The National Petroleum Authority has cautioned consumers against keeping gas cylinders indoors, describing it as dangerous.
According to the NPA, in case there is leakage, the naked eye cannot see gas, hence, the need to keep cylinders outside to avert fire outbreaks.
A member of the NPA Governing Board and Chairman of the Consumer Services sub-committee, Mr Kwami Sefa Kayi, who made the call at an LPG awareness and sensitisation lecture at the Takoradi Technical University, noted that some people did not want to keep their cylinders outside because of the fear that they would be stolen.
Kwame Sefa Kayi, Governing Board Member of NPA
“If you have cylinders in any enclosed place, go and bring them out. Don’t complain that it will be stolen,” he advised the public.
Mr Sefa Kayi, who is a veteran broadcaster, gave the assurance that the NPA would do everything to ensure the price of PLG remains competitive and “soft on consumers.”
The lecture, organised by the Corporate Affairs and Gas Directorates of the Authority, was on the theme: ‘Safe Use of LPG Protects Lives and Property’.
The sensitisation exercise on the safe use of LPG and the general operations of NPA involved one-on-one engagements with traders and lecturers in educational institutions in the Western and Central regions.
Other institutions visited included the Sekondi Nursing and Midwifery Training College and the Cape Coast Nursing and Midwifery Training College.
Answering a question on NPA’s complaint procedure, the Consumer Services Manager, Mrs. Eunice Budu Nyarko urged the public to immediately report fuel stations suspected of cheating to the Authority.
She said when complaints are made within 48 hours of the purchase of fuel, prompt investigations are conducted to establish the facts before the product is sold out.
“Consumers should report within 48 hours. If we delay, we may risk the loss of evidence. Consumers should report and then we can act immediately,” she said.
However, Mrs. Budu Nyarko said consumers could still report after 48 hours of the purchase of the fuel.
“We will still investigate but that product you bought might have been sold out. So what the NPA does is keep the station under surveillance, meaning the Authority’s inspectors will be visiting there unannounced for some time.
“The NPA will always protect the interest of stakeholders, consumers and petroleum service providers,” she stressed and announced the customer lines.
In his presentation, Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Mr David Essuman cautioned the public against placing stones and heavy materials on valves of LPG cylinders to supposedly prevent leakage.
He said the heavy materials could not stop the leakage, and indicated that the best thing was for the people to replace the faulty valves.
Welcoming the lecturers and students on behalf of the NPA Chief Executive, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Communications Manager of NPA, Mr Mohammed Abdul-Kudus, noted that Europeans and Americans depended solely on gas for their domestic activities but they hardly recorded fires.
Therefore, he said if gas users in Ghana observed the safety tips, they could reduce gas-related fire outbreaks.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
China has reached its goal to have more non-fossil fuel installed electricity capacity than fossil fuels earlier than planned, with 50.9% of its power capacity coming from non-fossil fuel sources now, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.
Back in 2021, the Chinese authorities said they would target renewables to outpace fossil fuel-installed capacity by 2025.
China is unmatched in renewable energy spending globally, investing in raising its solar and wind power capacity.
China’s wind and solar power generation has jumped in recent years to nearly equal domestic residential electricity consumption, but the relatively small share of household demand in overall consumption means that China still needs a lot of fossil fuels.
In 2022, China’s wind and solar power output surged by 21% to 1,190 terawatt-hours (TWh), according to data from NEA cited by Bloomberg.
To compare, residential electricity demand last year rose by 14% to 1,340 TWh as people mostly stayed at home due to the zero-Covid policy.
Despite the surge in Chinese wind and solar power installations and generation, the Chinese industry accounts for around 60% of all electricity demand, according to Bloomberg’s estimates.
Residential demand, on the other hand, was just 17% of electricity consumption in 2020.
Last year, as global investment in the low-carbon energy transition totaled $1.1 trillion and equaled the investments in fossil fuel supply, China was the leading country for attracting energy transition investment, accounting for $546 billion or nearly half of the global total, research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF) said earlier this year.
The second-largest low-carbon energy investment was in the United States, which was a distant second at $141 billion, while all such investments in the EU reached $180 billion in 2022.
China also dominated the supply chain and manufacturing investments in clean energy, accounting for 91% of manufacturing investments in 2022.
