Ghana: Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Nominated For European Quality Award
Sunon Asogli Power Ghana, the largest independent power producer in the Republic of Ghana, has been nominated for European Quality Award in the power sector.
Sunon Asogli Power Ghana, a subsidiary of Shenzhen Energy Group of China, operates 560 combined cycle power plants located in Kpone-Katamanso Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.
In a letter written to Togbe Afede XIV, Director of Sunon Asogli Power Ghana, and sighted by energynewsafrica.com, Julia Chambers, Project Coordinator of Oxford Award Agency Limited wrote: “I’m writing to inform you that Sunon Asogli Power is being considered as a candidate for the prestigious Award European Quality in Power station sector.”
The European Quality Award is registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office.
The award includes several notable attributes such as a hand-made statue and certificate.
Additionally, the organisers grant a licence for European Quality to certify the high quality of products and services.
The letter said the nomination was based on specific criteria that were taken into account including national, regional and international certificates, licences, and patents, participation in national and international forums, ratings, exhibitions and conferences, cooperation with national and international organisations, competitiveness and quality goods/services.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: IBEDC Announces Prepaid Meter Upgrade To Align With Global Standards
The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc. in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has announced an upcoming upgrade for its Standard Transfer Specification (STS) prepaid meters to enhance efficiency and align with global standards.
The upgrade, known as Token Identification (TID) Rollover, aims to ensure the continued seamless operation of prepaid meters while maintaining customer satisfaction.
A statement from the company signed by the Managing Director, Engr Kingsley Achife said the upgrade scheduled to take effect from August 1, 2023, will involve the integration of a global software update into STS meters, making them compatible with the new TID Rollover protocol.
“This upgrade is imperative; starting from November 24, 2024, all STS meters worldwide will cease to accept old credit tokens without the necessary meter upgrade. To facilitate a smooth transition, IBEDC will provide its prepaid meter customers with Key Change Tokens (KCT) alongside their regular energy tokens when purchasing electricity” Engr. Achife said.
He further explained that the KCT serves as a special ‘reset’ token and is crucial for the successful completion of the meter upgrade process.
“Importantly, obtaining the KCT is free of charge, and customers can upgrade their meters without any impact on the current electricity tariff”
During the upgrade period, customers are advised to take note of the following important details:
Mandatory Upgrade: Customers must upgrade their prepaid meters by sequentially entering the two KCT tokens (KCT1 & KCT2) and then the energy token, as provided by IBEDC.
Expiry of Old Tokens: Effective August 1, 2023, old credit tokens will become obsolete. Customers must ensure that any unused or previously purchased energy tokens are loaded into their meters before this date.
Credit Balance Preservation: The meter upgrade process will not affect the credit unit balance on the meter. Customers can rest assured that their balance will remain intact after the upgrade.
One-Time Upgrade: The meter upgrade is a one-time process. Subsequent energy token purchases will continue as usual after the upgrade has been completed.
IBEDC is committed to supporting its customers throughout this transition. Field officers will be available to assist customers and monitor compliance. If a meter fails to load energy tokens following the KCT upgrade, customers are advised to promptly contact our customer care at 07001239999, email us at [email protected] or send messages to a WhatsApp number 07059093900.
Customers are also encouraged to visit the dedicated IBEDC webpage, ibedc.com/tid-rollover-https://www.tidrollover.com/to access comprehensive information and step-by-step instructions for upgrading their meters.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Kenya: President Ruto Commissions Machakos Power Substation To Curb Outage
Kenyan President William Ruto has commissioned a power substation in Athi River, Machakos, to boost the power supply in the East African nation.
The substation project which was executed by Kenya’s Transmission Company (KETRACO) is located barely a kilometre off the Nairobi—Namanga road in the Mavoko sub-county.
It is part of 220Kv Nairobi Ring substations and a ‘Vision 2030’ flagship project.
Speaking at a short ceremony to commission the project on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, President William Ruto said the substation would sort out power outage problems often experienced in the country.
“Power outages will no longer be experienced in the country. There will be no more power blackouts,” he promised the country.
Ruto said his administration would expand the Athi River Special Economic Zone.
“Export Processing Zone–Athi River—has employed more than 20, 000 youth. But, we intend to add 15,000 more youth to work here in Athi River,” Ruto said.
