A plaque was presented to Ing Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi by Prof Kwabena Britwum Nyarko, Provost of the College.
Mr. Kelvin Tamakloe emerged as valedictorian and dubbed his speech, “The blueprint of our becoming.”
He expressed confidence that his cohort would emerge as, “bearers of change, innovators, individuals who are destined to influence the coming decades,” in a world that is continuously evolving.
The College of Engineering awarded 442 students with 1st Class Honours, while 921 achieved 2nd Class Upper, 285 secured 2nd Class Lower, and seven got passes.
Prof Kwabena Nyarko Britwum, Provost, College of Engineering shared details of efforts being made to ensure the engineering students from the college are ready for a world that is driven by technology and innovation.
He indicated that KNUST is well-positioned to provide graduates who can solve the country’s challenges.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: GRIDCo’s CEO Charges KNUST Engineering Graduates To Be Visionary And Transformative
The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi, has charged the engineering graduates of the College of Engineers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to be ‘visionary, daring and transformative” as they embark on the next phase as engineers in the world of work.
Ing. Kofi Essienyi issued the ‘Call to Action’, when he delivered the Motivational Speech at the CoE’s Congregation on 10th November 2023.
In all, 1,655 students graduated.
Ing. Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi (KNUST 94), expressed delight at the increased number of women graduating as engineers as there was only one woman in his year group.
He posited, “Your path is not an easy one but it can truly change the world.”
Ing Essienyi charged, “It’s only in Ghana that your knowledge and skills can truly make a difference,” encouraging them to work at home.
The GRIDCo CEO talked about the importance and role of the modern engineer, saying that the power of engineering is not just to “solve problems” but to transform.
He, therefore, charged the fresh graduates to be “…tech-savvy and innovative to combine their knowledge in the application of science with smart systems to improve the livelihoods of all citizenry. Engineering is rife with situations that require diligent problem-solving.”
He also encouraged them to engage the local District Assemblies, stressing, “As engineers, you hold the keys to unlocking new and sustainable emerging solutions, improving infrastructure, and innovating in ways that can uplift communities.”
A plaque was presented to Ing Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi by Prof Kwabena Britwum Nyarko, Provost of the College.
Mr. Kelvin Tamakloe emerged as valedictorian and dubbed his speech, “The blueprint of our becoming.”
He expressed confidence that his cohort would emerge as, “bearers of change, innovators, individuals who are destined to influence the coming decades,” in a world that is continuously evolving.
The College of Engineering awarded 442 students with 1st Class Honours, while 921 achieved 2nd Class Upper, 285 secured 2nd Class Lower, and seven got passes.
Prof Kwabena Nyarko Britwum, Provost, College of Engineering shared details of efforts being made to ensure the engineering students from the college are ready for a world that is driven by technology and innovation.
He indicated that KNUST is well-positioned to provide graduates who can solve the country’s challenges.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
A plaque was presented to Ing Ebenezer Kofi Essienyi by Prof Kwabena Britwum Nyarko, Provost of the College.
Mr. Kelvin Tamakloe emerged as valedictorian and dubbed his speech, “The blueprint of our becoming.”
He expressed confidence that his cohort would emerge as, “bearers of change, innovators, individuals who are destined to influence the coming decades,” in a world that is continuously evolving.
The College of Engineering awarded 442 students with 1st Class Honours, while 921 achieved 2nd Class Upper, 285 secured 2nd Class Lower, and seven got passes.
Prof Kwabena Nyarko Britwum, Provost, College of Engineering shared details of efforts being made to ensure the engineering students from the college are ready for a world that is driven by technology and innovation.
He indicated that KNUST is well-positioned to provide graduates who can solve the country’s challenges.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Zambia: Zesco Restores Prepaid Vending System
Zambia’s power utility company, Zesco Limited, has announced that it has restored its prepaid vending system.
This means customers can now buy electricity from any of the company’s platforms.
Last Saturday, scores of Zambians were forced to sleep in darkness as a result of a technical challenge with Zesco’s prepaid vending system which made it difficult for them to purchase credit onto their meters.
The unfortunate development compelled Zambians to take to social media to express their frustration.
In a statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Department of Zesco, it said the Corporation was doing everything possible to resolve the technical problem and restore the vending system at the earliest time possible.
The system was restored after some hours on Saturday.
