Ghana: VRA, Emergency Service Agencies Embark On Dam Spillage Simulation Exercise Today
Ghana’s largest state power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA), will today, Thursday, May 11, 2023, conduct a dam spillage simulation exercise with some emergency service agencies in the West African nation.
VRA operates the 1,020 Megawatts Akosombo Hydroelectric Power and Kpong Dams situated in the eastern part of Ghana.
The exercise is expected to take place in the Asuogyaman, North Tongu and East Ada districts where the impact could be severe in an unlikely event of a dam spillage.
The exercise will comprise state security agencies, the National Ambulance Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Electricity Company of Ghana, the North Dakota National Guard and the US Embassy which are providing technical support and training.
The exercise forms part of the VRA’s Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) for the Akosombo and Kpong Dams to enhance the readiness of the state agencies to respond to emergencies arising from the release of significant amounts of water from the dams.
Speaking at an official event ahead of the planned exercise, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Authority, Edward Obeng-Kenzo indicated that though excess spillage would likely not happen anytime soon, it was necessary to anticipate the implications of spillage and take the appropriate measures in a likely event.
He disclosed that the spillage would likely affect more than 300,000 residents living around the dam and so it was important to protect the lives and livelihoods of these people.
“We are conducting a spillage simulation exercise of the Akosombo Dam up to the tune of 10,000 cubic meters and that is a lot of water, and it has implications for all the districts downstream, and we have nine districts downstream of the Akosombo Dam and these districts will be affected if we spill and so it is our responsibility to ensure that those communities are safe during a spillage.”
The Director-General of NADMO, Eric Nana Agyeman Prempeh said disasters could be prevented through early warning systems such as simulation exercises and the building of efficient response systems.
He, therefore, commended the VRA for adhering to the constitution by establishing emergency preparedness and response plans by Law 216 (Act 927) which obliges all agencies to simulate their plans jointly with NADMO.
“Continued exercises of this nature will improve the preparedness and resilience of our local communities.
“Gaps in disaster preparedness and response will also be identified and the capacity of response agencies, including NADMO, to manage and reduce disaster risk will be increased,” Nana Prempeh added.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: NPA Advises Motorists Not To Patronise Fuel Sold On Table Tops
Motorists in the Republic of Ghana have been advised to desist from patronising petroleum products that are sold at unapproved places like table tops along the road.
According to the petroleum downstream regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), such products, which are mostly smuggled into the country through unauthorised routes, mainly from Togo, are adulterated and can damage their vehicles.
The petroleum products are filled in gallons and conveyed mostly on motorbikes to their Ghanaian customers, who, in turn, fill the fuel in bottles for onward sale on table tops.
The Volta Regional Manager of NPA, Mr Godwin Yaw Konu, who made the call at a media engagement in Ho, last Friday, said the NPA could not guarantee the quality of such petroleum products.
Therefore, he said that in case of damage to vehicles as a result of the use of such unapproved products, the NPA could not help the affected motorists to seek redress.
He urged motorists to buy petroleum products only from approved retail outlets.
As a proactive step, Mr Konu indicated that the NPA had, in collaboration with the security agencies, embarked upon swoops in the Ketu South and Ketu North constituencies in the Volta Region and arrested some of the smugglers.
Besides, he said a delegation from the NPA, led by a Deputy Chief Executive, had visited Togo and held discussions with the authorities responsible for petroleum products and security to agree on a collaborative effort to confront the smuggling of petroleum products to Ghana.
The media engagement organised by the Communications Department was to highlight the NPA’s activities in the petroleum downstream industry and respond to industry-related questions from the media.
In his presentation, the Head of Planning of NPA, Mr Dominic Aboagye said 80 per cent of the country’s fuel consumption was dependent on import.
He said local refining of crude oil by Akwaaba Oil Refinery and the Platon Refinery were supporting the local market and indicated the completion of the Sentuo Refinery, also a privately owned company, which would generate about 100,000 metric tonnes of fuel per day at full capacity, would greatly reduce the country’s dependency on imports.
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 the supply of petroleum products and the requirements for siting filling stations.