In a tweet after commissioning the project, President Ruto said: “We are investing in additional electricity supply, reinforcing the existing distribution network while minimising losses so that we can access adequate, low-carbon, reliable and affordable energy. This will unlock Kenya’s production potential and spur our economic growth.’’
The Chief Executive Officer of KETRACO, Dr Eng. John Mativo, in a tweet, also said: “The substation enables the load centre to be connected to Olkaria geothermal power, Suswa substation (connected to Lake Turkana Wind Plant and Ethiopia interconnector), Kipeto Wind plant among other sources.
“Athi River substation is displacing/minimizing the reliance on thermal generation The Substation is part of the 220kV Nairobi Ring project which includes the Isinya substation, Kimuka substation, Malaa substation and the Isinya – Suswa transmission line.
“The benefit of the 220kV Nairobi Ring project as a whole is to provide alternative substations to supply the greater Nairobi, by evacuating power from Olkaria geothermal, Lake Turkana Wind, Kipeto Wind, Ethiopia Interconnection to Nairobi and surrounding areas,’’ his tweet concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
“Export Processing Zone–Athi River—has employed more than 20, 000 youth. But, we intend to add 15,000 more youth to work here in Athi River,” Ruto said.
In a tweet after commissioning the project, President Ruto said: “We are investing in additional electricity supply, reinforcing the existing distribution network while minimising losses so that we can access adequate, low-carbon, reliable and affordable energy. This will unlock Kenya’s production potential and spur our economic growth.’’
The Chief Executive Officer of KETRACO, Dr Eng. John Mativo, in a tweet, also said: “The substation enables the load centre to be connected to Olkaria geothermal power, Suswa substation (connected to Lake Turkana Wind Plant and Ethiopia interconnector), Kipeto Wind plant among other sources.
“Athi River substation is displacing/minimizing the reliance on thermal generation The Substation is part of the 220kV Nairobi Ring project which includes the Isinya substation, Kimuka substation, Malaa substation and the Isinya – Suswa transmission line.
“The benefit of the 220kV Nairobi Ring project as a whole is to provide alternative substations to supply the greater Nairobi, by evacuating power from Olkaria geothermal, Lake Turkana Wind, Kipeto Wind, Ethiopia Interconnection to Nairobi and surrounding areas,’’ his tweet concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: GNPC Gives Brilliant Fuel Attendant Full Scholarship
Ghana’s national oil company, GNPC, has offered a full scholarship to Benjamin Darko, a brilliant Senior High School graduate whose impressive 2021 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result went viral online across the West African nation.
The full educational scholarship by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is to enable the beneficiary to pursue Chemical Engineering at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST).
Announcing the scholarship package during a meeting with Master Darko and his family at the office of the Vice Chancellor (VC) of KNUST, the Executive Director of the GNPC Foundation, Dr Dominic Eduah said the Education & Training Unit of the Foundation is offering the support to restore Master Darko’s hopes.
He added that his outfit, in collaboration with its educational partners, has initiated steps to facilitate his successful admission in the university’s next enrolment window.
Despite scoring 5As and 3Bs, the intelligent 21-year-old former Science student of Presbyterian Senior Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon, has had his desire to pursue a Medical-Science related course at the university hindered by the lack of financial support.
In keeping himself busy and to give his dreams a chance, the boy from Bepowase, a farming community in the North Akuapim Municipality of the Eastern Region, has, since 2021, taken to several menial jobs in a rather daunting bid to save for his education.
Currently working as a fuel attendant at a GOIL station in Kumasi, Darko’s predicament gained national attention after his story was highlighted in a GHOne news report that went viral on social media.
“At GNPC Foundation, we understand the challenges of many parents and students seeking advancements in education amidst tight financial constraints and we are happy to play the role of facilitating the realisation of many dreams through our scholarships and other educational intervention programmes,” Dr. Eduah commented.
Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, VC of KNUST, expressed delight in the opportunity to contribute to the moulding of Benjamin Darko when he begins his KNUST journey.
She congratulated him and advised him to stay disciplined.
Excited about the prospect of finally getting his education back on track, Benjamin Darko thanked GNPC for contributing to supporting his future and assured them his best.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Currently working as a fuel attendant at a GOIL station in Kumasi, Darko’s predicament gained national attention after his story was highlighted in a GHOne news report that went viral on social media.
