Germany: Thousands Of Tractors Block Berlin Traffic Over Plans To End Diesel Subsidy
Thousands of German farmers, truck drivers and agricultural workers have gathered with tractors and other heavy equipment in front of the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin for a demonstration against the government’s plans to end tax breaks on diesel fuel.
Police estimated that at least 3,000 tractors had arrived for the protest on Monday and an estimated 2,000 more were on their way in a climax to weeklong protests.
The tractors blocked traffic in parts of the city and Berlin’s public transit agency reported major service delays. About 10,000 people had registered for the demonstrations against Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s plans to cut subsidies, but Berlin police expected more to attend.
A total of 1,300 police officers have been deployed to the protests, Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik told city leaders.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner addressed thousands of the protesting farmers and said there was no money for further subsidies.
“I can’t promise you more state aid from the federal budget,” Lindner told the crowd in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
“But we can fight together for you to enjoy more freedom and respect for your work.”
Farmers union head Joachim Rukwied, who had to take the microphone from Lindner and beg the crowd to stop booing him to hear what the minister was saying, said: “I have respect for every politician who is prepared to come to us.”
“The finance minister is here,” he said. “It makes no sense to boo him.”
“The farmers believe that the German community, the widespread community, supports them even though the centre of Berlin has dropped to a standstill,” he said.
“The question for the farming community now is do the protests stop today or will they go further,” he said.
Over the past week, farmers have blocked highway entrances and slowed down traffic across Germany as they expressed dissatisfaction with concessions the government has already made.
Berlin announced plans to cut subsidies and tax breaks on diesel and agricultural vehicles after a court ruling tore a multibillion-euro hole in the government’s budget, forcing Scholz’s coalition to find savings.
The government, which has partially walked back the plans, defended the reductions by pointing to increases in farmers’ incomes in recent years.
In the financial year 2022-23, farms made a record profit of 115,400 euros ($126,000) on average, a 45 percent increase on the year before, according to industry figures.
On January 4, the government said the tax exemption for farming vehicles would be retained and cuts in diesel tax breaks would be staggered over three years.
Scholz said in a video message on Saturday that “we took the farmers’ arguments to heart”, adding that he believes the government came up with “a good compromise”.
But the farmers with backing from the opposition conservatives and far-right parties said the government’s concessions do not go far enough.
“Farmers will die out,” farmer Karl-Wilhelm Kempner said on Sunday as he boarded a bus in Cologne to head to the demonstration.
“The population must understand that far more food will be imported” if subsidies are not restored.
Source: Aljazeera
Ghana: PETROSOL Appoints William Ntim-Boadu To Its Board
Petrosol Ghana Limited, one of the fastest growing indigenous oil marketing companies in the Republic of Ghana has appointed Mr. William Ntim-Boadu, a seasoned and well-respected energy finance professional, as a member of the company’s Board of Directors.
His appointment took effect from 1st January, 2024, a statement from the company revealed.
Mr. Ntim-Baodu has 14 years’ senior leadership experience in the energy sector, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of HFields Limited, an oil services firm and also doubles as an Executive Director of the Milton Group, a business information technology solutions firm.
He currently serves on the Board of Ebony Oil & Gas Ltd, a bulk oil import, distribution and export company.
At the national level, Mr. Ntim-Boadu, though relatively young, has been called upon to offer his expertise to address major national issues in the energy sector.
Between 2016 and 2017, he was part of the team of experts whose work led to the creation of the ESLA Bond programme to address the energy sector financial crisis.
Again, between June 2021 and June 2022, he was part of the three-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) appointed by the Government of Ghana and tasked with the responsibility of coming out with the strategic direction of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) by identifying a strategic operating partner, conducting a technical evaluation of the processing plant and managing the daily operations of the refinery within that period. This assignment was executed diligently and their report submitted to the government.
Between 2017 and 2020, Mr. Ntim-Boadu doubled as the General Manager of Astra Oil Services Ltd, a bulk oil import, distribution and export company as well as the Commodity Trading & Risk Manager of Zen Petroleum Ltd, an oil marketing company, and played a key role in setting up Astra Oil Services, a sister company of Zen Petroleum, and contributed to the growth of both companies.