In her remarks, the Director of Corporate Affairs of NPA, Mrs. Maria Edith Oquaye urged the media to get in touch with the Authority for information and clarification on issues related to the petroleum downstream petroleum industry to provide accurate information to the public.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
OPEC Minister Downplays Need For Further Production Cuts To Balance Market
A key OPEC+ minister played down the need for further cuts to balance supply and demand, weeks after the organization shocked the oil market by announcing a round of large production reductions.
“I’m not that worried about the very, very short term,” Suhail Al Mazrouei, the energy minister for the United Arab Emirates, told reporters in Abu Dhabi Tuesday.
“Let’s wait. This is not a prediction that I can give now or a decision, this is a collective decision,” on whether further OPEC+ supply adjustments are needed, he said.
OPEC and its allies are currently proceeding with preparations for an in-person meeting at its Vienna headquarters next month.
The UAE is the third-biggest producer within group.
Crude has retreated more than 9% this year, with futures whipsawed by the Federal Reserve’s monetary-tightening campaign, concerns of a U.S. recession, and countervailing hopes for resurgence in Chinese demand.
The decline in prices has come despite last month’s surprise production cut by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies including Russia.
Al Mazrouei warned that the bigger risk to supply was the weak level of investment over the coming years.
“If we don’t see companies and countries investing, we could see a shortage in the future,” he said.
Source: WorldOil.com
Africa Needs $700 Billion In Clean Energy Investment
Africa will need financing of around $700 billion in the next decade to expand green energy development and the mining of key energy transition metals such as cobalt, copper, and lithium, a top executive at Africa’s top lender by assets said.
Millions of people in Africa do not have access to electricity, and renewables could be part of the solution, analysts say.
At the same time, Africa has resources such as cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, copper in Zambia, platinum and manganese in South Africa, and lithium deposits in Zimbabwe.
The investment in further development of these resources and funding for more renewable energy power generation will have to come mostly from international investors and institutions because Africa’s banks will not be able to provide all the lending, South Africa-based Standard Bank Group says.
“Many of the minerals that are required to build solar panels, lithium batteries, wind turbines and so on, are found in sub-Saharan Africa,” Kenny Fihla, chief executive officer of Standard Bank’s corporate and investment banking unit, told Bloomberg.
“Our team has also quantified the amount of investment that is required in that space as in the order of hundreds of billions of dollars,” Fihla added.
Standard Bank itself expects to reach the “upper end” of lending – the equivalent of around $13 billion – for renewable energy by 2026, the bank’s executive said.
Standard Bank, however, has defended its role in funding fossil fuel projects.
The bank says that access to energy in Africa will continue to drive its support for fossil fuel projects.
“It is not possible for Africa and many of the African countries to ignore the shortage of electricity supply,” Fihla said in a recent interview with Bloomberg.
“Today’s challenges are not going to be resolved overnight and therefore a much more balanced approach is required,” the executive added.
Source: Oilprice.com
Ghana: TUC Storms Chinese Power Firm To Demand Reinstatement Of Three Dismissed Workers
The umbrella body of the Ghanaian workers, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), on Tuesday, stormed the Chinese power firm, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited, to protest the dismissal of three staff of the company who are executives of the Ghana Mines Workers’ Union (GMWU).
The TUC, led by its Secretary-General, Dr. Yaw Baah, gathered at the Methodist Church in Kpone and walked through the streets to a police barricade close to the power plant.
The TUC Secretary-General, Dr Yaw Baah; National Chairman of Ghana Mines Workers’ Union Abdul-Rauf Issahaku; and the General-Secretary, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, took their turns to address the protesters.
They accused the management of Sunon Asogli Power Ghana of disrespecting the labour laws of Ghana.
The General Secretary of Mines Workers’ Union, Abdul-Moomin Gbana said the staff of Asogli Power Ghana Limited approached them to join the union and engaged their management and conducted an election to select union executives.
He said few days after the selection of the executives, management sacked three executives including the chairman.
According to him, Ghana is not a banana republic where laws are not respected and warned the company to desist from breaching the laws of Ghana.