“From a supply chain diversification point of view, the picture has not changed much. China is investing by far the most in building out its clean energy supply chain, and it remains to be seen if other regions can capture significant market share,” said Antoine Vagneur-Jones, BNEF’s Head of Trade and Supply Chains research.
Source: Oilprice.com
Kenya’s Geothermal Development Company and Globeleq, UK-based renewable energy firm have performed a ground breaking ceremony for the construction of 35-MW geothermal power project in Menengai, Kenya.
Globeleq is one of the three Independent Power Producers (IPPs) that has been awarded rights to build and operate geothermal power plants in Menengai.
The ceremony was attended by the Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, Department of Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, H.E. Hon Susak Khika of Nakuru County, British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott OBE, and the GDC Board Chair Hon. Walter Osebe Nyambati.
The US$108 million Menengai project will be Globeleq’s first geothermal plant.
Menengai is a Greenfield geothermal project and part of the first phase of the wider Menengai complex, which is the second large-scale geothermal field being developed in Kenya after Olkaria.
Steam will be supplied to the project by Geothermal Development Company (GDC).
Speaking at the ceremony, H.E Rigathi Gachagua lauded GDC for its role in helping to develop green energy.
He promised government’s support so that GDC can competently deliver on its mandate.
“We will continue to support GDC to effectively play its role; more importantly, these efforts will help Kenya meet its international obligation on decarbonizing the economy on Africa and global front as we push to exploit the full geothermal potential,’’ he said.
He added that: “the government is keen on lowering the cost of power. Electricity from this power plant will cost only 7 US cents… Affordable power will help spur economic development and reduce the cost of doing business.”
Also commenting, Mr. Davis Chirchir, the Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, said: “As one of the countries most affected by climate change, we are determined to attain our target of 100 percent transition to green energy; it is clean, reliable, affordable, and sustainable.
“The de-risking concept, underwritten by the Government of Kenya through GDC, is a critical model to accelerate the development of geothermal energy in Kenya and lower the cost of power for investors and households,” he concluded.
GDC has conducted drilling of 43 wells in Menengai, thus taking the upfront risks of developing the geothermal project.
On his part, the Board Chair, Hon. Walter Nyambati noted that “in just 13 years, we have turned Menengai from a jungle into a complex that is promising Kenya’s green future.”
He assured that GDC, with the government and financiers’ support, will excel.
“We’re happy. This ground breaking a future of lowered cost of power and more revenues for GDC. I want to assure the GDC staff that our Company is great; it has potential and what we need is to all, in one accord, support each other and pull forward together,” he said.
The Egyptian Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy has signed an agreement with United Arab Emirates-based clean energy firm to develop 10 gigawatts wind farm estimated at US$10 billion.
Mohamed Shaker, Egypt’s Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy said at the signing ceremony that “the project demonstrates the ability of the renewable energy sector in Egypt to attract foreign direct investment.”
For his part, Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, described the wind power plant as a strategic project and one of the largest projects in this field in Africa and the world.
The wind power plant, upon completion, would produce annually 47,790 gigawatt-hours of clean energy, reducing carbon dioxide emission in Egypt by about 9 per cent.
It would save the country around five billion dollars in the annual cost of natural gas consumption.
“This project is an extension of the historical relations between Egypt and the UAE and it reflects the bonds of fruitful and constructive cooperation between the two countries,” said Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during the signing ceremony.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Despite the lowest natural gas prices in two years, Europe’s natural gas demand continues to be weak and fell in May from a year earlier as industries are slowing and major economies enter a recession.
Natural gas demand in the biggest European economies namely Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands – dropped by 9.7% last month compared to May 2022, per data from S&P Global Commodity Insights quoted by Bloomberg.
This time last year, Europe’s gas demand was depressed by soaring natural gas and spot LNG prices and calls for energy conservation to cope with the winter without most of the previous Russian pipeline gas supply.
This year, prices have eased to the levels from before the energy crisis that began in the autumn of 2021 and peaked in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However, the lowest prices in around two years haven’t spurred gas consumption because industries and economies in Europe are slowing.
Due to continued high inflation, Germany—Europe’s biggest economy—entered a recession, with GDP contracting by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2023 and by 0.5% in Q4 2022, government data showed at the end of last month.
Updated figures for Germany and Ireland from Eurostat showed on Thursday that the Eurozone also slipped into recession, with GDP contracting by 0.1% in the first quarter of 2023 after a 0.1% contraction in Q4 2022.