Additionally, between 2010 and 2017, Mr. Ntim-Boudu served as the Chief Finance Officer of Sage Petroleum, a bulk oil import, distribution and export company, and played a key role in helping to raise funding for the construction of the Quantum Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Storage and Loading Infrastructure at Anokyi, near Atuabo, in the Western Region, which has contributed significantly to the financial viability of the company and national LPG supply security. Prior to that, he had served diligently as the Manager-Commerce of the same company and contributed to the company’s growth.
Some of the previous roles he played include, Accountant and Oil Trader, Cirrus Oil Services and Associate (Audit), KPMG, a global audit firm.
He is a Chartered Accountant and a Member, Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), UK and holds Bachelor of Science (Accounting option) degree from the University of Ghana Business School, Legon as well as a Diploma in French from the Ministry of Education, France.
He has attended several courses in energy finance, oil trading and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), both locally and internationally.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
European Natural Gas Prices Slump As Lower Demand Offsets Supply Risks
Europe’s benchmark natural gas prices dipped on Monday morning in Amsterdam by 4.8% amid weak industrial demand and bigger-than-average stockpiles for this time of year, despite a prolonged cold snap in northwestern Europe and signs that Qatar may have paused at least five LNG tankers in and around the Red Sea.
The front-month February Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures, the benchmark for Europe’s gas trading, had slid by 4.82% at $33.35 (30.45 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh) as of 9:47 a.m. in Amsterdam on Monday.
The prices have largely ignored the deep freeze of the past week in most of Europe as traders believe the market is well supplied to finish this winter season – which we are now halfway through – with sufficient natural gas in storage sites.
Gas withdrawals across Europe have accelerated in the past 10 days, but storage in the EU is still nearly 80% full, according to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe.
As of January 13, EU gas storage sites were 79.7% full, the data showed. Last week’s below-average freezing temperatures saw the biggest withdrawals in a week so far this winter season.
“However, storage remains above the 5-year average of 68% full for this time of year,” ING strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note on Monday.
“For now, we are still assuming that European storage will finish this heating season at around 52% full, which suggests limited upside for European gas prices,” the analysts added.
High level of inventories, weak demand from industry, and increased confidence that Europe could go through the winter without major supply disruptions have all led to traders becoming more bearish on Europe’s natural gas prices.
That’s despite the cold weather and ship-tracking data reported by repoters on Monday that Qatar looks to have paused LNG cargo shipments via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Red Sea/Suez Canal route.
Source: Oilprice.com
Ghana: TOR Interdicts Two Union Executives Over TOR -Torentco Deal
The Board of Directors of the Tema Oil Refinery, TOR, Ghana’s premier refinery has interdicted two executives of the General Transport, Petroleum Workers’ Union over the controversial TOR -Torentco deal.
The Board took the decision to interdict Serwah Duncan -Williams and Anthony Koomson who are executives of GTPCWU at the refinery at their 261st sitting on December 13, 2023.
The two executives were issued with query letters for allegedly speaking to the media about the Tema Oil Refinery and Torentco Asset Management Limited partnership deal and making some comments that sought to bring the reputation of the refinery into disrepute in October 2023.
This portal understands that the executives in response to the queries denied the claims by the Board.
Sources within the refinery told this portal that on October 4, 2023, the Union held an emergency meeting with their members which was attended by the national executives.
According to our sources, at that meeting the national leadership updated the members on the ongoing TOR-Torentco (now Tema Energy and Processing Limited) and exposed the actions of some staff who registered an entity named TOR Workers Charity Trust on the blind side of the entire workforce to champion TOR -Torentco deal.
Sources within the refinery explained that the national chairman of the Union, Brother Bernard Owusu after engaging the workers addressed the press infront of the refinery and not Serwaa Duncan-Williams and Anthony Koomson as claimed by TOR Board.
The two executives, this portal understands stated categorically in their engagement with the workers and updating them on the issue was based on Whistle Blowers Act 2006, Act 720 Section 1,2&3 pages 3 &4.
However, in a letter signed by the Acting Managing Director, Daniel Osei Kofi Appiah, on the orders of the Board sighted by energynewsafrica.com, it said the Board reviewed the responses of the executives to the queries and found them unacceptable.
According to the letter, the company therefore made a decision to initiate the disciplinary process with further investigations into all the allegations they made.
The Board accused the executives of divulging company information to persons not authorized to receive it, in breach of Article 43(4) (vii) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between TOR and GTPCWU of GTUC dated 13th February 2018.
