Nigeria: NNPC Ltd, First E&P Achieve 20,000bpd Production At OML 85
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and its Joint Venture partner in OML 85, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E&P), have commenced oil production from the asset, also known as Madu Field.
Production from the field which is located in shallow waters offshore Bayelsa State and operated by First E&P is expected to be at an average of 20,000 barrels per day.
The achievement is a testament to the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu administration to optimise production from the nation’s oil and gas assets through the provision of an enabling environment for existing and prospective investors.
Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mr. Mele Kyari, described the commencement of oil production at the Madu Field as a significant milestone that will contribute to the larger goal of meeting the production required to drive revenue growth and boost the nation’s economy.
Kyari, who commended stakeholders for their support, also explained that the addition of 20,000 barrels per day by an indigenous oil player signals the commitment of stakeholders to achieving economic development for Nigeria.
It would be recalled that the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the development of the Madu Field and a sister field, Anyala, was taken by the NNPC Ltd./First E&P JV in 2018.
Production from the Madu Field will be processed at the JV’s Abigail-Joseph Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) Unit, which has a crude oil storage capacity of up to 800,000 bbls.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Power Supply In Ashanti, Northern Belts Boosted As VRA Connects Anwomaso Thermal Power Station To Grid
The Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana’s largest state power generation company, has successfully relocated and installed six units of an Ameri Power Plant at Anwomaso(ATPS) near Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
As a result, power supply in the Ashanti Region and beyond will soon improve. The six units will be generating 150MW to shore up the country’s power generation capacity.
Now known as the Anwomaso Thermal Power Station, the reconnection of the plant to the grid will improve power supply and boost economic activities, especially in the Ashanti Region.
Residents of the Ashanti Region have been lamenting over poor and erratic power supply and demanded that urgent steps should be taken to address the situation to save their businesses from collapsing.
Therefore, the system operator – Ghana Grid Company – suggested that the Ameri Power Plant, which is on wheels and then located at Aboadze in the Western Region be relocated to Anwomaso to stabilise the grid and ensure power supply stability and reliability in the middle and northern belts of Ghana.
Speaking after the relocation of the Ameri Power Plant, Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, emphasised that there is a growing demand for power as the population and economic activities of the country continue to expand.
According to him, projects like the power station are important in boosting the country’s energy supply to meet the expectations of Ghanaians.
He said, “This power project is the first in Kumasi and, by extension, the Ashanti Region. It is very significant as it will improve the delivery of electricity to the middle and northern belts of the country.
“… My government is committed to ensuring that all parts of the country have the necessary infrastructure for development.”
President Akufo-Addo affirmed his government’s dedication to fostering economic growth and social advancement across the country.
Additionally, he highlighted the Ashanti Region’s reputation for fostering the development of small and medium-scale enterprises, as well as commercial and industrial sectors.
“It is my expectation that it would enhance electricity supply. These enterprises would expand and offer further employment opportunities to our youth. Ladies and gentlemen, in the course of the last seven years, my government has had the opportunity to translate promises and assurances into result-oriented projects, especially as the Ghanaian people, having cleared absolute terms, demanded results that would transform the country.
“One such commitment is the delivery of affordable and reliable electricity to drive our nation’s industrialisation agenda and position Ghana to become a net exporter of electricity in the ECOWAS region,” he stated.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
World Bank, AfDB Partner To Connect 300 Million Africans To Electricity By 2030
The World Bank Group and African Development Bank Group are partnering on an ambitious effort to provide at least 300 million people in Africa with electricity access by 2030.
The World Bank Group will work to connect 250 million people to electricity through distributed renewable energy systems or the distribution grid while the African Development Bank Group will support an additional 50 million people.
Access to electricity is a fundamental human right and is foundational to any successful development effort.
Currently, 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, creating significant barriers to health care, education, productivity, digital inclusivity, and ultimately job creation.