Weak growth or deepening recessions could mean that industries may not pick up natural gas use.
The front-month futures at the TTF hub, the benchmark for Europe’s gas trading, were trading at $31.20 (29 euros) per megawatt-hour (MWh) at 10:39 a.m. GMT on Friday.
Prices are now much lower than the August 2022 record-high of over $323 (300 euros) per MWh, but this week they rose due to maintenance at Norwegian gas fields and a French LNG import terminal.
Source: Oilprice.com
The UK’s government may lift the controversial 35% windfall tax it imposed on the energy industry last year in response to the supply crunch that sent energy prices soaring.
The decision comes amid a consistent decline in energy prices and would come into effect once these prices fall below a certain level, Bloomberg reported, citing an unnamed source in the know.
The energy price level, at which the tax would potentially cease to apply, is yet to be determined.
Reports about the possibility of lifting the additional tax burden that the industry resented loudly first emerged in March, when City A.M. reported that the government was considering putting a floor on the tax for fear that Norway’s Equinor might decide to pull out of the Rosebank offshore gas project because of the additional levy.
Indeed, the security of investments has been the primary focus of critics of windfall taxes both in the UK and elsewhere, as industry leaders warned additional taxes would lead to a reconsideration of investment decisions and, as a result, lower oil and gas supply and higher prices.
As early as February, the UK’s oil and gas industry association, Offshore Energies, warned that with the windfall tax the total tax burden of oil and gas operators had risen to a massive 75%.
It was the highest tax burden of any industry in the UK, the body said, noting that many operators were already announcing lower investments and deferring drilling plans. They were also pulling out of new projects.
After the windfall tax was raised, Harbour Energy, the biggest oil and gas producer in the UK North Sea, backed out of the ongoing licensing round aimed at awarding more than 100 new licenses.
Shell has said it would be re-evaluating each project comprising its $30.5 billion (25 billion pounds) planned investment in the UK energy system, and TotalEnergies has said it would slash its investment in the UK by 25%.
Source: Oilprice.com
Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) says it has taken measures to ensure uninterrupted importation and supply of petroleum products in the country.
The measures, when put in place by the NPA, will save the country from experiencing fuel shortages as experienced in other countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.
Speaking at a media engagement in Cape Coast, on Wednesday, the Head of Planning at NPA, Mr Dominic Aboagye said the interventions include management of storage depots, the layman allocation programme and stock monitoring and reporting.
Besides, he said the ‘Gold for Oil’ programme, the Bank of Ghana forex support to Bulk Oil Distribution Companies and the granting of a Special International Oil Trading Licence were key to preventing any risk of fuel supply disruption.
Mr. Aboagye noted that the Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the fuel supply in the world.
Mr. Aboagye noted that 80 per cent of the country’s fuel consumption was dependent on imports.
He said local production of fuel by the Akwaaba Oil Refinery and the Platon Gas Oil Refinery was supporting the sector.
He said the local fuel refinery would be ramped up with the expected start of operation by the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and the completion of the Sentuo Refinery.
The first phase of the Sentuo Refinery would produce 40,000 barrels per day, which would be increased to 100,000 barrels per day.
Mr. Aboagye noted that the country’s daily fuel demand was about 110,000 metric tonnes of fuel per day.
Therefore, he said that the completion of the Sentuo Refinery would ensure local fuel sufficiency.
In his presentation, the Central Regional Manager of NPA, Mr Michael Opoku-Obiri said an applicant for starting a filling station needed to have a site plan, no objection construction permit, an authorisation test run, and authorisation to operate from the Authority.
He said that the NPA conducts a main inspection, compliance random inspection and monthly quality control visits to filling stations to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards.
Mr. Opoku-Obiri mentioned the use of loading ramps to tilt vehicles to be filled to the brim, under-delivery at the pumps and unavailability of water-finding paste as some of the infractions, which the office was working to correct in the region.
The media engagement organised by the Communications Department of the NPA was to highlight Authority’s activities in the petroleum downstream industry and respond to industry-related questions from the media.
In a welcome address on behalf of the NPA Chief Executive, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Director of Economic Regulation and Planning, Mrs. Alpha Welbeck said the focus of this year’s education was on the security of supply of petroleum products and the requirements for siting filling stations.