“Your breach of the non-disclosure agreement sighted on April,2023, in which you undertook not to disclose the details of the draft TOR /Torentco Lease and O&M agreements. Giving details of TOR’s draft lease agreement with Tema Energy Processing Limited (TEPL) to the press and print media.
“Using without lawful authority any property or facility provided by the Company for some purpose (media hosting) not connected with the Employee’s official duties , in breach of Article 43 (4)(ii) of the CBA between TOR and GTPCWU of GTUC dated 13th February, 2018.”
The company, therefore, invoked Article 43 Section 11 of the Collective Agreement, to interdict the two executives.
“Per the above provisions, you are hereby served notice of interdiction from duty with effect from January 10th, 2024, to enable the Company proceed with unhampered investigations ,” the letter said.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com/
Zambia: Two Persons Caged For Vandalising Zesco’s Electrical Infrastructure In West Lusaka
Two persons have been arrested for vandalizing electrical infrastructure belonging to Zambia’s power utility company, Zesco Limited, in West Lusaka.
The suspects whose names are not yet known to this portal are currently being held at the Matero Police Station.
The suspects were arrested on Saturday,13th January 2024 following the vigilance of Sekelela community members.
In a post on Facebook by Zesco Limited and sighted by energynewsafrica.com, the power distribution company praised the vigilance of Sekelela community members for their act, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
“ZESCO sincerely appreciates the bravery and community spirit shown by the residents of Sekelela.
This incident highlights the power of collective action in safeguarding our community’s assets.
“The suspects are currently held at the Matero Police Station and efforts to find the other individuals who escaped continue. Let’s keep up this spirit of vigilance and cooperation! Let’s keep the lights on.
“Report suspicious acts of vandalism to ZESCO Limited Security on 0978-783000,” the company said.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com/
Electricity Production In Azerbaijan Increased By 0.9% Last Year
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy has revealed that electricity generation in the country increased by 272.3 million kWh (0.9%) in 2023 compared with the same period in 2022.
According to the ministry, during 12 months, electricity production at TPPs amounted to 27 160.4 million kWh, at HPPs to 1757.2 million kWh, and on other sources to 359.0 million kWh.
56.6 million kWh of electricity was generated at WPPs, 79.4 million kWh at SPPs, and 223.0 million kWh at the solid household waste incineration plant.
During the reporting period, electricity generation made up 26441.2 mln kWh on Azerenergy OJSC (24794,2 mln kWh at TPPs, 1647.0 mln kWh at HPPs),
481.0 mln kWh on State Energy Agency of Nakhchivan AR (325.03 mln kWh at TPPs, 95.02 mln kWh at HPPs, 60.93 mln kWh at SPP), 41.9 mln kWh at WPPs on Azerishig OJSC, and 2312.5 mln kWh on Independent PPs).
In 2023, the electricity exports amounted to 3252.5 mln kWh, and imports to 211.8 mln kWh.
The electricity generation in the republic in December 2023 amounted to 2788.7 million kWh.
During the month, exports of electricity production amounted to 504.3 million kWh, imports to 11.0 million kWh.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
UK Plans Massive Expansion Of Nuclear Power
The UK has announced a major nuclear power generation capacity expansion, with the government calling it the “biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years”.
“Nuclear is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain – it’s green, cheaper in the long-term and will ensure the UK’s energy security,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, as quoted by media.
“This is the right long-term decision and is the next step in our commitment to nuclear power, which puts us on course to achieve net zero by 2050 in a measured and sustainable way,” Sunak added.
The news comes on the heels of a recent report that French EDF plans to extend the lives of the nuclear power plants it operates in the UK.
The company said it would invest the equivalent of some $1.65 billion in the initiative, aiming to maintain current power output levels from its nuclear power plants until at least 2026.
“These lifetimes will be reviewed again by the end of 2024 and the ambition is to generate beyond these current forecasts, subject to plant inspections and regulatory approvals,” EDF said.
Nuclear, which many climate activists slam for not being green or renewable enough has recently made a comeback, except in Germany and Spain.
The rest of the world, however, seems to have realized that the rush to net-zero will not happen without nuclear, saying as much at last year’s COP28.
The UK has some of the most ambitious transition targets, with a massive buildout in wind power capacity in the plans.
However, it is also struggling to rein in a cost of living crisis that some commentators of local energy policies have attributed to those same plans.
The country’s current nuclear power capacity of 6 GW is spread across nine reactors at five sites. Six other reactors have been shut down since 2021.