“Electricity access is the bedrock of all development. It is a critical ingredient for economic growth and essential for job creation at scale. Our aspiration will only be realized with partnership and ambition.
“We will need policy action from governments, financing from multilateral development banks, and private sector investment to see this through,” said Ajay Banga, World Bank Group President.
A statement issued and copied to energynewaafrica.com mentioned that the partnership is a demonstration of the determination of the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group to be bolder, bigger and better in tackling one of the most pressing challenges in Africa.
“The initiative is the most recent manifestation of the World Bank Group’s commitment to become more impact-oriented and is the byproduct of a concerted workplan to build a better bank. It is aided by a constellation of regional energy programs that will now be aligned toward this common goal,” the statement said.
For the World Bank Group to connect 250 million people, $30 billion of public sector investment will be needed, of which IDA, the World Bank’s concessional arm for low-income countries, will be critical.
In addition, governments will need to put in place policies to attract private investment, and reform their utilities so they are financially sound and efficient with tariff mechanisms that protect the poor.
Connecting 250 million people to electricity would open private sector investment opportunities in distributed renewable energy alone worth $9 billion. Beyond that, there would be substantial opportunities for private investments in grid-connected renewable energy needed to power economies for growth.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Namibia: OPEC Courts Namibia Ahead Of Plans To Begin Oil Production
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, is looking to add Namibia to its ranks as the Southern African country gears up to begin oil production by 2030.
Namibia recently discovered a significant volume of oil within its shores, which will make it the fourth largest oil-exporting company within the next ten years.
OPEC’s efforts to woo Namibia is necessitated by the recent exits of Angola and other key participants in the oil-exporting industry.
With Brazil joining the organization in January, the addition of Namibia will further swell its ranks and improve the organization’s influence in the energy market.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: President Tinubu Lauds Dangote Refinery For Reducing Diesel Price
The President of Federal Republic of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Dangote Oil and Gas Limited for reducing the price of Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, also known as diesel.
Diesel is mostly used in large quantity in Nigeria by industries and articulated vehicles for transporting goods across the country.
A reduction in the price of diesel will subsequently affect the prices of goods and services across board and reduce the current skyrocketing prices in the country.
Dangote recently reviewed downwards the price of AGO from N1,650 to N1,000 per litre for a minimum of one million litres of the product, as well as providing a discount of N30 per litre for an offtake of five million litres and above.
The President in a statement issued by his Special Advisor on Media and Publicity Ajuri Ngelale, said that the federal government has 20 per cent stake in Dangote Refinery.
He said that the President noted the significance of partnership between the public and private entities in advancing the overall well-being of the country.
Mr Ngelale said that the President called on Nigerians and businesses to put the nation in priority gear while assuring them of a conducive, safe, and secure environment to thrive.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Who Woke PURC Up From Their Slumber? (Article)
I just woke up to the news that each of the Board of Directors of ECG has been fined some penalty units translating to about GHS 652,000.00 for superintending over a breach of regulation 39 of LI 2413, for not complying with the mandatory 3-day notice to announce a planned outage within a period of about 2 and half months.
I asked, has PURC now woken up from a deep slumber or has always been awake but a mere case of neglecting their duty or better still unraveling an agenda? Anyway, why now? The perfect answer will be that it’s better late than never.
In the absence of the announcements which are supposed to be attached to the response, did PURC even give the benefit of the doubt to prompt ECG on a shortfall of some level of information?
I doubt. Surely, it’s going to be a case of, hurray, we have gotten them. Moreso, when did PURC know that they could sanction the Board Members of ECG for breaching aspects of the LI 2413? Is it also the case that the former board chairman and the current board members are the targets?
Or is it to frustrate the board to resign enbloc so PURC and the powers that be proceed with an agenda best known to them? Or is it a payback time to punish the board of ECG because the PURC feels they have been starved for some time by the purported noncompliance with the Cash waterfall mechanism?