He said both the Labour Law and the 1992 Constitution of Ghana allow freedom of association and the formation of unions.
“We are not against any investor coming to Ghana, but Sunon Asogli’s $750 million cannot buy our rights so today, we are demonstrating to the whole world that unions in this country will exercise our rights.
“Our demands are very simple and we have made it clear to our employer that our three colleagues must be reinstated and we will fight and fight till they are reinstated.”
General Secretary of TUC, Dr Yaw Baah called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to wake up and ensure that Ghanaians are not mistreated by their foreign employers.
He said failure on the part of the President to intervene to reinstate the workers would compel the TUC to mobilise and picket at the Jubilee House, the seat of Government.
Meanwhile, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited has rejected claims that they are against the formation of a union in the company.
The company, in a statement issued last week, said it is rather against the procedure being adopted by the Ghana Mine Workers Union.
They accused the TUC of failing to engage with management and rather siding with the Mines Workers Union.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
According to him, Ghana is not a banana republic where laws are not respected and warned the company to desist from breaching the laws of Ghana.
He said both the Labour Law and the 1992 Constitution of Ghana allow freedom of association and the formation of unions.
“We are not against any investor coming to Ghana, but Sunon Asogli’s $750 million cannot buy our rights so today, we are demonstrating to the whole world that unions in this country will exercise our rights.
“Our demands are very simple and we have made it clear to our employer that our three colleagues must be reinstated and we will fight and fight till they are reinstated.”
General Secretary of TUC, Dr Yaw Baah called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to wake up and ensure that Ghanaians are not mistreated by their foreign employers.
He said failure on the part of the President to intervene to reinstate the workers would compel the TUC to mobilise and picket at the Jubilee House, the seat of Government.
Meanwhile, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited has rejected claims that they are against the formation of a union in the company.
The company, in a statement issued last week, said it is rather against the procedure being adopted by the Ghana Mine Workers Union.
They accused the TUC of failing to engage with management and rather siding with the Mines Workers Union.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com EU Looks To Extend Trade Restrictions On Companies Aiding Russia
The European Commission has proposed to EU member states to consider trade restrictions on companies from China, Hong Kong, the UAE, Uzbekistan, and Armenia which are thought to be helping Russia obtain technology for its military and industrial complex, Bloomberg reported on Monday, quoting draft proposals it had seen.
The Commission is targeting companies considered to be “directly supporting Russia’s military and industrial complex in its war of aggression against Ukraine,” according to a document Bloomberg has viewed.
The EU’s executive arm is looking to impose “stricter export restrictions regarding dual-use goods and technology, as well as goods and technology which might contribute to the technological enhancement of Russia’s defense and security sector,” a document reads.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday about the EU’s proposal.
Asked to comment on the report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference today that “If the report you cited is true, the EU move will erode mutual trust and cooperation with China and sharpen division and confrontation in the world, which is extremely dangerous.”
“We call on the EU not to take that wrong course. Otherwise, China will take resolute measures to safeguard our legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” the Chinese official added.
Last month, Bloomberg reported that officials from the G7 group of the world’s most industrialized nations are discussing the idea of an outright ban on nearly all exports to Russia in another move aimed at hurting the Russian economy over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The G7 officials are discussing the idea ahead of a summit of the leaders in Japan this month, with the goal of bringing the EU into the fold of countries banning nearly all exports to Russia, according to Bloomberg’s sources.
However, an EU implementation of such sanctions would need the approval of all 27 member states, which would create a lot of differences among EU nations and fears of retaliation from Russia.
Source: Oilprice.com
The Gambia: Barrow Inaugurates Transmission Line To Connect 46 Communities With Electricity
The Gambian President Adama Barrow has inaugurated a 30kV power transmission line from Laminkoto to Diabugu Batapa to extend electricity supply to 46 communities in the Sami and Sandu Districts.
“This important energy project has been implemented to expand electricity access to forty-six (46) communities that run from Lamin Koto to Diabugu Batapa in the districts of Sami and Sandu and within the two furthest regions of the country. These are areas that very strongly need such public projects,” the President said in his keynote address.