Another two sites are planned to be built, one of them at least with a capacity of over 3 GW. By 2050, the country’s government plans to have 24 GW in capacity.
Source: Oilprice.com
Global Renewable Energy Capacity Additions Jumped By Nearly 50% In 2023
Renewable capacity installations surged by almost 50% last year as global renewable energy capacity hit nearly 510 gigawatts (GW), led by solar photovoltaics and a jump in new Chinese installations, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a new report on Thursday.
New renewable capacity saw the fastest growth rate in the past two decades, and 2023 was the 22nd year in a row that renewable capacity additions have set a new record, the IEA said in its Renewables 2023 report.
Renewable capacity growth in Europe, the United States, and Brazil hit all-time highs, but China outshined all with an “extraordinary” acceleration in installations, the agency noted.
Last year, China commissioned as much solar PV as the entire world did in 2022, while its wind additions jumped by 66% year-on-year. Globally, solar PV alone accounted for three-quarters of renewable capacity additions, the IEA’s report showed.
In June 2023, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said “This year, the world is set to add a record-breaking amount of renewables to electricity systems – more than the total power capacity of Germany and Spain combined.”
“The energy crisis has turbocharged demand for both large-scale plants & rooftop solar,” the IEA’s top executive added.
Investment in solar power generation was set to eclipse investment in oil production in 2023 for the first time ever, the IEA said in May 2023.
In its latest report today, the IEA said that “The world’s capacity to generate renewable electricity is expanding faster than at any time in the last three decades, giving it a real chance of achieving the goal of tripling global capacity by 2030 that governments set at the COP28 climate change conference last month.”
“The new IEA report shows that under current policies and market conditions, global renewable capacity is already on course to increase by two-and-a-half times by 2030,” Birol said in a statement.
“It’s not enough yet to reach the COP28 goal of tripling renewables, but we’re moving closer – and governments have the tools needed to close the gap.”
Source: Oilprice.com
South Africa: Mulilo Energy, EDF Win 1 Gigawatts Bess Tender
Two renewable energy developers, Mulilo Energy Holdings (Pty) Ltd and EDF Renewables, have been selected as the preferred bidders for three battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in South Africa.
The projects which will be situated in South Africa’s Northern Cape and North West Provinces will deliver cost-effective and efficient storage capacity to the country’s ailing electricity grid.
Boasting a capacity of 257 MW/1,028 MWh,
According to a report by energy capital and power, the project is poised to commence in mid-2024.
The Oasis Aggeneis, Oasis Mookodi, and Oasis Nieuwehoop projects will dispatch electricity under a 15-year power purchase agreement with South Africa’s power utility,Eskom.
The total cost of the projects is estimated to be $375 million.
“We commend the South African government’s strong commitment to the rapid buildout of battery energy storage, a key focus technology for Mulilo,” stated Robert Helms, partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, majority owner of Mulilo, adding, “With the announcement, we are proud for Mulilo to continue its positive contribution to the country’s energy security, socioeconomic growth, and green transition.”
A total of five projects were awarded under South Africa’s Battery Energy Storage Procurement Program by the country’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in March 2023.
The projects make up a 513 MW tender and are poised to provide capacity, energy, and ancillary services throughout South Africa.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Indian Refiners Set To Ask For Extra Saudi Oil After Sharp Price Cut
Two Indian state refiners are seeking to boost imports of Saudi crude oil after the kingdom cut the official selling price of its key export grade for February to the lowest in 27 months, company sources said.
Indian Oil Corp (IOC.NS), the country’s top refiner, and Bharat Petroleum Corp (BPCL.NS), are looking at lifting an additional 1 million barrels of oil each from Saudi Aramco (2222.SE) in February, the sources said.
Saudi Aramco typically notifies Asian buyers of their monthly crude allocations by the 10th of every month.
Indian oil companies did not respond to Reuters emails seeking comments, while Saudi Aramco declined to comment.
IOC is seeking more oil from Saudi Arabia and West Africa partly as it is facing problems in buying Russian light sweet crude Sokol because of challenges in payments, one of the sources said.
India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, has been gorging on Russian crude, sold at a discount after western nations shunned purchases from Moscow.
That led to Russia becoming top oil supplier to India, knocking Iraq and Saudi Arabia to second and third place, data obtained from trade sources showed.