Zesco, in a statement, thanked Zambians for their patience.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Saudi Arabia To Support Nigeria To Revamp Ailing Oil Refineries
Saudi Arabia has pledged to make funds available to Nigeria to enable Africa’s largest oil producing nation to revamp its ailing refineries to sustain economic growth.
The refinery investments in Nigeria will be led by the Saudi state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, with the revamp to be completed within a two- to three-year timeframe.
Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, made the pledge at a bilateral meeting with President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the sidelines of the Saudi-Africa Summit in Riyadh.
“Saudi Arabia is very eager to see Nigeria thrive under President Bola Tinubu, and realize its full potential as the economic giant of Africa.
“In addition to these, Prince Bin Salman also highlighted Agriculture and Renewable Energy as areas of investment interest for Saudi Arabia, in Nigeria, to help the country attain food and energy security, respectively,” a statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation of Nigeria Mohammed Idris revealed.
“The Crown Prince also expressed appreciation to Nigeria for its active participation in, and support for OPEC+,” Mr. Idris said.
The minister also explained that Mr. Tinubu thanked the Saudi leader for the proposed investments, and pledged that Nigeria would ensure judicious management and oversight.
He added that the two leaders vowed to work together within the next six months to develop a comprehensive road-map and blueprint to deliver on the agreed investments and outcomes.
Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, imports almost all its refined fuel needs as a result of the shutdown of state-owned oil refineries namely, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Equatorial Guinea Seeks Regional Cooperation For Oil & Gas Development–Minister Ondo
The Minister for Mines and Hydrocarbons of Equatorial Guinea, Antonio Oburu Ondo, says the country is looking to establish cooperation with other African countries to develop its oil and gas potential.
According to him, regional cooperation among African nations would go a long way to help in achieving energy security.
Ondo, who said this in a speech at the African Energy Week in Cape Town, South Africa, noted that Equatorial Guinea, recently, signed a bilateral trade agreement with Cameroon on cross-border oil and gas development.
Continuing, he said a similar agreement was signed with Nigeria in 2022.
“We are always looking for additional opportunities for regional collaboration.
“We are also aiming to form partnerships with more private sector companies which will drive ongoing exploration in our country and, in turn opens the door to economic growth and diversification,” he said.
Ondo, who is also the President of OPEC, mentioned that oil exploration and production is currently gaining momentum because of the enabling environment created for investment and strong records of offshore finds.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Zambia: Scores Of Electricity Users Sleep In Darkness Over Prepaid Vending Challenge
Scores of Zambians have been forced to sleep in darkness as a result of a technical challenge with Zesco’s prepaid vending system which has made it difficult for customers to purchase credit onto their meters.
The unfortunate development has compelled Zambians to take to social media to express their frustration.
The technical challenge occurred at about 13:00hrs on Saturday, November 11, 2023.
In a statement issued by the Corporate Affairs Department of Zesco Limited, the power distribution company said it was doing everything possible to resolve the technical problem and restore the vending system at the earliest time possible.
“Zesco regrets the inconvenience caused to its valued customers,” the company said.
https://web.facebook.com/ZESCOCORP/posts/831467832107715?ref=embed_post
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Brazil’s State-Run Oil Co Could Splash $100B On Projects Over 5 Years
Brazil’s state-run oil company, Petrobras, could spend $100 billion on investments in projects it is currently analyzing and already committed to, a Reuters source suggested on Friday.
Petrobras is set to issue its five-year plan that will cover 2024 through 2028. For now, the plan is still being discussed, but an anonymous Reuters source is suggesting that the plan could include $100 billion in investments.
In August, Petrobras CEO Sergio Caetano Leite said that the company’s investments spelled out by its up-and-coming five-year plan could be 10% higher than the previous plan, which would have placed the total investments around $86 billion—of which $1-$4 billion would be for new projects.
Petrobras said that low-carbon projects would account for a large part of the investment increase.
The plan is due to be released by the end of the year.
The five-year plan approved last year includes expenditures of $78 billion.
Brazil has seen year-over-year growth of oil production and has the potential to increase its production to become the world’s fourth-largest oil producer.
Petrobras reported a 41.5% decline in Q3 profits this year, missing analyst estimates, although it still expects its full-year oil and gas output to be higher than previously estimated, at 2.4 million boepd, up from 2.3 million boepd last year.