“At GNPC Foundation, we understand the challenges of many parents and students seeking advancements in education amidst tight financial constraints and we are happy to play the role of facilitating the realisation of many dreams through our scholarships and other educational intervention programmes,” Dr. Eduah commented.
Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, VC of KNUST, expressed delight in the opportunity to contribute to the moulding of Benjamin Darko when he begins his KNUST journey.
She congratulated him and advised him to stay disciplined.
Excited about the prospect of finally getting his education back on track, Benjamin Darko thanked GNPC for contributing to supporting his future and assured them his best.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: ECG Builds Capacity Of Electrical Contractors
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has held a day’s training for third-party electrical contractors as part of ECG’s drive for safety adherence on all of its operational installations.
The training, which is the second in a series for 2023, took place at the ECG Training Centre in Tema.
The training was necessitated in a bid to bring the trainees abreast with ECG’s practices and adherence to operational and safety protocols.
Speaking about the training, the lead facilitator, Dr George Eduful, who is a General Manager of ECG’s Energy Consulting and Telco Business Directorate, said that “it has become necessary for the company to take measures to ensure that its power distribution infrastructure is designed to standards and presents no danger to the technical staff and contractors.”
He added that there is a need for “electrical contractors engaged by ECG to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the field while ensuring they are adhering to regulations for safe installations.”
On his part, the ECG Director of the Training Centre, Ing Aheng Owusu-Afriyie stated that the training centre aims to provide competent and practical knowledge while ensuring that safety remains paramount for all practitioners.
He indicated that the training centre provides training for several needs, mainly in technical issues.
Ing Owusu-Afriyie led journalists on a tour of the Training Center where he spoke about the various installations at the centre, and how they have been intentionally done to mimic field installations such that “trainees who come here are taken through vigorous sessions such that once they get to the field, they will be abreast with relevant skills to handle situations.”
The tour covered a substation and what is known as Lifeline.
Explaining this, Ing Owusu-Afriyie explained that the Lifeline means that when faults occur on the network, customers would not have to suffer an outage while the repair works go on.
“Instead, the power supply will be on and the technical staff will be working on it, ensuring that customers will not go suffer outages,” he said.
The ECG Training Center provides technical training and support for several players in the nation’s energy sector, including others from the West African sub-region.
The President of the Ghana Electrical Contractors Association, Mr Awal Sakib Muhammed spoke positively about the training, adding that it is meant to ensure that the practice remains sanitised to curtail incidents of possible accidents.
He praised the ECG management for leading the training programme.
He also threw caution to the public to desist from buying electrical cables from sources they are not sure of but to buy from trusted sources only.
He warned that substandard cables can cause fires, leading to possible loss of life and property.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: NPA Will Have Our Support—Volta Regional Minister
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, will be given the needed support to regulate the petroleum downstream industry in the Volta Region, Dr Archibald Letsa, the Minister for the area, has pledged.
He said his support was to enable the Authority to discharge its statutory mandate effectively to ensure consumers of petroleum products get quality petroleum products at the right price and quantity.
Mr. Letsa was speaking in Ho where the new NPA’s Volta Regional Manager, Mr Godwin Yaw Konu, paid a courtesy call to him at his office.
Mr. Konu was at the office to introduce himself as the NPA Volta Regional Manager who had taken responsibility for the administration of the NPA in the Volta and Oti Regions.
The meeting also discussed several issues relative to the petroleum downstream industry in the Volta Region.
Receiving the delegation, Dr. Letsa pledged his support and that of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to the NPA in the region to succeed in its operations.
On his part, the NPA Volta Regional Manager, Mr Godwin Yaw Konu explained the mandate of the NPA which included regulating, overseeing and monitoring the activities of the downstream petroleum industry.
Mr. Konu indicated that the NPA regional office exists to further the overall vision of the Authority in the region to ensure that economic growth and development are not hindered.
As such, the regional office would facilitate the speedy growth of the downstream petroleum industry in the Volta Region to meet the growing petroleum needs of consumers in the region, particularly those in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
According to Mr Konu, the regional office would ensure that petroleum service providers complied with the various guidelines, rules and regulations set out for operators in the downstream petroleum industry.