Washington last month sanctioned ships and vessel operators for the sale of Russian oil at above the $60-per barrel cap set by the Group of Seven nations and tightened rules, including heightened scrutiny by banks and service providers to ensure that cargoes do not breach the price cap.
Following the sanctions, several tankers meant to deliver Sokol crude to India have been diverted in the past two months depressing India’s Russian oil imports in December to an 11-month low.
India’soil minister Hardeep Singh Puri recently said that the decline in India’s import of Russian oil was due to unattractive prices and not payment issues.
IOC used to receive 6-7 cargoes of Sokol oil every month under its annual deal with Rosneft (ROSN.MN).
The refiner may ask for additional supplies under its term deals with West African producers Nigeria and Angola to make up for loss in Russian oil supply, the source said.
Source: Reuters
Ghana: Gov’t Imposes Value Added Tax On Electricity Consumers…But Consumers Say No Way
The Government of Ghana has announced the imposition of a Value Added Tax (VAT) on residential electricity consumers who consume above lifeline.
Previously, lifeline consumers were those who consumed between 0-50 kilowatts.
However, during the Major Tariff Review in 2023, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) reduced the lifeline band to 0-30 kilowatts from 0- 50 kilowatts.
With the introduction of VAT, consumers who consume above 30 kilowatts of power will now be paying more for electricity.
In a letter dated 12th December 2023 and signed by the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, and addressed to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), he said the imposition of VAT on electricity consumption forms part of COVID-19 recovery programme and should be charged, starting from January 1, 2024.
“As part of the implementation of the Government’s Medium-Term Revenue Strategy and the IMF-Supported Post Covid-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG), the implementation of VAT for residential customers of electricity above the maximum consumption level specified for block charges for lifeline units in line with Section 35 and 37 and the First Schedule (9) of Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, 2013 (ACT 870) has been scheduled for implementation, effective 1st January 2024.
“For the avoidance of doubt, VAT is still exempt for “a supply to a dwelling of electricity up to a maximum consumption level specified for block charges for lifeline units” in line with Sections 35 and 37 and the First Schedule (9) of Act 870,” part of the letter which is dated December 12, 2023,” the Finance Minister said.
Ken Ofori-Atta charged ECG and NEDCo to put measures in place and collaborate with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to ensure that the implementation of the VAT starts on January 1.
“The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCO) are, hereby, requested to liaise with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to ensure that the implementation of VAT for residential customers of electricity above the maximum consumption level specified for block charges for lifeline units takes effect on 1st January 2024, in line with Sectio35 and 37 and the First Schedule (9) of Act 870.”
However, some Ghanaians have criticized the government for adding more pain to them by introducing VAT on electricity usage.
Economist and former Board Chair of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Prof Stephen Adei, is one of the many Ghanaians who have spoken against the imposition of VAT on residential electricity consumers.
“There’s no doubt at all people will be worse off. You’ll first focus on things that increase production and then that in turn will feed into your taxes. You should be going after the billions of uncollected property taxes and people getting away [inaudible], being exempted, not even the more important ones.
“The mines have millions of exemptions and these are the ones we should go after rather than going after the ordinary producer and consumer when it comes to electricity,” Dr Adei said on Accra-based Joy FM.
Commenting on the same issue on Accra-based Citi FM, Mr. Joe Jackson, Director of Business Operations at Dalex Finance described the move as “harsh” and argued that it disproportionately burdens low-income families.
According to him, the current lifeline threshold, set below GH¢50, is too low to effectively shield vulnerable consumers.
“Don’t be deceived by the fact that the tax comes after the lifeline. The lifeline is so low that it barely makes a difference. This effectively translates to over 20% added to your electricity bill, and that’s harsh for struggling families.”
“The government does need money and that is not in dispute because we have crises of cost on our hands and any tax that comes again and is an indirect tax will hurt the poor more than the rich and so it is not enough. The general population is suffering.
“I go for the government raising more money but I am always insisting that that has to be done through direct tax and not through indirect tax at a time when the general population is suffering.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Electricity Supply Improves But Challenges Still Exist
Electricity supply in the Republic of Ghana has begun to improve after two days of emergency meetings between the Ministry of Energy and sector agencies resulting in some interventions being made to address the recent unannounced load-shedding.
The first intervention the meeting produced was the discussion that led to the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) to resume gas flow to the power plants in the Tema power enclave on Wednesday.
The meeting also discussed steps to find lasting solutions to the financial challenges in the energy sector which is adversely affecting the performance of the sector.