The company has plans to boost the number of producing wells in Q4. Capex for this year is expected to hit $13 billion, a 30% increase on last year. It is on track, however, to miss projections of a $16 billion capex this year.
In July, Brazil’s oil and gas production hit the highest level ever for a single month, with production totaling 4.48 million boepd in the period, according to Brazil’s oil regulator ANP.
Source: Oilprice.com
The Gambia: Electricity Access To Increase As 23MW Solar Plant Nears Completion
The Gambia’s plan of expanding electricity access through a mixture of energy sources including solar energy is on course as the West African nation is nearing the completion of a 23MW peak solar project.
The project, which is being funded by the World Bank, European Investment Bank and the European Union is more than 80 per cent completed.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Michael Creg Afful, editor of energynewsafrica.com, in Cape Town, South Africa, during the African Energy Week 2023, Nani Juwara, the Managing Director of National Water and Electricity Company of The Gambia stated that the solar plant, upon completion, would help expand access to electricity.
Nani Juwara said they expect that by January 2024, the project would be commissioned.
He said it is going to be the first of its kind in The Gambia and it would be connected to the national grid.
The Gambian government, he explained, is also working with the West Africa Power Pool to also develop a 150MW solar plant project in the country.
“So we are currently working on the first phase of the project which is going to be 50MW,” he noted.
He affirmed that studies had already been completed, adding that tender documents had also been done and waiting for procurement process, which is also expected to be done before end of this year.
Should the project start as stated, Nani Juwara observed that it could be launched before the end of 2024.
Touching on the access to electricity in The Gambia, he said currently, about 60 per cent of the population has access to power while a chunk of the rural folks do not have it.
It is in this respect that Nani Juwara said The Gambian government has made an ambitious statement to achieve universal access to electricity by 2025.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Zimbabwe: Former Deputy Finance Minister Convicted Of Fuel Smuggling
A former deputy minister of Finance and Economic Development in the Republic of Zimbabwe, Terence Mukupe and three others have been convicted of smuggling almost 140 000 litres of diesel.
The three accomplices are Same Kapisoriso, Ngonidzashe Mutsvene and Joseph Taderera.
According to freight news, the four are in custody and awaiting sentencing.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) proved that the former deputy minister and his accomplices smuggled a tanker filled with diesel into the country without paying duty in 2017.
The vehicle was intercepted by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) officials at Chirundu border post leading to the arrest of the four.
“Mukupe, together with three others have been convicted of importing 138 979 litres of fuel without paying duty,” the NPA said.
“In doing so, the accused prejudiced the state of revenue amounting to $55, 591.
“The accused are in custody pending their sentencing at the Harare High Court.”
Mukupe and his accomplices connived to import 138 919 litres of diesel into the country without paying duty at the Forbes Border Post in Mutare.
They said the diesel was on its way to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), thereby making it duty-free.
While the tanker was in Zimbabwe, the four replaced the diesel with water, before driving the tanker to Chirundu where they were stopped by Zimra officials who checked the tanker’s contents and discovered the switch.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa: Eskom Opens Africa’s Biggest Battery Storage Facility
South Africa’s power utility, Eskom has unveiled what could be the largest Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project on the African continent.
In a statement, Eskom said the Hex BESS is the first project to be completed under Eskom’s flagship BESS project announced in July 2022 to help alleviate the pressure on the national electricity grid.
Eskom noted that the BESS project serves as a direct response to meet one of the urgent needs to address South Africa’s long-running electricity crisis by adding more storage capacity to strengthen the grid while diversifying the existing generation energy mix.
The facility uses large scale utility batteries with a total capacity of 1440MWh per day and a 60MW PV capacity.
According to Eskom, the Hex site is specifically designed to store 100MWh of energy, enough to power a town such as Mossel Bay or Howick for about five hours.
It forms part of Phase 1 of Eskom’s BESS project which includes the installation of approximately 833MWh additional storage capacity at eight Eskom Distribution substation sites in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Northern Cape. This phase also includes about 2MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity.
“We are grateful to the various funders of the Eskom BESS project, and to our construction partner Hyosung Heavy Industries. This is proof of what we can achieve when we work as a team and in collaboration with industry and local communities,” says Eskom’s group executive for distribution, Monde Bala.
The utility explains that the BESS technology offers a versatile solution for improving overall grid performance and is in line with South Africa’s commitment to the just energy transition to a more resilient and sustainable energy future.