The regional office would hold the various operators in the region to the prescribed standards on health, safety and environment management.
The regional office, Mr Konu indicated, prioritises the needs of petroleum consumers and protects their various interests concerning quality, quantity and pricing of petroleum products offered for sale by petroleum products retail outlets.
Mr Konu assured the Regional Minister that the NPA and by extension, the regional office operated a robust monitoring regime to protect the interest of petroleum consumers in the region.
Consequently, petroleum consumers should rest assured that they are receiving the right quantity of petroleum products, at the right price, at the right quantity, at the various retail outlets they interface with.
In attendance at the meeting were Mr Augustus Awity, Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council, Mr Michael Kwasi Dadza, Special Assistant to the Minister and Mr Forster Honu, Public Relations Officer of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Atuabo Gas Processing Plant Resumes Full Operation After Technical Hitch
The Ghana National Gas Limited Company (GNGC) says its Atuabo Gas Processing Plant has resumed full operation after fixing a technical challenge which made it difficult to push the gas to WAPCo for onward transportation to power generators in Tema.
Part of the West African nation, particularly areas in Tema, experienced power outages and it was unclear what the cause was.
Last Friday, July 7, 2023, Ghana’s power transmission company, GRIDCo, in a statement, attributed the power outage to a shortfall in gas supply from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant and WAPCo.
However, WAPCo, in a statement on Saturday, refuted the claims by GRIDCo and ECG, suggesting that they did not have any technical issues as claimed by GRIDCo and ECG.
Interestingly, Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), in a statement issued by Head of Corporate Communications, Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah admitted that there was a technical challenge at their end.
“The unfortunate situation was caused by an upset of our on-site power generation system, causing a temporary shutdown of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant on Friday, 7th July 2023 from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm.
“This resulted in about 30% reduction in the gas we deliver to our downstream power and non-power customers,” he explained.
He added that the engineers and third-party contractors worked assiduously around the clock to restore normal operations in five hours.
During the five-hour outage, Ghana Gas made alternative arrangements for emergency mobile power generation units to enable natural gas to be transported to various power generation companies to mitigate the unexpected situation, it said.
“We would like to reassure the general public that the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant was restarted at 5:30 pm on Friday, 7th July 2023 and has since been in full and uninterrupted operation.
“Ghana National Gas Limited Company’s policy of continuous improvement of our processes, enables us to strengthen our business as the strategic partner of the various power generation companies, serving the people of Ghana.
“We deeply regret any inconvenience suffered by our cherished consumers,” he concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Local Meter Manufacturers Intensify Campaign To Halt Importation Of Foreign Meters With World Bank Loan
Nigerian Meter Manufacturers and Assemblers have intensified their demand for Federal Government to step in and cause the suspension of the bid by TCN PMU for the supply of 1,250,000 smart meters for eleven (11) Discos in the West African nation.
The World Bank is financing the procurement of the meters with a loan of US$155 million and the bid is expected to close Tuesday, July 11, 2023.
The bid has five lots and interested companies are raising Bid security of US$340,000 for lot 1, US$396,000 for lot 2, US$407,000 for lot 3, US$450,000 for lot 4 and US$385,000 for lot 5.
According to the manufacturers, the current structure of the bid would make it difficult for majority of the local companies to participate in the process.
In their view, the structure of the bid will favour only foreign companies who have the capacity to borrow from their foreign banks.
Speaking to energynewsafrica.com Ademola Agoro, Acting President of the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria said there are about 40 plus local meters with the capacity to produce about 5 million meters.
He said the local manufacturers have invested a lot in building their capacity to be able to produce meters to meet demand and wondered why the bid has been structured in a way that only favours foreign companies.
He told this portal that the local manufacturers are not saying that the bid should not be competitive but that it should be restructured to make it easier for local meter manufacturers to be able to raise the bid security.
He said instead of the current 5 lot which is why they are raising concerns, TCN PMU should expand the lot from 5 to 20, stating that this will reduce the money for bid security and, consequently allow more local meter manufacturers to participate.
He added that the bid should be restructured in such a way that any foreign company that wins can partner with a local firm for the execution of the contract.