The US$8 million project is a medium voltage 30KV line network initiative that is fully loaded with distribution facilities.
The project includes electricity connection meters provided for one thousand Dalasi (D1,000. 00) for two thousand, five hundred and twenty (2,520) beneficiaries.
Among them will be household, institutional and commercial end-users or customers.
“It is safe to state confidently that this is a major project that has come to transform the beneficiary communities and will significantly improve the lives and livelihoods of the people who live in those communities.
“Besides providing regular electricity supply for them, the facilities will create various opportunities for the people. For example, it will enable the residents of the settlements to process and add value to their agricultural produce, facilitate access to quality social services, and enhance better living conditions,” President Barrow said.
Continuing, he said, “As my government continues to strive to provide universal access to electricity by 2025 because this project is a component of The Gambia Electricity Restoration and Modernization Project, it will undoubtedly contribute remarkably towards the achievement of our national universal electrification programme.
“While other electricity access projects are being implemented speedily to close the universal electricity access gap, we remain strongly committed to achieving the noble 2025 target of electricity access for all,” he concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: We’re Disappointed In TUC… Says Asogli Power Ghana
Ghana’s largest independent power producer, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited, has expressed disgust at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for failing to engage them and rather siding with Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) for engaging in what they described as illegality.
According to Sunon Asogli, it expected the TUC, which is the umbrella body of all workers’ unions to have approached them to hear their side of the story regarding claims by the Ghana Mines Workers Union they were resisting attempts by their workers to unionise.
“Sunon Asogli is not and has never been against unionization.
“Indeed, the company is aware of the right of our employees under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), to join a union.
“The issue has been about the procedure and approach adopted by the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union (“GMWU” or “the Union”),’’ Sunon Asogli stated.
Ghana Most Likely To Partner France For First Nuclear Power PlantAt a press conference addressed by the TUC Secretary-General, Dr Yaw Baah, who accused Asogli Power Ghana Limited of resisting the decision by the workers to join a union, sent a clear message that the Chinese company cannot establish in Ghana to tell the indigenes what they should do in their own country. However, Asogli Power Ghana Limited, in a statement issued, accused the Ghana Mine Workers Union of gathering at the company’s premises in Kpone illegally. Asogli Power Ghana said what is even more surprising is the conduct of the TUC. “One would have expected that the TUC Secretary General, the overall boss of the trade unions in Ghana and whose affiliate is GMWU, will write to the company to engage and hear the side of the company, understand the issues and therefore the role the TUC could play. “They decided to follow the Union and painted the company as anti-union, but members of the public are discerning and should be able to determine whether the company is anti-union or the GMWU is an aggressive, uncompromising, intimidatory Union organization. “We are disappointed in the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a mother body, particularly by its press release of March 27, 2023, and the subsequent speech of the Secretary-General on May Day 2023, which were laced with threats, falsehood, and distortions, with the sole intention to injure the reputation of Sunon Asogli and to lower the Company in the estimation of right thinking members of society generally and in particular to expose the Company to hatred, contempt, ridicule, and opprobrium.” According to Sunon Asogli, the inability of the TUC to hear from both sides before jumping to a conclusion is worrying. “The National Labour Commission, on March 15, 2023, advised the parties to stay all actions including commenting on the issue in the media, but the GMWU hid under the umbrella of TUC and has done just the opposite, all in the quest to intimidate Sunon Asogli,’’ it said. Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Dangote Refinery Set To Be Commissioned On May 22, 2023
Nigeria-based Dangote Refinery, Africa’s largest crude oil refinery, is set to be officially commissioned on Monday, May 22, 2023, the group has announced.
The refinery, situated on a 6,180 acres (2,500 hectares) site at the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lekki, Lagos State, and currently the world’s largest single-train refinery, will produce as much as 650,000 barrels of crude per day.
Its pipeline infrastructure is the largest anywhere in the world, with 1,100 kilometres to handle three billion Standard Cubic Feet per day (Scf/d) of gas due to the large capacity of the refinery.
The group made the official commissioning ceremony in a letter inviting some industry players.
The refinery is expected to help Nigeria to address its fuel issues.