“The initiative demonstrates Eskom’s commitment in finding innovative solutions and embracing new technologies in preparation for the new era in the energy distribution landscape,” the company said.
“We are pioneering the implementation of the BESS technology, serving as a large-scale commercial project to validate the technology’s feasibility and benefits. The successful implementation will pave the way for wider adoption and possible export of the technology to other regions beyond the borders of South Africa,” Eskom’s General Manager for distribution, operations enablement, Velaphi Ntuli said.
“The Hex project is a demonstration of what Eskom teams can do in finding alternative, innovative and lasting solutions in addressing the country’s electricity challenges,” said Eskom’s group executive for generation, Bheki Nxumalo.
Eskom notes that upon completion of the first phase, it will implement phase two of the project which includes the installation of a further 144MW of storage capacity, equivalent to 616MWh at four Eskom distribution sites and one transmission site.
The solar PV capacity in this phase will be 58MW, it adds.
“The rollout of these technologies together with a disciplined execution of our Generation Recovery Plan which started in March 2023, and aimed at achieving energy availability factor of 70% by end March 2025, will give the country the most needed megawatts to address capacity constraints,” Eskom concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Uganda: Museveni’s Petroleum Import Strategy To Drive Fuel Prices Down
A bold decision by the President of Uganda to stop buying petroleum products from middlemen in neighboring Kenya is expected to drive fuel prices down in the East African nation.
All along, Ugandan officials were buying refined petroleum products from middlemen in Kenya, pushing prices on the higher side.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni accused civil servants in the country, saying: “When we came into government, we assumed that the civil servants would deal with money, administration, procurement, and we would deal with policy, ideology, strategy and security.,”
Sadly, President Museveni said the country has been let down by civil servants who were put in charge of importing fuel into the country.
Uganda imports petroleum products of the magnitude of 2.5 billion litres per annum valued at about US$2 billion.
“Without my knowledge, our wonderful people were buying this huge quantity of petroleum products from middlemen in Kenya,” noted the President.
“A whole country buying from middlemen in Kenya, or anywhere else is amazing but true. Why not buy from the refineries abroad and transport through Kenya and Tanzania, cutting out the cost created by middlemen? Those involved were not bothered by these issues.
“I have discussed this with H.E Ruto, the President of Kenya, and our delegation is now in Dar-es-Salaam, discussing with Her Excellency Samia Suluhu,” Museveni revealed.
Museveni went on to give a breakdown of the cost of the fuel from the middlemen that Uganda has been buying from compared to the refinery prices, as follows:
Diesel:
- Middlemen’s price – $118;
- Price from bulk suppliers or refiners -$83;
- Middlemen’s price -$97.5;
- Bulk suppliers or refiners’ price-$61.5;
- Middlemen’s price – $114;
- Bulk suppliers or refiners’ price – $79
Nigeria: Kaduna Electric Loses ₦138M To Vandalism In Three Months
Kaduna Electric, one of the power distribution companies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has recorded 172 incidents of vandalism against its electrical installations across four franchise states between July and September 2023.
The Chief Technical Officer, Engr. Lawal Aliyu Mashi, said this resulted in a loss of N138, 056,343 (US$171,742.09) worth of equipment within the period.
Giving details of the vandalism, Engr. Lawal Aliyu Mashi said 42 meters of earthing cable was vandalised at Abakpa injection substation while four 500MMS neutral incomer cables were also stolen at Katura village in Badarawa, Kaduna.
He also noted that, due to payment default, a community was cut off from the power supply, and as a result, numerous electrical components, including 174 spans of aluminium cables, 22 HT poles, 20 upriver cables, 34 cross arms, 142 channel irons, and one set of feeder pillar units, were vandalised.
In Gusau, Zamfara State, he explained that 12 spans of 150mm aluminium conductor were vandalised, and the 300KVA FECT 2 substation was vandalised, with 300mm2 single-core cable stolen.
According to Kaduna Electric’s Chief Security Officer, Col Ubale Abubakar (rtd), in its efforts to combat the spate of vandalism in its franchise, the company has stepped up engagements with security agencies, including the military, police and civil defence corps, to help with the arrest and prosecution of suspects.
He added that the company is also engaging with local authorities, including Divisional Police Officers, officials from the Criminal Investigation Department, State Investigation Bureau, and military leaders, to raise awareness about the negative impact of vandalism on its operations.
