Ghana: Soldiers, ECG Staff Fill Potholes On Bad Roads In Yilo Krobo
Some military personnel and staff of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have joined the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region of Ghana to seal potholes on roads in the area.
The sealing of the potholes occurred on the Djaba and Somanya-Dodowa roads.
They used limestone from Odugblase.
Even though Monday is World Labour Day—a day set aside to celebrate galant workers across the globe—the soldiers and ECG staff took time to undertake this exercise to make the roads motorable.
Ghana: GNGC Hosts Board Members Of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited
The Board of Directors of Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNGC) has hosted the new Managing Director of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited (GCMC), Madam Genevieve Sackey.
Madam Genevieve Sackey was appointed in March after the resignation of Frances Awurabena Essiam, who held the position from 2017 until her resignation.
Ghana Gas’ decision to host the new MD follows President Akufo-Addo’s approval for GNGC to acquire Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited and support it to turnaround.
The new Managing Director of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Genevieve Sackey, was full of praise after the discussion and assured the board of Ghana Gas of her readiness to cooperate and commitment to deliver on the mandate of the company.
As the Cylinder Manufacturing Company’s mission states, ‘they will make available safe and affordable LPG cylinders, cookwares and other fabricated products on the domestic and export markets by highly motivated staff providing an acceptable level of returns to stakeholders.
Already the company has acquired 16 acres of land to build a new production plant in a bid to take advantage of the Cylinder Recirculation Model Programme.
The Cylinder Recirculation Module was formulated as a result of a deadly gas explosion that occurred at the Atomic Junction in the Greater Accra Region in 2017.
So far, the National Petroleum Authority, the implementing agency has piloted the programme in parts of the West African and three LPG Bottling Plants are currently under construction.
Also, Ghana Gas has secured a licence to construct an LPG bottling plant at Axim in the Western Region.
The LPG bottling plant is designed to take LPG from the source of its production and bottle the commodity in LPG cylinders, which will be sent to the market.
The LPG cylinder recirculation module, when fully implemented, will put a stop to the situation where individuals take their cylinders to the gas filling station for a refill before taking them to their various homes.
Ghana Gas being an LPG producer and a licensed company for the recirculation module, Ghana Gas recognizes the need to have a reliable LPG cylinder manufacturing company.
It is against the backdrop of this recognition that Ghana Gas is taking over GCMC to give it a financial phase lift and to promote the market viability of GCMC.
At the board meeting were the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Gas Dr. Ben K. D. Asante, Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli, Stephen Sumani Nayina, Madam Delphine Dogbegah, and Nana Asiaa Benneh Beyeemah I.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: TCN Reconnects Three Discos Disconnected From National Grid
Nigeria’s electricity market operator, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), has reconnected the three Distribution Companies earlier disconnected from the Electric power grid as a result of non-compliance with market rules.
The reconnection was done following the intervention of the Minister for Power, Engr Aliyu, who considered the collateral consequences on the paying Disco customers.
The Market Operator last week suspended APLE Electric Limited, Kano and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Companies for breach of the Market Rules, which governs and sanitizes the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
However, the three Discos were reconnected to the national grid the Mid-night of Sunday April 30, 2030, a statement issued by Engr E.A. Eje, Market Operator/TCN confirmed.
It said the intervention by the Honorable Minister for Power has automatically prolonged the grace period to 60 days from this publication.
“All market defaulters should comply with the provisions of the market rules concerning payment of their outstanding invoices, posting of adequate Bank Guarantees (BG), and forwarding of their active Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) as the case may be, to the Market Operator/TCN.
“It should be noted that other defaulters who are yet to be Suspended/Disconnected should cure their defaults within these sixty (60) days. At the expiration of this grace period, the Market Operator will resume sanctions in line with the Market Rules.
“The MO/TCN is hereby urging the erring Discos to seize this opportunity to fix their defaults as we applaud the intervention of the Honorable Minister of Power,” the statement concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Uganda: EACOP Opens Office In Masaka City To Address Project-Related Challenges
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) has said it will use the newly opened liaison office in Masaka City to solve existing challenges and grievances among project affected persons in the pipeline districts of Sembabule, Lwengo, Rakai, Kyotera and surrounding areas.
According to the Managing Director of EACOP, Mr John Bosco Habumugisha, whereas the office will seek to support implementation of the land acquisition process for the pipeline’s right of way in both Uganda and Tanzania, it will also enhance extensive engagement between EACOP and other stakeholders along the pipeline.
“EACOP project is committed to a meaningful engagement with all its stakeholders based on principles of participation, respect for human rights, non-discrimination, empowerment, transparency and accountability and this office is here to realise the above principles,” he said in an address at the opening of the office as carried by Monitor Newspaper.
Mr Habumugisha also indicated that the process of acquiring land for the main right of way involves extensive engagement with all stakeholders, which therefore requires EACOP to create a channel through which its services can easily be accessed.