The West African nation experienced pockets of unannounced power outages in the latter part of 2023 and continued to this year.
The power situation got worse on Tuesday when several parts of the country suffered power cuts at about 6:30 pm.
Many looked forward to seeing power restored later in the night but that did not happen.
In some areas, power was restored at about 6:30 am, the following day while other areas were still without power.
The power situation started improving on Wednesday night after WAPCo resumed gas flow to the power plants in the Tema power enclave.
Sources within WAPCo told this portal that the company agreed to resume gas flow purely for commercial reasons.
The source explained the Ministry of Energy and players in the power sector value chain have agreed to put in place a plan to ensure that invoices for gas supply are paid every month.
The source explained the Ministry of Energy and players in the power sector value chain had agreed to put in place a plan to ensure that invoices for gas supplied are paid every month.
Despite the resumption of gas flow by WAPCo, the West African nation still faces the challenge of getting adequate gas to generate power resulting in some power plants having to reduce generation.
Ghana takes over 40MMscf of gas from its neighbour, Nigeria, to add up to domestic gas production for power generation.
Interestingly, this portal understands that as of Friday morning there was about 78.68MMscfd of gas supplied from Lagos Beach Compression Station in Nigeria.
As of now, Cenit, Tapco, TE66(T3), Ameri power plant, etc. are all not generating power onto the grid, according to the data available.
Meanwhile, one of the six units of the Akosombo hydroelectric power dam is also offline.
In a Facebook post by the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, after meeting with heads of the energy sector agencies under the ministry sighted by energynewsafrica.com, he wrote: “Stakeholders of the power sector convened earlier today at the Ministry of Energy to discuss power supply issues.
“We remain committed to addressing all temporary issues to keep the lights on for the Ghanaian people,” he concluded.
This portal understands that the Minister briefed the Cabinet on Thursday about the current issues in the energy sector.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The source explained the Ministry of Energy and players in the power sector value chain have agreed to put in place a plan to ensure that invoices for gas supply are paid every month.
The source explained the Ministry of Energy and players in the power sector value chain had agreed to put in place a plan to ensure that invoices for gas supplied are paid every month.
Despite the resumption of gas flow by WAPCo, the West African nation still faces the challenge of getting adequate gas to generate power resulting in some power plants having to reduce generation.
Ghana takes over 40MMscf of gas from its neighbour, Nigeria, to add up to domestic gas production for power generation.
Interestingly, this portal understands that as of Friday morning there was about 78.68MMscfd of gas supplied from Lagos Beach Compression Station in Nigeria.
As of now, Cenit, Tapco, TE66(T3), Ameri power plant, etc. are all not generating power onto the grid, according to the data available.
Meanwhile, one of the six units of the Akosombo hydroelectric power dam is also offline.
In a Facebook post by the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, after meeting with heads of the energy sector agencies under the ministry sighted by energynewsafrica.com, he wrote: “Stakeholders of the power sector convened earlier today at the Ministry of Energy to discuss power supply issues.
“We remain committed to addressing all temporary issues to keep the lights on for the Ghanaian people,” he concluded.
This portal understands that the Minister briefed the Cabinet on Thursday about the current issues in the energy sector.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Nigeria: Dangote Refinery Set To Commence Operation After Receiving 6Th Batch Of Crude Oil
Dangote Refinery appears set to commence production of refined petroleum products with the receipt of the sixth batch of barrels of crude supplied by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).
The fresh one million Agbami barrels of crude via MT ALMI SUN is the sixth to complete the scheduled 6 million barrels consignment to be delivered to the Dangote facility needed to commence operations by the world’s largest single-train refinery.
Exactly a month ago, Dangote Refinery received the first one million barrels of Agbami crude grade from Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (STASCO), one of the largest trading companies in Nigeria as well as globally, trading over 8 million barrels of crude oil per day.
Since then, Dangote Refinery has been receiving in batches, one million barrels of crude oil with the latest batch of the 6 million already being discharged at the Single Point Mooring (SPM-C2) at the Dangote Offshore Oil Terminal (DOOT).
Speaking during the maiden delivery then, Managing Director of Dangote Ports Operations, Mr. Akin Omole told newsmen at the Dangote Quay, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos that the Refinery January would collect all the 6 million barrels of crude before the end of January to put the Refinery in good stead to commence operation.
