The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc, one of the power distribution companies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has intensified its campaign against energy theft within its network area.
In collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences (SIPTEO), IBEDC is actively pursuing investigations and legal actions against individuals and businesses involved in energy theft.
In a statement issued and copied energynewsafrica.com, Mr. Johnson Tinuoye, the Chief Key Accounts Officer of IBEDC said the company has identified and recorded over 1,459 cases of energy theft between January and February 2024.
These cases include offenses such as meter bypass and illegal meter tampering, resulting in significant financial losses amounting to hundreds of millions of naira for the company.
The escalating figures have prompted a strategic partnership with the Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences, a federal government agency dedicated to expediting the investigation and prosecution of offenders within IBEDC’s franchise.
Mr. Tinuoye emphasized that under the Electricity Act, energy theft is now recognized as a criminal offense, carrying severe penalties including imprisonment.
The company mentioned that in Osun region, two individuals were apprehended for stealing energy through meter bypass and illegal connections.
The cases have been formally charged in court for prosecution.
“We want to send a clear message to our customers that energy theft will not be tolerated. Our collaboration with the Federal Government Special Investigation and Prosecution Task Force on Electricity Offences underscores our commitment to ensuring a fair and just electricity distribution system. Energy theft not only undermines the integrity of our operations but also deprives IBEDC of the revenue necessary to provide quality services to our customers.” Mr. Tinuoye stated.
IBEDC urged customers to refrain from engaging in any form of energy theft, emphasizing that the consequences can be severe, as there is no room for negotiation with the SIPTEO Task Force team which is actively patrolling and investigating instances of energy theft for prosecution.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s technical regulator for electricity and Natural Gas, the Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Ghana Prison Service, trained 30 prison inmates and officers at Nsawam Prison in electrical wiring as part of efforts to reform the inmates and also make them employable after serving their prison term.
Last Friday, the Commission and Ghana Prison Service held a graduation ceremony after three months of completing the Certified Electrical Wiring Professional training programme.
Delivering the keynote address, Executive Secretary for Energy Commission, Ing Oscar Amoono-Neizer, observed that to reduce avoidable fires in the country, over 15,000 electricians have been trained and certified under the Certified Electrical Wiring Professional programme nationwide since 2013.
All these measures, he said are steps to reduce incidences of fires in homes, businesses and communities.
According to him, formal education and vocational training would help to resource the inmates to acquire the right skills which would be useful to society.
“The training will not only help the beneficiaries to become useful in the job market but also contribute their quota to the socioeconomic development of this nation,” he said.
He affirmed that the Energy Commission paid all the cost of training and certification and also resourced the trainees with tools to get them started in their businesses after serving their prison terms.
He also urged the trained officers to train inmates to help in resourcing interested inmates with the skills in that profession.
In his remarks, the Board Chairman of the Energy Commission, Prof Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu, tasked the beneficiaries of the programme to uphold the professional ethics in electrical wiring and advised other inmates to join the trade, arguing that acquiring knowledge in the field would be significant in their lives and Ghanaian.
The Deputy Director General in Charge of Operations of the Ghana Prison Service, who delivered a speech on behalf of the substantive Head, Dr Francis Omane-Addo, said the service has started registering inmates to write the Basic Education Certificate Exams (BECE), West African Senior Secondary Certificate Exams (WASSCE) and university courses to upgrade the educational skills of the inmates to become resourceful after their term of sentences.
He also expressed appreciation to the Energy Commission for building and furnishing a centre for inmates to use for their skills development and training.
The Energy Commission is tasked to regulate and manage the development and utilisation of energy resources in Ghana to ensure the provision of an efficient and secure manner to promote, the social and economic well-being of the people of Ghana, and enhance environmental quality and public safety.
It is in respect of this that the Ghana Electrical Wiring Regulations 2012L.I 2008 were passed into law by Parliament in February 2012.
