifted sanctions to dissuade Niger from withdrawing from the political and economic union.
“Nonetheless, Niger has kept its borders closed to goods from Benin and not formally told Benin why it has done so,” President Patrice Talon said in a statement last week.
Niger’s Prime Minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, said on Saturday that Benin’s blockade of Niger’s oil exports violated trade agreements between the two countries and with Niger’s Chinese partners.
He added that Niger could not fully re-open its border with Benin for security reasons.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Ghana Gas Denies Misleading Report On Gas Pipeline Project Phase II Contract
Ghana’s national gas aggregator, Ghana Gas, has refuted media reports that its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ben K.D Asante, is under pressure to sign the contract for phase II of the Gas Pipeline Project (GPP2) in favour of a company owned by someone close to the presidency.
The company described the report as misleading.
Contrary to the claims in the media, Ghana Gas explained in a statement issued by the Head of Corporate Communications, Ernest Kofi Owusu- Bempeh Bonsu , that the award of the contract for the GPP2 project to the selected tenderer, went through a rigorous tender process and complied strictly with Act 663 of the Public Procurement Act 2003, as amended, and all relevant approval obtained.
To make the tender process even clearer, the company said following the approval by the Board of Directors of Ghana Gas in 2021 to commence the GPP2 project, management applied and sought approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) to adopt the Restricted Tender Procurement method under section 38 (a) of Act 663 of the GPP2 as amended for EPCC and financing of the GPP2 project.
By the Restricted Tender, Procurement Method, the company said tenders were submitted by four firms and upon evaluation of their Technical and Financial bids, the Entity Tender Committee selected the tenderer it awarded the contract following concurrent approval received from the Central Tender Review Committee (CTRC) of the Ministry of Finance.
“Accordingly, Ghana Gas and the selected tenderer have signed a Project Implementation Agreement to outline the terms and conditions for the EPCC project. The selected tenderer has been incorporated.
A special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to undertake the project and Ghana Gas is currently in negotiation with the SPV to execute the relevant agreements for the implementation of the project,” the company stated.
The company said its Chief Executive Officer has not been under any external pressure to sign any deal, thus, describing the reports as mischievous and urged the media to be circumspect by cross-checking facts before publishing stories in order not to harm people’s hard-earned reputation.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com