The right answers to the questions above exposes the shocking case of personal agenda but have to be diluted with some cases of public interest to make the case look good.
Has PURC sanctioned GRIDCo for putting off a BSP of ECG without prior knowledge of the latter as a customer? No not that we know of. Can’t PURC be fair and tell Ghanaians the available capacity or deficit and the true state of the power generation situation in the country?
If indeed Why won’t PURC be fair to Ghanaians and provide this information to the customers, they seek to protect? Have GRIDCo board members been fined?
Why will GRIDCo be in an emergency every day to necessitate emergency load shedding even during off-peak time? If emergencies become routine, it means there is a routine problem that is already known by somebody.
At a time Akosombo hydro is at near peak level, with the power exports even curtailed, why still dropping BSPs to save the entire system from collapse as a result of continuous frequency decay? Okay, what percentage of spinning reserve of GRIDCo are we doing?
These are the questions the Ghanaian consumer needs answers to not this distraction emanating from the regulator.
The situation at hand is akin to the situation in 2012 when ECG was being packaged for privatization. The agenda was to make ECG look bad to seek public support for the unpatriotic endeavor. At a time when the picture was so clear the challenges of the power system were as a result of demand exceeding the installed and available capacity of power generation and exposing the real situation as a generation deficit, ECG communication was gagged.
Is it the same thing we are seeing or the same agenda in motion?
To the extent that even CSOs whom we expect to know better are ignorantly or deliberately churning out false figures to make ECG look just bad to push for privatization which some cronies are just waiting to grab.
At least some commitment by ECG and the continuous effort of the management should be hailed and recognized. Being aware that revenue generation is the blood of every business, in the long history of ECG, every staff was pushed out there to compel customers to pay their bills.
Indeed, within the period the medical bill of the company shot up because of the stress staff were put into.
The power App undoubtedly is the most used payment app in the country to mention a few.
At least these are exhibits of the commitment and effort to improve the revenue that should be supported by the regulator and the energy players. What do we hear in the media, none, of these, are ignored and all you hear is biased and unfair criticism.
Can ECG publish a timetable? Why the pressure on ECG to produce one? This is supposed to be a rather follow-up question. The main question should have been ‘Have the upstream power players informed ECG of the expected deficit? If so at within what period was the request made and when was the loading shedding to be implemented? Kindly note that it takes not less than 30 minutes or more for ECG to fully undertake load shedding giving prior notice that is even if a timetable is prepared.
Why will PURC not impress on the IPPs and VRA to publish the generation available or deficit to Ghanaians? Of course, that is all that ECG needs and the customers are itching for otherwise any action compelling ECG to produce and publish such information is just disingenuous and an exhibition of a lack of understanding of the power system structures in Ghana.
For God and Country.
Source: Ing. Peter Kofi Fletcher
Ghana: SONABEL Delegation Visits GRIDCo
Top officials of Burkina Faso’s national electricity company, -Société Nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso (SONABEL), have met with officials of Ghana Grid Company and its CEO to discuss power supply issues affecting Burkina Faso due to disruptions in Ghana’s Energy Sector.
Mark Baah, Director of Corporate Strategy & Advisor on the Implementation of the Ghana Wholesale Electricity Market, welcomed the team on behalf of the Chief Executive.
He acknowledged SONABEL’s peak demand period and apologised for the current challenges.
Mr Ouegraogo Aristide, Director of Transmission and Energy Movement, led the delegation, which is in Ghana for a week, to finalise power supply agreements with independent power producers such as Genser Energy, Aksa Energy Ghana and Sunon Asogli.
Ing Baah assured SONABEL of GRIDCo’s readiness to transmit power as soon as Genser receives approval to generate power for SONABEL.
The delegation also sought explanations regarding the deficit and outages on specific lines which the GRIDCo team addressed.
Regarding the installation of two new transformers at Nayagnia, Ing Frank Otchere, Director of the System Operations Department, suggested the formation of a joint team to plan the installation works while they waiting for the manufacturer’s installation team.