The theme of the programme was ensuring the safety of life and property through the promotion of standardised cables and accessories.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s Minister for Energy Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh is upset with Ghanaians who are demanding a load shedding timetable from the power distribution companies, Electricity Company of Ghana and Northern Electricity Distribution Company, to enable them to plan.
Minister Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who claimed the West African nation had not returned to the era of erratic power supply, popularly known in the Ghanaian parlance as ‘Dumsor’, which was experienced between 2012 and 2016 under the previous administration, challenged those who think the country had returned to that era to publish their own load shedding timetable.
“Ask those who want it to bring it if there is. I haven’t seen any timetable. The ECG says that there’s no timetable coming. Why do you want to bring a timetable…for what purpose? Why would somebody wake up and wish evil and wish bad for the country? When it is not planned, you can’t tell the person,” the Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for South Manhyia in the Ashanti Region stated when quizzed by some journalists in Ashanti Region during the launching of the campaign team of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
Since last year, Ghanaians have been experiencing power outages, with some areas experiencing outage either the whole day or hourly.
Earlier this month, the ECG issued a statement informing consumers that about 630 distribution transformers within communities across its operational areas have been identified to be full to capacity due to increased power demand.
“This situation may result in blown fuses and broken conductors causing outages especially during the peak load period (7pm-11pm),” the company said.
This development compelled the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the regulator for electricity and water utility, to demand among other things load shedding timetable from the ECG.
While ECG is yet to comply with the regulatory order, Ghanaians especially some players in the industry, have been alarmed by the Minister’s comment.
The Minister, however, assured the public that efforts are being made to address the challenges being faced in the power sector.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Russia attacked an underground natural gas storage site in the Ukraine, but the Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz said that supply had not been disrupted.
“We have sufficient backup capacities in place to mitigate any immediate impacts. The supply of natural gas to Ukrainian consumers remains unaffected by the attack,” the chief executive of Naftogaz, Oleksiy Chernyshov said on Facebook, as quoted by the Kiyv Independent.
The attack is the latest in a string of hits targeting energy infrastructure that plunged several cities into rolling blackouts as power utilities rushed to restore supply.
According to Reuters, the largest energy producer in the Ukraine, DTEK, has lost 50% of its generation capacity. Electricity exports were suspended, the country’s energy ministry said.
The news that a gas storage site has become the target of an attack might cause concern in Europe after the EU started sending extra gas to Ukrainian storage sites after its own filled up. This began last year, with the Ukrainian state energy company making available 10 billion cu m of capacity. This represents a third of the country’s total storage capacity.
Last year, according to the Kiyv Independent, foreign energy traders made us of some 2.5 billion cu m of that capacity and this year they started filling up the storage capacity earlier than usual, Naftogaz said this month. The company is hoping to see 4 billion cu of capacity utilized by European energy traders this year.
Most of the Ukrainian gas storage capacity is located in the western part of the country, which is far from the frontline and has not been targeted by Russian forces yet.
The storage sites are also deep underground, as Naftogaz’ Chernyshov explained, which makes them relatively safe from attacks.
Source: Oilprice.com
Two African Development Bank-supported projects have won awards at the IJGlobal Awards held in London, United Kingdom.
The Singrobo hydropower plant in Côte d’Ivoire, in which the Bank played the Mandated Lead Arranger role won the Power Deal of the Year award, while the Kom Ombo Solar plant, financed by the Bank as Co-MLA won the Energy Transition Deal of the Year award.
The Singrobo hydropower was the first hydropower IPP, and private sector-funded climate action investment to reach financial close in West Africa in December 2022.
The Bank financed €40 million out of the total cost of €174.3 million.
Currently under construction, the project comprises the design, development, operation, and transfer of a 44MW hydroelectric plant on the Bandama River, and a 3.5-kilometer transmission line and substation to evacuate power. A long-term power purchase agreement will see all the energy produced by the Singrobo plant sold to Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricite, the operator of Cote d’Ivoire’s national grid. Upon completion, the plant will contribute to Côte d’Ivoire’s energy goal of generating 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The Kom Ombo solar PV plant consisting of the design, construction and operation of a greenfield 200 MW solar PV plant in Egypt, reached financial close in 2023. The Bank provided a $27.22 million senior loan.