A member of the NPA Governing Board and Chairman of the Consumer Services sub-committee, Mr Kwame Sefa Kayi commended the NPA for the media engagement and called for increased collaboration between the Authority and the media to get the public well-informed about the NPA’s operations.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Bolts drivers in the Federal Republic of Nigeria have announced a three-day nationwide withdrawal of their services to demand an upward adjustment in both their bonus and fare.
Report by local online portal dailyigeria.com said the drivers are demanding for an increase in the fare and their bonus due to the recent increase in the pump price of petrol and the consequential rise in the price of spare parts.
According to the drivers, the terms and conditions given to them are unfavorable.
“Calabar remained the most adversely affected location as it concerns terms and conditions of driving and earnings compared to other places where the company is operating.
“Due to the increase in the price of fuel, we can no longer meet up, we want the management to increase the fare to at least N1,000 as a baseline,’’ Mike Neji, Treasurer of the Calabar branch of Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transport Workers of Nigeria said.
“They should also reduce the commission they collect from us drivers.
“Currently, they are collecting about 35 per cent when you add other components of the charges they deduct.
“We are being charged for a lot of things at a time the prices of fuel, engine oil and car maintenance generally has gone up.
“In spite of the situation, the management is only adding N1000 or thereabout to the fare, which is not in any way commensurate with the reality on the ground,” Nneji said.
He said that the group might be compelled to look for an alternative if the company did not meet its demand.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has commissioned an ultra-modern water laboratory at its head office annex at GNAT Heights, Ridge, a suburb of Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The facility will enable them to test the quality of water supply by Ghana Water Company Limited to consumers.
At a brief ceremony to commission the facility, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr Ishmael Ackah emphasised that the health of the water consumers drink is very important, stating that it can cause trouble for consumers and, therefore, needed to be taken seriously.
Dr Ackah said the commission recognises this and, therefore, invested in the laboratory to assure consumers.
According to him, there are times the commission receives complaints from consumers about the poor quality of water supplied to them by GWCL.
He said in most cases, the Commission relied on the services of the Water Resources Commission but said “Because of the huge task at the Water Resources Commission, it takes time before we receive results of our test. Also, it comes with a cost.”
Dr Ackah said the establishment of the water laboratory would ensure that complaints from consumers are resolved expeditiously.
“We want to be responsive in terms of performing our mandate and ensuring that we balance the interest of consumers and utilities,” he said.
Unlike electricity which is regulated, Dr Ackah noted that the water sector is not, stating that his outfit is, therefore, collaborating with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to come out with a legal framework to regulate the sector.
He commended the commission’s water department and was hopeful that with the establishment of the laboratory, their work would be improved.
Commenting on the facility, the Director for Water Services & Performance Monitoring at PURC, Ing. Emmanuel Fiati, said the facility would enable them to do several tests including turbidity, colour content and PH of the water.
He added that the facility would help them speed up the resolution of complaints and guarantee the quality of water supply to consumers.
Ghana’s second-state largest power generation company, Bui Power Authority, is at the stage of completing the 5MW floating solar project on the reservoir of the Bui Generation Station.
The Authority which is the renewable energy leader in the West African nation completed the first 1MW in 2020 under the former CEO, Mr. Fred Oware.
The Authority planned to scale it up to 5MW, going forward.
Therefore, upon assumption of office in 2021, the current CEO, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi carried on from where his predecessor left off.
According to the Director for Renewable Energy at BPA, Wisdom Ahiataku -Togobo, installation works began on 6th March 2023 and within three months, they have completed the installation of 4MW to add to the existing 1MW to bring the total to 5MW.
BPA CEO Mr. Samuel Kofi Dzamesi (2nd right) inspecting the work done
Outstanding works left are the completion of the cabling for the interconnection of the PV plant to the main switchyard which is about 90 per cent complete.
The interesting aspect of the project is that the installation of the panels and electrical cabling is done by the engineers of the Authority and other workforce sourced within the project area.
The CEO of BPA, Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, who is a mechanical engineer by profession, was on-site to support and encourage the team in the installation of the panels.
He was accompanied by all the Board members of BPA and the Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu -Banahene.
Upon completion, it will be the largest floating solar in Africa.
In 2022, Tunisia commissioned its first floating solar on the lake with a capacity of 200 kilowatts.
Ghana is currently making progress as far as its quest to increase the penetration of renewable energy sources in the energy mix is concerned.