Operationalised on April 14, 1995, in Ouagadougou, Société Nationale d’électricité du Burkina Faso, is the national electricity company of Burkina Faso.
It is one of GRIDCo’s customers and represents Burkina Faso in the West African Power Pool.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Level 400 Sudent Of University Of Energy And Natural Resources Killed In Robbery Incident
A level 400 Renewable Energy Engineering student of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani in the Republic of Ghana has been killed through a robbery incident.
The deceased, Abdul Aziz Issah, popularly known as Zamani was returning from a field trip with other students when the sad incident occurred.
The incident occurred around Boffourkrom in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region.
The Management of the University confirmed the unfortunate incident in a statement signed by the Deputy Registrar of the University Relations Office, Alfred Appiah.
“The University Management wishes to inform the general public and parents that an unfortunate incident happened yesterday, Tuesday, 16th April, 2024, at 7 p.m. as a group of armed robbers attacked some 300 and 400 BSc Renewal Energy Engineering students during their return from a field trip to the Bui Power Authority,” the statement said.
The statement further explained that, “tragically, one student lost his life as a result of the incident.”
“The family of the deceased has been notified, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time,” the University said.
The remaining students have all received medical attention, been discharged, and are currently receiving the necessary counseling.
However, one suspect has been arrested by the Sunyani Police command.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com South Africa: Petrosa Targets Mozambique Gas In New Sales Deal
South Africa’s PetroSA expects the first flows of gas into the country from a deal with Mozambique’s national energy company ENH later this year, officials said, amid efforts to shore up supplies ahead of a potentially crippling shortage.
In March 2024, the company acquired a gas trading licence from regulators and moved quickly to secure a deal for an initial 2 petajoules of gas a year (PJ/a), with scope to rise to 200 petajoules eventually.
That would be enough to supply scores of industrial gas users, including steelmaker ArcelorMittal, which currently relies on around 190 PJ/a, mainly supplied by South African petrochemical firm Sasol.
Sasol has warned customers that it will significantly restrict supplies in a couple of years as its Mozambican gas fields run dry.
PetroSA wants to form a joint venture (JV) with ENH to woo potential gas clients in energy-starved South Africa, and intends replicating the JV model at Mossel Bay to trade gas from offshore fields discovered by TotalEnergies to the Cape market.
“At Mossel Bay we will be looking at potentially two different JVs, one with Total for Brulpadda (field) and then another JV is for the Block 9 development, but the main entity that will trade gas for the group is PetroSA Gas Trading,” Sesakho Magadla, chief operating officer at PetroSA, told Reuters.
The ENH gas sales agreement involves importing gas via the 869 km ROMPCO pipeline that links Pande and Temane fields to South Africa, before supplying users via Sasol’s pipeline network in the north of the country, she said. ENH did not respond to requests for comment.
PetroSA is currently negotiating two gas transportation agreements with Sasol and ROMPCO – the pipeline company it operates, a presentation to lawmakers last month showed.
The ROMPCO pipeline flows from Mozambique to Sasol’s petrochemical complex at Secunda where it operates the world’s largest coal-to-liquids plant.
“Negotiations are currently ongoing relating to a gas transportation agreement to provide PetroSA … access to uncommitted capacity within the pipeline network,” Alex Anderson, Sasol spokesperson, said.
Technical studies are also underway to determine the feasibility of transporting PetroSA’s gas to different locations in the vicinity of the current pipeline network, he added.
Source: Natural Gas World
Nigeria: Dangote Refinery Reduces Diesel Price To N1000 Per Litre To Cushion Nigerians
Africa’s largest crude oil refinery, the Dangote Refinery in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has announced a reduction in rate at which the company sells diesel to local marketers from N1, 200/litre to N1, 000/litre in a bid to cushion consumers from pressures of high energy cost.
This development triggered excitement among operators in the downstream oil sector.