He also urged people to report any suspicious activities around electrical infrastructure promptly to Kaduna Electric offices or security agencies.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa: Corruption Remains Pervasive At Eskom -Gordhan
South Africa’s Minister for Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan has stated that despite the progress made to improve operations at Eskom, corruption remained pervasive.
According to him, the new board and executives of Eskom are turning the tide but even after the state capture years, there was still too much rot.
He said this when he appeared before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Tuesday for a progress update on recommendations made by the committee following visits to Eskom power stations in 2019.
SCOPA on Tuesday heard of steady progress being made to stablise operations at Eskom’s power stations, including Tutuka, Medupi and Kusile.
But Gordhan said that rooting out corruption within Eskom – and the companies it did business with – remained a challenge.
“There seems to be no limit to the greed that permeates that whole ecosystem.”
Gordhan said that the culture of corruption and this way of doing business would continue for as long as there’s a lack of consequences.
“Corruption is going to carry on unless law enforcement and the prosecuting authority put the real ringleaders behind bars.”
Eskom’s executives say they are aiming to improve the energy availability factor to 65% by March.
It’s currently hovering just below 60%.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Egypt: Natural Gas Flows From Israel To Egypt Resume
Natural gas deliveries from Israel to Egypt have restarted, after several days of no imports at all due to war-related disruptions.
Bloomberg cited unnamed sources in the know as saying the gas is coming from the Leviathan offshore field, following the end of a production outage at another field, Karish, supply from which is currently being used to ensure domestic demand in Israel.
Egypt used to import some 800 million cubic feet of natural gas from Israel before the war began. Following the Hamas attacks in southern Israel and the Israeli response, however, imports dried up.
The Israeli authorities ordered Chevron to shut down production at the Tamar field because of its proximity to fighting and told the supermajor to reroute production from the Leviathan field to Jordan.
Chevron became operator of the Tamar and Leviathan gas fields when it acquired their original operator, Noble Energy. Tamar has reserves estimated at around 11 trillion cubic feet of gas and Leviathan has twice that, according to estimates cited by Energy Intelligence.
Israeli exports from these fields to Egypt secured the country’s growing energy demand and left some for exports to Europe, from Egypt’s LNG plant. With the shutdown and the rerouting, however, Egypt was plunged in a crunch, with daily blackouts at a time of higher demand.
Now that Israeli gas is flowing to Egypt once again, the blackouts may end but exports to Europe may not resume immediately. Egypt’s first order of business would be to secure domestic supply first.
That should not be an immediate problem for Europe, however. Reuters recently reported that close to 30 LNG tankers are en route to the continent and the UK, due to arrive before the end of this month.
Egypt, on the other hand, will resume exports of LNG when domestic demand subsides, according to Eni, which has extensive operations in the North African country.
Source: Oilprice.com
Oil Prices Fall Further As U.S. Crude Oil Inventories See Major
Crude oil inventories in the United States rose by a staggering 11.9 million barrels for week ending November 3, according to The American Petroleum Institute (API), after a 1.347-million-barrel rise in crude inventories in the week prior, API data showed.
API data now shows a net build in crude oil inventories in the United States of 10.568 million barrels so far this year.
On Monday, the Department of Energy (DoE) reported that crude oil inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) stayed the same for the fifth week in a row, with the SPR inventory still sitting at a near 40-year low of 351.3 million barrels, with total purchases for the SPR coming in at less than 4 million barrels since the Biden Administration began its buyback program.
Earlier this week, the DoE announced a supplemental solicitation for another 3 million barrels of oil for delivery in January 2024.
Oil prices were trading down ahead of API data release, with Brent trading down 3.93% at $81.83 at 4:01 p.m. ET—a roughly $5.50 decrease week over week.
The U.S. benchmark WTI was trading down on the day by 4.05%, at $77.55. WTI is down nearly $3.50 per barrel from this same time last week.
Gasoline inventories fell this week by 400,000 barrels, on top of the 357,000 barrel decrease in the week prior.
Gasoline inventories are 2% the five-year average for this time of year, last week’s EIA data shows. Distillate inventories rose this week, by 1.0 million barrels, in contrast to the 2.484-million-barrel draw in the week prior, and are now about 12% below the five-year average for this time of year.
Source: Oilprice.com