Management Team of the Renewable Energy Department of BPABono Regional Minister and BPA CEO in a group photo on siteBPA board members on site to inspect progress of work
GOIL PLC, the leading indigenous oil and gas firm in the Republic of Ghana, improved its performance in 2022 by registering a net profit after tax of Gh¢123.89 million, despite the harsh economic conditions both internally and externally.
The figure represents a 26 per cent growth of the 2021 net profit after tax of Gh¢98.74 million.
Both local and international economies impacted the company’s operating expenses in 2022 when it registered Gh¢362.95 million, up by 55 per cent from last year.
Providing details of the company’s performance at the 54th Annual General Meeting in Accra, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the Board Chairman of GOIL PLC, Reginald Daniel Laryea said GOIL increased its number of stations by four per cent.
The company’s fuel sales grew by 21.4 per cent during 2022 compared to the previous year.
Revenue for 2022 was Gh¢22,000,243,000 compared to Gh¢8,437,994,000 in 2021.
The company’s overall market share grew from 15.32 per cent in 2021 to 20.11 per cent in 2022.
The company continued to dominate the bunkering market in Ghana, increasing its market share from 60 per cent in 2021 to 73 per cent in 2022.
Mr Laryea noted that the company also made significant investments in the supply of quality products and services to the mines.
“GOIL increased its market share in the mining industry, expanding its sales volume from 49.2 million litres in 2021 to 59.2 million litres in 2022,” he revealed.
He added that the company rejuvenated the Non-Fuel business which is allowing other businesses to operate and the forecourt of the stations including GoCafes and Lubebays.
GOIL declared a dividend of Gh¢0.056 per share amounting to Gh¢21, 944,335.00 for shareholders.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Group CEO and Managing Director of GOIL PLC, Kwame Osei -Prempeh, has apologised to customers who went to their service stations in parts of the country but could not get petrol (Ron 95) to buy.
He rendered the apology at the company’s 54th Annual General Meeting held at Labadi in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The apology followed a question by one of the shareholders who wanted to know why there was a shortage of Ron 95 at some of GOIL’s stations.
Responding to the question, Mr. Osei Prempeh said they were in control of the situation, adding, “We have enough stock of Ron 95 (petrol) but due to challenges at the loading point, we couldn’t load much.”
According to him, the issues were resolved on Tuesday and “as of today (Wednesday), we have started loading to all our stations.
“Our normal supply to the market is about 2.4 million litres, but we’re increasing it to 2.5 million litres to the market,” he stated.
Describing the company’s Ron 95 as the best, Mr. Osei Prempeh said other companies are selling Ron 91 under different names but GOIL’s Ron 95 is the best and most affordable.
He, thus, urged Ghanaians to continue to patronise the services of GOIL.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
European leaders looking to tackle climate change should look to U.S. policy and “let the market work” to avoid driving companies away with prescriptive regulations, ExxonMobil Corp. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods has said.
“I think it’s a huge mistake to be picking winners and losers and focusing on specific technologies,” Woods told the CEO Norway’s Wealth Fund, Nicolai Tangen, on his podcast.
“Instead, we should be looking more broadly at letting the markets figure out which solutions provide the most emissions reductions for the lowest cost.”
Europe has been working with a greater sense of urgency since the Biden administration last year passed its Inflation Reduction Act, with $370 billion in tax subsidies to cut carbon emissions.
The package is turbo-charging interest in carbon capture and storage technologies, which for years have been considered too expensive and prone to failure.
Exxon, which has pledged to spend $17 billion through 2027 on low-carbon initiatives, is among the companies ramping up plans to capture emissions.
“Carbon capture is going to play a really important role. It is a technology that exists today. It’s one that we have a lot of experience in,” Woods said. “Think carbon capture and storage, think hydrogen, think biofuels, all of those recognized by credible third parties are going to be needed as part of the solution.”
While other oil majors are looking to develop wind farms and solar parks, Exxon is focused on technologies that dovetail with the company’s strengths, Woods said.
“At the end of the day, we’re a molecule company, not an electron company.”
Even as it pursues carbon capture and storage technology, Exxon will keep pumping oil and gas, Woods said.
“If we stop producing diesel and gasoline, the world demand doesn’t change. Somebody else will meet that,” he said.
“I stop growing liquefied natural gas and the world burns more coal.”
Norway’s wealth fund will require the companies it invests in to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
It recently voted in favor of a proposal calling for Exxon to adopt a medium-term target to reduce its customer’s emissions — known as Scope 3 — but the demand was rejected by a majority of shareholders.