“Once the 6 million barrels are fully delivered, it will facilitate the initial run of the refinery as well as kick-start the production of diesel, aviation fuel, and LPG before subsequently progressing to the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),” he said.
This latest development will play a pivotal role in alleviating the fuel supply challenges faced by Nigeria as well as the West African countries.
Designed for 100% Nigerian crude with the flexibility to process other crudes, the 650,000 barrels per day Dangote Petroleum Refinery can process most African crude grades as well as Middle Eastern Arab Light and even US Light tight oil as well as crude from other countries.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of Nigeria’s requirement of all refined products, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and aviation jet, and also have surplus of each of these products for export.
The refinery was built to take crude through its two SPMs located 25 kilometres from the shore and to discharge petroleum products through three separate SPMs. In addition, the refinery has the capacity to load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck loading gantries.
Dangote Refinery has a self-sufficient marine facility with the ability to handle the largest vessel globally available. In addition, all products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications.
The refinery is designed to comply with US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms as well as African Refiners and Distribution Association (ARDA) standards.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana Begins Unannounced Load Shedding
Ghana has started an unannounced power rationing popularly known as load shedding as a result of shortfall in generation occasioned by several factors.
This portal understands that at about 5pm on Tuesday, West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited, WAPCo, suspended gas transported to Tema and Western power enclaves as a result of $20million debt owed them by the Electricity Company of Ghana.
Several parts of the West African nation suffered power cuts around 6:40 pm and many were anticipating that power supply will be restored later in the night, but that did not happen.
Sources within the power sector revealed to energynewsafrica.com that the power supply cuts or load shedding is going to persist for some days in January 2024 due to generation shortfall occasioned by limited fuel supply.
Issues
Impeccable sources within the power sector indicate that the Takoradi thermal power plant, which is a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant operated by the Volta River Authority (VRA) is currently not generating power onto the national grid due to some ongoing maintenance works which started last year.
According to our sources, one of the 6 units of the Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Dam is currently also not running.
Beside these, Cenit, Bridgepower, Cenpower, Ameri power plant, and T3 did not generate power as of last night.
Most of the above power plants including 400 MW Ameri power plant have been idle for some time now over fuel supply issues.
It is interesting to note that most of the power plants in the country are combined cycle plants and can run on natural gas, HFO or LCO.
So if there is any challenge with domestic gas production all that government could do is making alternative fuel available to operators of the power plants to enable them switch and generate power onto the national grid.
Ghana produces natural gas for power generation from three producing fields namely Jubilee, Sankofa Nyame and TEN.
The country requires more than 450 MMscf of gas for power generation.
However, domestic gas production is inadequate to meet the requirements.
As a result of this, Ghana still relies on Nigeria for gas taking about 40MMscf to complement domestic gas production for power generation.
According to energnewsafrica.com sources, gas supply from Nigeria has been curtailed for some days now due to ongoing Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) work.
Unfortunately, government has not been able to procure fuel for the power generators thereby compelling them to either shutdown or reduce generation.
This has left the power distribution company, Electricity Company of Ghana with no other option than shed load.
According to sources, some of the players in the power sector have advised the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Information to inform Ghanaians about the current situation to enable them to plan but the advice has not been taken because of how the governing party lambasted the previous government for plunging the country into prolonged power outages while in opposition.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
It is interesting to note that most of the power plants in the country are combined cycle plants and can run on natural gas, HFO or LCO.
So if there is any challenge with domestic gas production all that government could do is making alternative fuel available to operators of the power plants to enable them switch and generate power onto the national grid.
Ghana produces natural gas for power generation from three producing fields namely Jubilee, Sankofa Nyame and TEN.
The country requires more than 450 MMscf of gas for power generation.
However, domestic gas production is inadequate to meet the requirements.
As a result of this, Ghana still relies on Nigeria for gas taking about 40MMscf to complement domestic gas production for power generation.
According to energnewsafrica.com sources, gas supply from Nigeria has been curtailed for some days now due to ongoing Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) work.
Unfortunately, government has not been able to procure fuel for the power generators thereby compelling them to either shutdown or reduce generation.
This has left the power distribution company, Electricity Company of Ghana with no other option than shed load.
According to sources, some of the players in the power sector have advised the Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Information to inform Ghanaians about the current situation to enable them to plan but the advice has not been taken because of how the governing party lambasted the previous government for plunging the country into prolonged power outages while in opposition.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com