Currently, local reports suggest that the refinery is going through pre-inauguration tests.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: IBEDC Appeals To Customers To Pay Outstanding Debts To Avert Blackout
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), one of the power distribution companies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has appealed to customers in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States to pay their debts to avert total blackout following threats by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to disconnect it from the national grid.
The IBEDC, in a message sent out to its customers, read: “SOS! Help Us Avert the Black Out! Dear esteemed customer.
“We regret to inform you of the plans by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to disconnect IBEDC from the national grid over poor remittances.
“Paying your bills immediately is the only solution to this pending blackout. Pay 100% of your current and outstanding electricity bills now to prevent IBEDC from being disconnected.”
Last month, the market operator, a subsidiary of Transmission Company of Nigeria, threatened to disconnect 13 Discos for breaching market rules.
Consequently, last week, the market operator disconnected Kano, Kaduna Electric Distribution Company and Apple Electric.
However, the three Discos were reconnected after the Minister for Energy intervened.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana Deepens Petroleum Trade Ties With Mali
Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has initiated moves to promote fuel trade and investment between Ghana and Mali.
The NPA’s strategy is to continuously engage the Malian authorities and importers to achieve the objective of increasing fuel supply to the Sahelian region.
Consequently, a delegation from the NPA, led by a Deputy Chief Executive, Mrs Linda Asante, paid a four-day working visit to Mali.
The team held meetings with key stakeholders including the regulators, Office Malien des Produits Petoliers (OMAP), the Malian Customs, and the directorate in charge of trade–Direction Generale Commerce de la Consommation et de la Concurrence (DGCCC) and Malian petroleum importers operators.
Mrs. Asante said the visit was part of NPA’s strategy to deepen economic relations between Ghana and Mali, and other countries in the sub-region, particularly in the area of fuel trade.
“It was also to discuss matters on trade facilitation and the signing of a trade cooperation agreement between Ghana and Mali,” she added.
The Deputy Chief Executive stated that the idea was to collaborate with key Malian institutions to develop export protocols and sign a trade cooperation agreement to promote fuel trade and investments between the countries.
She also revealed that another key area of focus for the delegation was to strengthen the collaboration between NPA and its counterparts in curbing illicit fuel activities associated with the fuel trade to ensure the tax revenues of both countries are protected, and also ensure that the Ghana-Mali corridor is safeguarded to protect the economic interests of both countries.
The delegation also paid a courtesy call to Ghana’s Ambassador to Mali, H.E. Napoleon Abdulai.
Additionally, the visit presented an opportunity to initiate discussions to increase the supply of the fuels currently being supplied (gasoil, gasoline and Jet-A1) to Mali and promote LPG imports to the Malian market from Ghana.
The team established a working relationship with the Embassy on how to advance the economic interests of Ghana and facilitate the signing of the trade Cooperation Agreement.
She also revealed that another key area of focus for the delegation was to strengthen the collaboration between NPA and its counterparts in curbing illicit fuel activities associated with the fuel trade to ensure the tax revenues of both countries are protected, and also ensure that the Ghana-Mali corridor is safeguarded to protect the economic interests of both countries.
The delegation also paid a courtesy call to Ghana’s Ambassador to Mali, H.E. Napoleon Abdulai.
Additionally, the visit presented an opportunity to initiate discussions to increase the supply of the fuels currently being supplied (gasoil, gasoline and Jet-A1) to Mali and promote LPG imports to the Malian market from Ghana.
The team established a working relationship with the Embassy on how to advance the economic interests of Ghana and facilitate the signing of the trade Cooperation Agreement.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Kenya: Ministry Of Energy And Petroleum To Plant 300,000 Trees In 2023 To Tackle Climate Change
Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has pledged support towards the fight against climate change in East Africa through the tree planting initiative.
In a tweet on the Ministry’s page and sighted by this portal, it said the Ministry, through the State Department for Energy, is committed to planting over 300,000 tree seedlings this year.
The Ministry said the tree seedlings would be planted in “our adopted forests to combat climate change.”