According to him, if the bid process is allowed to continue in its current state it will mess all the gains local meter manufacturers have made.
“If this is allowed to go, it will mess up the gains. Many local meter manufacturing companies will close down and there will be loss of jobs,” he stated categorically.
He said the Association has the option of going to court to stop it but said they have shelved that option for now due to the fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had been in office for few days and therefore do not want to disturb his peace.
The Association had earlier submitted a letter to Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) requesting their intervention to suspend the bid process.
Meanwhile, Adetayo Adegbemle, Executive Director for PowerUp Nigeria, an advocacy group in Nigeria who started raising alarm about the bid process queried whether the huge amount of money in Bid security is intended to push local meter manufacturers out of business.
“It must be stated that we have had this kind of World Bank Loan with similar conditions before (2012). However, none of the Imported Meters procured under that scheme are presently still in the system.
“Again, this is a World Bank Loan, which we are definitely repaying. It is therefore imperative that we also use this to deepen our local manufacturers’ capacity,” he added
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Norway Makes Biggest Hydrocarbon Discovery In 10 Years
Norwegian oil and gas operator, DNO ASA, has made a significant gas and condensate discovery on the Carmen prospect in the Norwegian North Sea.
Preliminary evaluation of comprehensive data indicates gross recoverable resources in the range of 120-230 million making Carmen ranks as the largest discovery on the Norwegian Continental Shelf since 2013.
“Norway is the gift that keeps on giving. Carmen proves there are important discoveries still to be made and Norway’s oldest oil company, DNO, will be part of this next chapter of the country’s oil and gas story,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani.
Norway has become the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe after the continent cut ties with Russia following its war in Ukraine.
Norway’s pipeline gas exports to continental Europe have been robust in the current year, with flows averaging 313 million cu m/d.
Last month, Norway’s Aker BP (NYSE:BP) (OTCQX:AKRBF) made a much bigger than expected oil discovery in the Yggdrasil area of the North Sea, the energy company reported on Thursday.
Preliminary estimates indicate a gross recoverable volume of 40 million-90 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), much higher than the company’s earlier projection of between 18 million and 45 million boe.
The discovery will significantly enhance Aker BP’s resource base for the Yggdrasil development, which previously was estimated at 650M gross boe.The oil discovery is located within production licenses 873 and 442: In license 873, with Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) and PGNiG Upstream Norway as partners. The plan for development and operations (PDO) for this project was submitted to Norwegian authorities in December 2022, with production scheduled to start in 2027.
The North Sea is home to substantial known oil and gas reserves.
According to a report produced by the Oil and Gas Authority, known reserves of oil and gas in the North Sea at the end of 2020 amounted to 4.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BOE).
Source: Oilprice.com
UAE Will Not Make Voluntary Oil Production Cuts
The United Arab Emirates has announced that it will not join Saudi Arabia in making voluntary oil production cuts, claiming that the cuts by the Saudis are enough to balance the markets.
This is hardly surprising considering that the UAE has in the past argued that it should be allowed to pump more than its current OPEC quota.
The UAE has plans to ramp up its crude production capacity to five million barrels per day (bpd) by 2027, well above OPEC’s quota of 3 mb/d.
A week ago, for the second month running, Saudi Arabia extended its voluntary 1M bbl/day oil production cut for another month, this time till August.
The reduction will take the country’s production to ~9M bbl/day, the lowest level in several years.
The Kingdom has been single-handedly sacrificing sales volume in a bid to goose weak oil prices, but has so far reaped little reward, thanks to increased supply by non-OPEC producers including the United States.
The Energy Information Administration has reported that U.S. crude oil production is on track to set a record this year, up 9% Y/Y through April.
EIA has forecast total U.S. output will hit 12.61M bbl/day in the current year, above the previous record of 12.32M bbl/day set in 2019 and easily beating last year’s 11.89M bbl/day.
Although OPEC and its allies have announced cuts amounting to ~6% of 2022’s production, Rystad Energy estimates output in countries outside OPEC is making up for about two-thirds of those reductions, frustrating OPEC’s efforts to goose prices.
Improved efficiency and newer technologies have made U.S. oil companies more profitable, even at lower crude prices, with J.P. Morgan estimating that the cost of drilling and fracking in the U.S. shale has dropped by 36% since 2014.