The new price regime was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday night by the spokesperson of the refinery, Tony Chiejina.
When it commenced operation a few weeks ago, Dangote Petroleum Refinery pegged the price of diesel as N1,200.
While rolling out the products, the refinery supplied at a substantially reduced price of N1,200 per litre three weeks ago, representing over 30 percent reduction from the previous market price of about N1, 600 per litre.
However, on Tuesday, a further reduction of N200 was noticed in the price, with the product now pegged at N1,000.
“In an unprecedented move, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction of the price of diesel from N1200 to N1,000/litre.
“This significant reduction in the price of diesel, at Dangote Petroleum Refinery, is expected to positively affect all the spheres of the economy and ultimately reduce the high inflation rate in the country,” the statement said.
Oil marketers had in the last few days urged the refinery to reduce its diesel price.
Dangote oil refinery began supplying the Nigerian domestic market with petroleum products such as diesel and aviation jet fuel.
The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote recently thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support and encouragement, towards the actualisation of this project.
He was said to have also thanked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Nigerians for their support and belief in what he called the historic project.
“We thank President Bola Tinubu for his support and for making our dream come true. This production, as witnessed today, would not have been possible without his visionary leadership and prompt attention to details.
“This is a big day for Nigeria. We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. This is a game changer for our country,” Dangote said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Libya Overtakes Nigeria As Biggest Oil Producer In Africa In March
Libya has overtaken Nigeria as the continent’s top crude oil producing state, according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) latest report.
The north African nation recorded 1.24 million barrels per day of crude oil production in March, an increase of 5.7 from 1.17 million barrels per day in February, while Nigeria recorded production of 1.23 million barrels per day in March compared to 1.32 million barrels per day in February.
Libya recorded the largest monthly increase in oil production in Africa last February, also surpassing Nigeria, which was the largest producer in the African continent.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Crude Oil Reserves Boosted By 1 Billion Barrels
Nigeria’s crude oil reserves have increased by 1 billion barrels while natural gas reserves have jumped by 2.573 trillion cubic feet (TCF), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has said.
As of January 1, 2024, Nigeria’s combined proven reserves of crude oil and condensate stood at 37.50 billion barrels, while the reserves of associated natural gas and non-associated gas stood at 209.26 trillion cubic feet, NUPRC’s chief executive Gbenga Komolafe said.
Of the oil and condensate reserves, crude oil reserves were 31.56 billion barrels and condensate 5.94 billion barrels, NUPRC said in a statement on Tuesday.
Nigeria thus ranks second in Africa in terms of crude oil reserves, behind Libya.
In terms of natural gas reserves, Nigeria ranks first in Africa and holds a large portion of Africa’s estimated reserves – more than 33% of these.
Nigeria has 68 years of crude reserves and 97.99 years of natural gas reserves, according to NUPRC’s Komolafe.
“Engr Gbenga Komolafe says these figures shed light on the significant resources Nigeria possesses in terms of Oil and Gas reserves, reaffirming its position as a key player in the global energy landscape, which is crucial for the country’s energy policies, investment decisions, and overall economic planning,” NUPRC said today.
Last year, Nigeria’s state oil firm NNPC said it had started explorationin the onshore frontier basins, aiming to boost the OPEC producer’s proven crude oil reserves to 50 billion barrels.
Oil theft and pipeline vandalism have long plagued Nigeria’s upstream oil and gas industry, driving majors out of the country and often resulting in force majeure at the key crude oil export terminals.
Source: Oilprice.com
Ghana: Fuel Prices Shoot Up … Diesel Sells At Gh¢14.99, Petrol At Gh¢14. 70 Per Litre
The prices of petrol and diesel have gone up significantly at the pump in the Republic of Ghana, effective April 16, 2024.
A litre of diesel is selling between Gh¢14.80 and Gh¢13.83 while a litre of petrol is selling between Gh¢14.99 and Gh¢13.10.