The project complements other African Development Bank energy operations in Egypt, including the Benban solar park, and the 150MW Egypt’s Feed in Tarriff (FiT) projects. Successful implementation of the project will increase Egypt’s installed power generation capacity from renewable sources, and further diversify the energy mix in line with the country’s energy transition strategy, and the Bank’s green growth agenda.
Commenting on the awards, Wale Shonibare, the Bank’s Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy & Regulation said, “These awards are a recognition of our continued efforts to deliver green, affordable, quality energy access to Africa, in line with the Bank’s energy and green growth agenda. We are encouraged to continue mobilizing private sector finance, and delivering innovative financial solutions that facilitate just energy transitions and address the unique financing needs of our regional member countries.”
The IJGlobal(link is external) independent, peer-reviewed awards recognize notable global greenfield and refinancing deals in infrastructure and energy, and the organizations that made them happen.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Officials from the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy have paid a working visit to Ghana to study the operations of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the regulator of the petroleum downstream sector.
The five-day visit by the officials from the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and the fuel agency was focused on NPA’s effective regulation and administration of the petroleum downstream, which according to them, proved to be convenient, cost-effective and worth emulating.
They were in Ghana from Monday, 18th March 2024, to Friday, 22nd March 2024, and were received by the Chief Executive of the NPA, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, who welcomed them at an opening session, held on Monday at the NPA.
In attendance were the Deputy Chief Executive, Perry Okudzeto, directors, heads of department and some staff of the Authority.
In his welcome remarks, the Chief Executive expressed excitement to host the delegation and assured them that the NPA was more than willing and ready to share the NPA experience with them, especially in respect of how the Authority is administering the Unified Petroleum Price Fund (UPPF), which is a key area of interest to the Tanzanians.
He added that the Authority had put everything in place to make their five-day visit worthwhile, including the scheduled field-tours.
On his part, the Head of the delegation, Mr. Msafiri Mtepe from the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority, Tanzania, commended the Authority for the warm reception and expressed optimism that they would, indeed, have the best of learning experience on the Ghanaian model of petroleum regulation, which he said had become the envy of many countries in Africa and beyond.
He stated that the primary objective of their study visit was to appreciate the successful implementation of Ghana’s Unified Petroleum Price Scheme and other pricing mechanisms instituted in Ghana.
Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, Chief Executive Officer of NPA making a point during discussion with the Tanzanian delegation. With him is Mr. Msafiri Mtepe, Head of the delegation.
In the course of their stay in Ghana and with the NPA, many formal engagements and sessions were held with technical persons at the Authority, focusing on a wide range of subjects on relevant aspects of Ghana’s petroleum value chain.
There were presentations on various subjects, including Ghana’s pricing policy objectives, the UPPF, legal framework for petroleum regulation, among others.
The delegation, whilst in Ghana, visited the Ministry of Energy where they were taken through Ghana’s petroleum downstream policies.
They were received by the Chief Director, Mrs. Wilhelmina Asamoah, on behalf of the Minister of Energy.
The delegation also embarked on field visits to the BOST terminals in Tema and Akosombo to acquaint themselves with some of the practical operations of the NPA and other key actors in Ghana’s petroleum downstream.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The United States has repeatedly urged Ukraine to halt its drone attacks on Russian oil refineries due to Washington’s assessment that the strikes could led to Russian retaliation and push up global oil prices, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the exchange.
The White House has been urging Ukraine’s military intelligence and state security service to reconsider the drone attacks, which have intensified in recent weeks, according to FT’s sources.