Shale giant ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) is now betting that shale producers can double crude output from their existing wells by employing novel fracking technologies.
“There’s just a lot of oil being left in the ground. Fracking’s been around for a really long time, but the science of fracking is not well understood,” Exxon Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods said Thursday at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions conference.
Woods has revealed that Exxon is currently working on two specific areas to improve fracking. First off, the company is trying to frack more precisely along the well so that more oil-soaked rock gets drained.
It’s also looking for ways to keep the fracked cracks open longer so as to boost the flow of oil.
Source:Oilprice.com
Mexico: “Massive” Explosion On Pemex Production Platform Leaves Two Dead, Cuts Output By 700,000 bbl
Petroleos Mexicanos said it lost production capacity for about 700,000 bbl of oil, more than a third of its daily output, after a massive platform explosion on Friday that left at least two people dead.
The company is working to recover production, Pemex Chief Executive Officer Octavio Romero confirmed in a video late Saturday, adding that output has already recovered to 600,000 bbl.
According to report by Bloomberg News, some 450,000 bbl of oil and more than 560 MMcfg, roughly 11% of Pemex’s total natural gas output were lost on Saturday only at the Ku Maloob Zaap production asset as the company shut production as a contingency measure, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
While the one-day loss is significant, it’s likely to be temporary as Pemex resumes some of its operations following the deadly blaze, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information isn’t public.
A Pemex representative didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the loss or its current production capacity outside of normal office hours.
Two people died and one remains missing after Pemex reported an explosion at the Nohoch Alfa platform gas processing center in the Cantarell field early Friday.
Romero said late Friday that the platform’s connection module was destroyed, but that firefighting efforts helped stop the blaze from spreading to other modules.
Pemex’s head of exploration and production Angel Cid said the explosion “substantially impacted” production at the platform.
Mexico’s Cotemar, which provides oil field services, confirmed in a statement Saturday that the two workers who died in the blast were its employees and that another one is still missing.
Source:Worldoil.com
Kenya: KETRACO Seeks US$5.5 Billion Funding To Boost Grid Expansion
Kenyan Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) says it requires about US$5.5 billion to expand the country’s national electricity grid network so that Kenyans and other dependents within the East African enclave can have more access to electricity and evacuate more renewable energy.
KETRACO’s transmission master plan projects that Kenya needs an addition 7,500 circuit kilometers and associated substations.
Speaking at the just-ended Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, the Managing Director and CEO of KETRACO Dr. Eng. John M Mativo highlighted the state of the country’s electricity challenges and how to deal with them.
But he stressed that there is a lack of funds to undertake massive expansion and reinforcement of the grid. KETRACO projects a financing gap of about US$3.5 billion
To bridge this gap and achieve its mandate, Eng. John Mativo said the company is looking for Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) in the sector to supplement funds from development partners.
He said his outfit had proposed to present project development documents for its first PPP project to the PPP Committee for approval to allow financial closure in November2023. PPP investors will supplement the fast-tracking of grid expansion in the sector.
Eng. John Mativo stressed that should the private sector come in, it would quicken the pace of socio-economic development in Kenya to the next level and allow the country its plan to have 100% green power by 2030.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: PURC Commences Tariff Education In Tertiary Institutions
Ghana’s economic regulator for electricity and water tariffs, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) on Wednesday commenced a nationwide tariff education at the tertiary institutions in the West African nation beginning from the University of Ghana, Legon, in Accra, capital of Ghana.
The programme which was held at the West Center for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana attracted a number of students and some staff of the school.
The objective of the tariff education is to educate the students across the country on the role of the commission in setting electricity and water tariffs for consumers.
The Executive Secretary of PURC, Dr Ishmael Ackah, in his presentation, said it was necessary to engage the students because they are also consumers of electricity and water utilities.
Dr. Ackah explained that one of the mandates of the Commission is setting tariff for both electricity and water utilities service providers, stating that the purpose of setting the tariff is to prevent natural monopoly by the service providers, a situation where the service providers take advantage of changes and increase tariffs.
Dr Ackah mentioned that the Commission undertakes two tariff decisions, namely Major Tariff Review and Quarterly Tariff Review, explaining that the Major Tariff Review is done every three years while the Quarterly Tariff is done every quarter of the year.