Source:worldoil.com
The Board of Ghana National Gas Company has embarked on an inspection tour of various ongoing projects at Atuabo in the western part of Ghana.
The purpose of the tour was to assess the progress of these projects and ensure that they were on track.
The tour began with a visit to the chief of Atuabo, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli III, who is also a Board Member, and later proceeded to the gas lounge to inspect the progress of the project.
The delegation visited the cutting-edge Trauma Center.
The Centre, when completed, would boast advanced facilities including an operation theatre, 16 regular ward beds, eight VIP beds and four beds for the High Dependency Unit.
The facility is designed to provide comprehensive care for major traumatic injuries, not only for residents but also for referral cases from neighbouring countries.
The team also visited the ongoing soap-making factory in Atuabo, which is an innovative project aimed at empowering women in the communities of Asemda, Anokye and Atuabo.
The inspection concluded at the Gas Processing Plant (GPP) where the team assessed the operations of the plant after a temporary maintenance shutdown.
The board members, namely Stephen Sumani Nayina, Delphine Dogbegah, John Darko, and Nana Owusu Ansah Ababio were impressed with the GPP’s performance after the maintenance works.
They assured the engineers of their commitment to supporting all its operations.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Besides, he said the ‘Gold for Oil’ programme, the Bank of Ghana forex support to Bulk Oil Distribution Companies and the granting of a Special International Oil Trading Licence were key to preventing any risk of fuel supply disruption.
Mr. Aboagye noted that the Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the fuel supply in the world.
Mr. Aboagye noted that 80 per cent of the country’s fuel consumption was dependent on imports.
He said local production of fuel by the Akwaaba Oil Refinery and the Platon Gas Oil Refinery was supporting the sector.
He said the local fuel refinery would be ramped up with the expected start of operation by the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and the completion of the Sentuo Refinery.
The first phase of the Sentuo Refinery would produce 40,000 barrels per day, which would be increased to 100,000 barrels per day.
Mr. Aboagye noted that the country’s daily fuel demand was about 110,000 metric tonnes of fuel per day.
Therefore, he said that the completion of the Sentuo Refinery would ensure local fuel sufficiency.
In his presentation, the Central Regional Manager of NPA, Mr Michael Opoku-Obiri said an applicant for starting a filling station needed to have a site plan, no objection construction permit, an authorisation test run, and authorisation to operate from the Authority.
He said that the NPA conducts a main inspection, compliance random inspection and monthly quality control visits to filling stations to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards.
Mr. Opoku-Obiri mentioned the use of loading ramps to tilt vehicles to be filled to the brim, under-delivery at the pumps and unavailability of water-finding paste as some of the infractions, which the office was working to correct in the region.
The media engagement organised by the Communications Department of the NPA was to highlight Authority’s activities in the petroleum downstream industry and respond to industry-related questions from the media.
In a welcome address on behalf of the NPA Chief Executive, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Director of Economic Regulation and Planning, Mrs. Alpha Welbeck said the focus of this year’s education was on the security of supply of petroleum products and the requirements for siting filling stations.
A member of the NPA Governing Board and Chairman of the Consumer Services sub-committee, Mr Kwame Sefa Kayi commended the NPA for the media engagement and called for increased collaboration between the Authority and the media to get the public well-informed about the NPA’s operations.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
He said in most cases, the Commission relied on the services of the Water Resources Commission but said “Because of the huge task at the Water Resources Commission, it takes time before we receive results of our test. Also, it comes with a cost.”
Dr Ackah said the establishment of the water laboratory would ensure that complaints from consumers are resolved expeditiously.
“We want to be responsive in terms of performing our mandate and ensuring that we balance the interest of consumers and utilities,” he said.
Unlike electricity which is regulated, Dr Ackah noted that the water sector is not, stating that his outfit is, therefore, collaborating with the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation to come out with a legal framework to regulate the sector.
He commended the commission’s water department and was hopeful that with the establishment of the laboratory, their work would be improved.
Commenting on the facility, the Director for Water Services & Performance Monitoring at PURC, Ing. Emmanuel Fiati, said the facility would enable them to do several tests including turbidity, colour content and PH of the water.
He added that the facility would help them speed up the resolution of complaints and guarantee the quality of water supply to consumers.
BPA board members on site to inspect progress of work
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com