Unlike in other parts of Africa where fuel prices are reviewed monthly, in Ghana, fuel prices are reviewed every two weeks.
During the first pricing window for April which ended on April 15, 2024, a litre of petrol was sold between Gh¢13.13 and Gh¢14.15 while diesel was sold between Gh14.11 and Gh¢14.74 per litre.
The increment in fuel prices is due to the rising cost of refined products on the international market and exchange rate volatility.
Leading oil marketing company—GOIL Plc is selling petrol at Gh¢14.99 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢14.70 per litre.
Star Oil is selling petrol at Gh¢13.83 per litre while diesel is selling at Gh¢13.73 per litre.
Shell is selling petrol at Gh¢14.29 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢14.74 per litre.
TotalEnergies, one of the market leaders, is selling petrol at Gh¢14.30per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢14.80 per litre.
Petrosol Ghana Limited, one of the top ten OMCs, has also adjusted its pump prices and is selling petrol at Gh¢14.27 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢14.69 per litre.
Zen is selling petrol at Gh¢13.73 per litre while diesel is selling at Gh¢13.96 per litre.
Engen Ghana is selling petrol at Gh¢14.20 per litre while diesel is selling at Gh¢14.60 per litre.
Allied Oil is selling petrol at Gh¢13. 65 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢13.83 per litre.
Pacific Oil is selling petrol at Gh¢13.98 per litre while diesel was sold at Gh¢14.28 per litre.
Dukes is selling petrol at Gh¢13.45 per litre while is sold diesel at Gh¢13.80 per litre.
Alinco is selling both petrol and diesel at Gh¢13.80 per litre.
Data from the regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA), also showed prices of finished products—diesel and petrol—jumped on the international market within two weeks.
Petrol went up to US$937.68 per metric tonne while diesel went up to US$841.38 per metric tonne.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Kenya: Kenya Power Announces 13.7% Reduction In Electricity Tariff As Cost Of Fuel Drops
Kenyan electricity customers will enjoy up to a 13.7 per cent reduction in the cost of power this month, following the strengthening of the Kenya Shilling and a reduction in the cost of fuel that is used to generate electricity.
The fuel cost charge and foreign exchange fluctuation adjustment, which comprise the key variable components of the electricity bill, were reduced by 37.3 per cent between March 2024 and April 2024, across all customer categories, as gazetted by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
The fuel cost charge reduced from KSh.4.64 in March 2024 to KShs.3.26 in April 2024, and from a high of KShs.4.93 in January 2024.
On the other hand, the forex adjustment charge was reduced from Kshs.3.68 in March 2024 to KShs.1.96 in April 2024 and from a high of KShs.6.85 in January 2024.
CEO of Kenya Power, Dr (Eng)Joseph Siror, in a statement, said, “We are happy to note that the reduction has given reprieve to our customers and we are optimistic that the prevailing macro-economic environment and the improved hydrology, which enables us to dispatch less thermal power, will sustain the benefit to our customers.”
A customer under the Domestic Customer 1 (DC1) tariff band (those consuming less than 30 units per month) using 30 units of electricity will pay KShs.629 in April 2024 compared to KShs.729 for similar units in March 2024, representing a 13.7 per cent reduction.
Similarly, a customer under the Domestic Customer 2 (DC2) tariff (averaging 31-100 units per month) who consumes 60 units will pay KShs. 1,574 in April 2024 compared to KShs. 1,773 in March 2024 representing a 11.2 per cent reduction.
A customer under the Domestic Customer 3 (DC3) tariff band (averaging more than 100 units per month) who uses 120 units per month will pay KShs. 3,728 in April 2024 compared to KShs. 4,127 in March representing a 9.7 per cent reduction.
Access to affordable electricity is key to spur the socio-economic development of the country.
To this end, Kenya Power is focused on driving economic development through the provision of reliable and sufficient electricity across the country.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com