The initiative is to complement the presidential project aimed at planting 15 billion trees in the next ten years.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ECG Detects 6,492 Illegal Connection In Tema District; Recovers Gh¢2.14M
Ghana’s southern power distribution company, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has detected 6,491 cases of illegal connections in the Tema Region over six months.
Out of the 6,491 illegal connections detected from September 2022 to February 2023, a total of 1,555 illegal connections were detected in February 2023 alone, the highest within the period.
The cost of the power consumed through illegal connections amounted to Gh¢2,891,263.4.
So far, an amount of Gh¢2,149,148.25 has been retrieved, leaving Gh¢742,115.15
ECG Tema Region covers nine districts which include North Tema South Tema, Nungua, Afienya, Prampram, Ada, Krobo, Juapong and Ashaiman.
The Public Relations Officer for ECG Tema Region, Sakyiwaa Mensah, who revealed this, said the company is worried by the increasing incidents of illegal connections which are affecting the operations of the company and said ECG would stop at nothing to prosecute offenders.
“Within the six months period which is between September 2022 and February 2023, the ECG Tema Region detected 6,491 illegal connections. Out of this, we billed an amount of Gh¢2,891,263.4. We have been able to retrieve GH¢2,149,148.25.
“We detected these through routine meter monitoring to check the integrity of meters. The Revenue Protection Unit of the Tema Region handles these issues. Out of the 6,491 illegal connections detected, the highest was a total of 1,555 in February 2023 alone,” she said.
She said ECG has the mandate to prosecute customers caught bypassing meters and those who fail to pay for power users would be charged with the offence of stealing.
“We, therefore, admonish customers to desist from all forms of illegal connection which includes meter bypass, meter tampering and direct connection. Customers should please stay away from fidgeting with all ECG installations including meters,” the Public Relations Officer for ECG Tema Region cautioned.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: NPA Cautions Motorists To Desist From Filling Fuel Tanks To The Brim
Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has cautioned fuel retail outlets and motorists against using ramps to aid the pumping of fuel into vehicles.
According to the regulator, tilting vehicles on ramps to fill them to the brim could damage fuel tanks and lead to explosion and destruction of vehicles and lives.
The Eastern Regional Manager, Mr. David Owusu-Kena, gave the caution at an NPA media engagement in Koforidua on Wednesday.
The media engagement organized by the Communications Department was to highlight the Authority’s activities in the petroleum downstream industry and respond to industry-related questions from the media.
Mr. Owusu-Kena said fuel tanks were not supposed to be filled to capacity since fuel require space for expansion.
He said fuel in fully filled tanks spilled over on the vehicle and on the forecourt of fuel stations, which could spark fire.
Besides, he said, the expanded fuel could damage the fuel gauge and leak through old tanks into the exhaust pipe, which could start fire and burn down the vehicle and cause injuries and loss of lives.
Touching on requirements for siting a filling station, Mr. Owusu-Kena said the prospective applicants needed permits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EP), the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service (GNFRS) and the assembly before the NPA’s grants permit for construction of a fuel station.
He said the Authority made sure that the application had secured all the necessary approvals from the EPA, the GNFRS and the assembly in order to ensure the safety of residents and protection of the environment.
Taking his turn, the Head of Planning of NPA, Mr. Dominic Aboagye, outlined measures the Authority had put in place to ensure uninterrupted fuel availability and supply in the country.
The interventions include management of storage depots, the laycan 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 Special International Oil Trading License were key to preventing any risk of fuel supply disruption.
Mr. Aboagye said local refining of crude oil by Akwaaba Oil Refinery and the Platon Gas Oil Refinery were supporting the sector.
He said 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.
Welcoming the media on behalf the NPA Chief Executive, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, the Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs. Maria Edith Oquaye, said last year’s media engagements across the country focused on pricing and quality of petroleum products, and indicated that this year’s sensitization would be on requirements for siting filling stations and security of supply of petroleum products.
For his part, a member of the Governing Board of NPA and Chairman of the Consumer Services sub-committee, Mr. Kwami Sefa Kayi, lauded the NPA for the sensitization drive and urged the media to be more proactive by asking the NPA industry-related questions for clarifications.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com