The attacks have reduced Russia’s refining capacity and driven oil prices higher this month. Early on Friday, Brent Crude prices traded at above $85 per barrel, while the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude was at $81 per barrel, which is set to further raise U.S. gasoline prices amid rising demand, refinery maintenance, and falling stocks.
With gasoline demand rising, U.S. gasoline prices increased last week for a third week in a row, GasBuddy data showed earlier this week.
This doesn’t look good at all for the U.S. Administration in an election year in which President Joe Biden is expected to seek re-election in November.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries in recent weeks have taken out a much as 600,000 barrels in daily processing capacity in Russia, according to commodity trading major Gunvor.
“It is significant because obviously this is gonna hit the distillate exports straight away,” Gunvor chief executive Torbjörn Törnqvist told Bloomberg on the sidelines of CERAWeek.
“So that will probably take down exports by a couple of hundred thousand barrels, so to me it’s a distillate problem,” the executive added.
Lower refining capacity in the second quarter, due to refinery maintenance and emergency repairs following the attacks, could be one of the reasons why Russia said it would focus on cuts to oil production instead of exports in its voluntary supply reduction as part of OPEC+ in the second quarter, analysts say.
Ghana’s largest state power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA), has rejected claims by the Independent Power Producers (IPPs) Ghana that it is part of the reasons why Ghana is experiencing regular power outages.
According to the VRA, the statement by the IPPs is not only erroneous but also misleading.
Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, Chief Executive Officer of Independent Power Generators, Ghana and Mr Kwame Asare Obeng popularly known as A-Plus accused the VRA of focusing on exporting power to neighbouring countries and not meeting its domestic obligations.
A-Plus, on a Facebook page, told Ghanaians to blame VRA and GRIDCo instead of the ECG for exporting power to Ghana’s neighbours.
Dr Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, on the other hand, noted that although the VRA has been tasked to explore the export market to reduce the burden of idle capacity on the government, it must do so within the law, adding that it is a regulatory requirement to ensure the domestic demand is met whilst maintaining the set 18 per cent reserve margin.
“It is a great disservice to mother Ghana and Ghanaians for VRA to be exporting the most affordable hydro generation to neighbouring countries– Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin whilst the Ministry of Energy, PURC and ECG remain unconcerned and force the Ghanaian taxpayers to pay for the expensive thermal generation and also sleep in the dark,” he said.
However, VRA, in a statement on Sunday, March 24, 2024, indicated that the claim that it is not meeting its power supply obligation to Ghana is false.
“The VRA wishes to state that since 1972, the Authority has been supplying power to neighbouring countries without reneging on its mandate to deliver reliable and affordable power to Ghana; and this the Authority continues to do,” parts of the statement read.
“Also, it is important to mention that the allocation of the power generated from the Akosombo and Kpong hydropower stations is supervised by the Electricity Market Oversight Panel (EMOP) and not the VRA,” the company added.
VRA explained that as a result of this arrangement, the Ghanaian market is always prioritised in power allocation.
This is by government policies to ensure long-term optimization of the nation’s hydro resources, it added.
VRA assured the general public and all other stakeholders that it will continue to prioritise electricity supply to the Ghana market in line with its mandate, government policies and regulatory obligations.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The outgoing The Gambian Minister for Petroleum and Energy Abdoulie Jobe has held a meeting with the incoming Minister, Nani Juwara, and handed over the Ministry to him in a short ceremony that was attended by many staff of the Ministry.
The Gambian President Adama Barrow, last Friday,, March 12, 2024, reshuffled his appointees with Minister for Petroleum and Energy Abdoulie Jobe being moved to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
Nani Juwara was the Managing Director of National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) and was elevated by the President to occupy the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, one of the top-most ministries in the country.
Nani Juwara worked at NAWEC for 30 years.
In a post on the Ministry’s Facebook sighted by this portal, it reads: “The former Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Honorable Abdoulie Jobe, held a handing over ceremony for the new Minister Honorable Nani Juwara.