Answering a question on why there is the need for tariff review, Dr Ackah said the objective is to enable the utilities service providers to recover their investments.
In arriving at a tariff decision for electricity and water, Dr Ackah said the Commission looks at factors such as the price of natural gas, which is always in US dollars, the exchange rate, the hydro-thermal mix and inflation.
Giving a detailed explanation on the recent 2nd Quarter Tariff Decision, Dr. Ackah noted that the electricity utility service providers were to recoup GH¢1.31492 billion in order to remain financially viable and survive the next quarter.
To recover this, Dr. Ackah indicated that the tariff should have been 27.51 per cent, but only Gh¢877.70 million was recovered in the tariff, leaving a balance of Gh¢437.22 million.
For the water, he said the amount that was to be recovered hovered around Gh¢650,267,161.
In the view of the Commission, the 2nd Quarter Tariff Decision of 18.36 per cent for electricity helped to fully recover 100 per cent of the inflationary effect, 100 per cent of the gas price effect and 50 per cent of the exchange rate effect over the period.
Dr. Ackah also used the opportunity to respond to questions from the students.
He also used the opportunity to announce the PURC Electricity Consumption Estimator which allows consumers to know their electricity consumption in kWh and in Ghana Cedis.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Answering a question on why there is the need for tariff review, Dr Ackah said the objective is to enable the utilities service providers to recover their investments.
In arriving at a tariff decision for electricity and water, Dr Ackah said the Commission looks at factors such as the price of natural gas, which is always in US dollars, the exchange rate, the hydro-thermal mix and inflation.
Giving a detailed explanation on the recent 2nd Quarter Tariff Decision, Dr. Ackah noted that the electricity utility service providers were to recoup GH¢1.31492 billion in order to remain financially viable and survive the next quarter.
To recover this, Dr. Ackah indicated that the tariff should have been 27.51 per cent, but only Gh¢877.70 million was recovered in the tariff, leaving a balance of Gh¢437.22 million.
For the water, he said the amount that was to be recovered hovered around Gh¢650,267,161.
In the view of the Commission, the 2nd Quarter Tariff Decision of 18.36 per cent for electricity helped to fully recover 100 per cent of the inflationary effect, 100 per cent of the gas price effect and 50 per cent of the exchange rate effect over the period.
Dr. Ackah also used the opportunity to respond to questions from the students.
He also used the opportunity to announce the PURC Electricity Consumption Estimator which allows consumers to know their electricity consumption in kWh and in Ghana Cedis.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: Gov’t Coughs US$6 Million To WAPCo After Suspending Gas Transportation
The decision by West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo) to suspend gas transportation from Aboadze Regulating and Metering Station in the Western Region to Tema Regulating and Metering Station for redistribution to power generators in Tema has compelled GNPC and ECG to cough over US$6 million to settle part of the US$13 million debt owed the company.
WAPCo receives gas from Atuabo Gas Processing Plant operated by Ghana National Gas Company and transport it to Tema to power generators.
“As of today, we have received 50% of the invoices that are due. What they had to pay at the end of June for them to continue to enjoy the services they have paid.
“Currently, there is an outstanding debt that we have got a payment plan.
“We have seen the instruction for payment so we expect that a week today, they will be able to pay. If that happens next week, we will resume full services,” a source at WAPCo told energynewsafrica.com.
Last Saturday, July 1, 2023, WAPCo suspended gas transportation from Aboadze to Tema over a US$13 million debt owed to them for the transportation of natural gas.
According to the source, WAPCo resumed gas transportation later on Saturday after assurance from government to settle the debt.
The source said they activated the protocols in the gas transportation agreement because “the current debt got to a certain level, and we felt we can’t allow it to grow anymore.”
The source said the gas flow is in two parts, namely firm volume and interruptible volume.
The source said upon several warnings which did not yield positive results, the company suspended the interruptible volume on June 1 and went ahead to cut the firm volume on July 1.
“From the 1st of June, because of the debt level, we suspended the interruptible volume because of the debt level, and we were flowing only the firm volume. We had told them that if by the end of June, they have not paid up the current bill or reduced their debt, we will shut down. So, we exercised our right on July 1, 2023,” the source said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com