“Honorable Jobe in his tenure as Minister of Petroleum and Energy has revolutionized the sector and created a legacy and work environment like no other.
“Honorable Nani Juwara has spent almost 30 years in NAWEC and he is sure to bring a world of knowledge and expertise that will aid in the continuance of the great work that the Ministry is doing,” the post concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has resumed gas delivery at its Regulating and Metering Station at Tema, Accra, after a system shutdown.
A statement issued by the company mentioned that at about 10.30pm on Friday WAPCo’s Tema facility completely shut down due to a system glitch.
“our engineers worked assiduously through the night, and we resumed gas delivery to our customers in Tema at around 6.30am this morning,” the company said.
WAPCo said it is committed to delivering safe and reliable services and is investigating the root cause of the problem to prevent a recurrence.
“WAPCo is grateful to its key stakeholders for their patience while the system was being fixed and regrets any inconvenience caused, especially to our customers in Tema that rely on WAGP gas for power generation,” the statement concluded.
Members of Parliament have hatched a plot to end Kenya Power monopoly by giving Kenyans the leeway to connect power without buying electricity meters from the utility firm.
The National Assembly Energy committee said it is developing a Bill that will ensure there are more licensed and authorised entities to sell electricity meters to ensure that consumers do not depend on KPLC for the product.
Committee chairman Vincent Musyoka revealed the plan during a meeting with the management of Kenya Power to discuss a number of queries raised by the Auditor-General for financial year ended June 2022/2023.
Among the issues flagged in the report are 21,000 consumers who have been waiting for KPLC to connect them to the grid but haven’t been successful due to a shortage of meters.
To cure such, the committee says it will remove all barriers that deter other firms from selling the meters directly to Kenyans.
The lawmakers say Kenya Power should not be the only authorised dealer for the meters.
However, the meters that will be sold by other dealers will have to be coded by Kenya Power and certified by the monopoly’s engineers before installation.
“We will have shops across the country selling meters to Kenyans, so that you just walk into a shop, buy the meters and call an authorised Kenya Power engineer to connect the electricity for you without necessarily going to Kenya Power offices,” Mr Musyoka said.
“This will not only increase Kenya Power revenues as they will have more people to collect power from but also reduce the time Kenyans have to wait to have electricity. For instance, we are now dealing with people who have waited for power for 11 years yet they have already paid,” the chairman said.
“We are working on a Bill as a committee and will soon be introduced to the House. It will contain all these changes,” Mr Musyoka said.
The committee dismissed assertions by Kenya Power that it’s the shortage of meters causing connection delays.
Source: Business Daily
Angola’s 26.13 megawatts photovoltaic plant located in Saurimo, Lunda-Sul Province, is expected to commence operation by the end of March, 2024, the secretary of State for Energy, Arlindo Carlos has said
The project is being built on an area of 65 hectares, under the responsibility of the South African and Angolan company, ‘Sun África’ and ‘MCA’, respectively.
Budgeted at €38.839.000 the project includes a total of 44,850 solar panels, which will benefit 171,565 people in the city of Saurimo.
According to the director, who was speaking to the press at the end of a visit to the city of Saurimo, the photovoltaic plant is currently in the testing phase and will be fully operational within a few more days.
Arlindo Carlos assured that the Ministry of Energy and Water will expand the supply of electricity in other locations, such as Cacolo and Muconda, with a view to overcoming the deficit that still exists in that province.
The visit by the secretary of State for Energy, accompanied by by the deputy-governor for Technical Services and Infrastructure, Cláudio Pemessa, and the ENDE and PRODEL’s CEO, covered the photovoltaic plant in Saurimo, Nhama, Txicumina and the construction of “UPS 01”.
With an estimated population of more than 534,000 inhabitants, the city of Saurimo is supplied with a variable power of 19/25 megawatts of energy, supplied by the Nhama and Txicumina thermal plants.
Currently, the National Energy Distribution Company (ENDE), in Lunda-Sul, has a number of 30,600 registered customers, of which 1,700 are on the prepaid system.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. has reiterated its commitment towards utilising Nigeria’s abundant gas resources to trigger Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic development.
NNPC Ltd.’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this during a Panel Session at the ongoing 2024 CERAWeek Conference in Houston, the United States, on Tuesday.
Eyesan, whose session addressed the theme “What are the Choices for Upstream Strategies?” said Nigeria is a predominantly gas-rich country which boasts over 200TCF of gas that can be leveraged for the country’s industrialisation and economic development.
She noted that NNPC Ltd. plans to deepen gas utilisation domestically for industrialization and, ensuring that the entire country feels and optimises the use of the resource.
She said the Company is vigorously opening avenues for infrastructural gas development through various gas projects spread across the country.
“Our focus is how do we move from a predominantly oil player to a gas player and, not just for gas for the sake of gas but gas for power generation, and for industrialisation, “she stated.
Eyesan observed that NNPC Ltd. is also focused on emission reduction and gas flare-out. “We want to capture all gas flared, utilise it and for domestic use and ultimately increase our energy transition footprint,” she said.
“NNPC Ltd. is keying into the government agenda of using gas as a transition fuel, and for us, we want to ensure not only the domestic gas market but we also expand that to the region and internationally,” she said.
While calling on African countries to collaborate with one another in order to ensure even distribution of energy resources, Eyesan said collaboration is key as not all countries within the sub-region are endowed with equal proportions of energy resources.
“For us to ensure that we continue to subsist within the sub-region, we must be willing to work collaboratively and ensure that there is an even distribution of the energy resources we have across the sub-region.”
On energy transition, Eyesan stated that the subject has evolved over the years, adding that for Sub-Saharan Africa, the narrative has been on how to address the energy poverty issue, while for Nigeria, the NNPC Ltd. will continue to look at areas where it has the competitive advantage to define the strategy.
Other energy experts on the panel are the Chief Upstream Strategist, Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights, Bob Fryklund; the President of Pathways Alliance, Kendall Dilling; and the Executive Vice President, Exploration and Production International, Equinor, Philippe Mathieu.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The former Vice President of Energy for the Africa region at Hyve Group, organizers of African Oil Week (AOW), Mr Paul Sinclair has joined the Advisory Board
of African Energy Chamber.
With over 20 years of experience and having led several large-scale events since 2002, Sinclair brings a wealth of commercial expertise to the Board.
Sinclair was CEO of AOW for seven years and stepped down in mid-June 2023.
The African energy sector needs support from target driven and commercially and strategically focused leaders and experts to attract confidence from investors and sponsors seeking to participate in a transparent and dedicated industry, and the AEC welcomes his insights and expertise.
Representing the voice of the African energy sector, the Chamber steers the direction of Africa’s oil and gas industry and navigates the complexities of the energy transition with a transparent, ethical and focused approach.
As AOW continues to misguide African stakeholders and create a negative impression of Africa’s oil and gas industry, the Chamber will continue to promote best practices that support the interests of Africans with support from within the continent.
In his newly appointed position, Sinclair will be tasked to attract investment into the African continent. As a member on the Advisory Board, he will be well positioned to map a sustainable and realistic strategy for the Chamber to ensure Africa retains control and ownership of its natural resources sector.
“Investing in our economies here in Africa requires responsible management and best practices and standards. I laud Paul Sinclair’s ascension to the Chamber’s Advisory Board as a win for the sustainable growth of our people and I have no doubt that his participation on the board will chart a new energy course for Africa,” states AEC Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk.
Sinclair’s addition to the Advisory Board strengthens its capabilities, given his expertise in international project management.
The Board plays a vital role within the AEC, providing advice on Africa’s regulatory frameworks while advocating for a competitive energy market and driving sustainable growth and investment.
As such, Sinclair’s expertise in contract negotiation, management and delivery aligns seamlessly with the group’s objectives.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