In Uganda, the pipeline, which is expected to be 296 kilometres long, will traverse 10 districts and 25 sub-counties, before crossing into Tanzania, where it will cover 1,147 kilometres in eight regions and 25 districts.
Ms Stella Amonyi, the EACOP communication lead, said Masaka offers a strategic location that connects the pipeline districts of Sembabule, Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera and will, therefore, enable stakeholders to have easy access to information and comprehensive understanding of project activities.
The pipeline right of way required for the construction phase is 30 metres wide, which, therefore, is expected to leave at least 3,648 project affected persons.
The pipeline route has already been designed after extensive studies that integrated various technical, geographical, environmental and land usage constraints.
Mr Achiles Mawanda, the Masaka City deputy mayor, said EACOP will present opportunities as well as bridging the communication gap that has made a number of people develop a biased view about the project.
“We [people on Masaka region] are optimistic. Already we have benefited with a number of our children getting sponsored by EACOP in technical institutions and now more opportunities are coming through the liaison office,” he said.
The Masaka City liaison office will mainly serve stakeholders in the pipeline districts of Sembabule, Lwengo, Rakai and Kyotera, among others.
Chevron Predicts 50% Increase In Venezuelan Oil Production In 2023
Chevron Corp’s oil production in Venezuela has reached 100,000 bpd and could rise 50% this year, Chief Executive Officer Mike Wirth said in an earnings call Friday.
The U.S. oil major operates three projects in the country along with state-run Petroleos de Venezuela SA.
Since U.S. President Joe Biden eased sanctions on Venezuela last year, Chevron has started lifting so much crude from the country that it’s had to put 600,000 bbl of it in storage in the Bahamas this month.
Chevron is also shipping some of the oil to its U.S. refineries.
But Wirth cautioned that the company’s operations in the sanctions-hit nation depend on waivers from the U.S. government. “It’s not really a negotiation,” he said. “It’s their decision.”
Source: Bloomberg
U.S. Seizes Iranian Oil From Tanker
The United States recently confiscated a cargo of Iranian crude oil from a tanker at sea, according to a maritime security company, indicating that the seizure pre-dated Iran’s move to seize Chevron’s cargo of crude oil on Thursday off the coast of Oman.
On Thursday, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker carrying crude oil destined for Chevron was seized by the Iranian Navy, according to the U.S. Navy.
According to Tehran, the tanker had been involved in a collision with an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman, resulting in Iranian crew member injuries, with several missing.
Iran also said that the tanker ignored eight hours’ worth of radio calls following the collision.
Iran said it was taking the Suezmax tanker back to Iran for investigation.
The U.S. Navy, however, accused Iran of interfering with navigational rights in international waters, referring to the incident as a “threat to maritime security and the global economy.”
On Friday, new information surfaced from maritime security company Ambrey, which alleged that Iran’s motive for seizing Chevron’s load of crude oil was in retaliation for the U.S. seizure that took place not even five days prior.
“Both tankers were Suezmax-sized. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo,” Ambrey said in a note to clients, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Sources familiar with the matter said that the United States seized a Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after obtaining a court order to do so. The tanker’s last known position was near southern Africa.
This isn’t the first time the global energy markets have seen a spat between the United States and Iran over seized oil tankers.
In 2019, the Iranian National Guard Corps seized a British oil tanker, the Stena Impera, for allegedly violating maritime law. In 2020, Iran seized a Liberian-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, although it let it go.
The United States has also participated in the oil seizure squabble, seizing an Iranian oil cargo last May near Greece.
Source:Oilprice.com
Ghana Most Likely To Partner France For First Nuclear Power Plant
Ghana is mostly likely to partner France for its first nuclear power plant, energynewsafrica.com can report.
Currently, France operates 56 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 61,370MWe while one reactor is under construction with a capacity of 1,630MWe.
Earlier this week, Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, and some officials of Nuclear Power Ghana met with senior officials of French Electricity and Nuclear Power Company for discussions on the project.
In 2021, Ghana’s agency spearheading the nuclear power agenda, Nuclear Power Ghana, through the Ministry of Energy, issued a Request for Information (RFI) to six vendor countries namely; China, India, Russia, USA, South Korea and France.
The RFI sought both technical, financial and contractual information from the vendor countries regarding the technology they intend to deploy to Ghana.
Five out of the six countries responded including France.
In a Facebook post after meeting the officials of French Electricity and Nuclear Power Company, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh wrote: “Government continues to deepen its efforts at including nuclear energy in our generation mix in the medium-to-long-term.
“It is for this reason that yesterday, I met senior officials of the French Electricity and Nuclear Power Company. Discussions aimed at partnering with the company; a leading name in the nuclear power space in the context of Ghana’s nuclear power development.”
According to him, Ghana remains committed to its nuclear energy prospects, adding, “I do not doubt that a potential marriage between Ghana and any of its partners will advance this cause fully, as we work collectively to achieve a dependable and sustainable energy to support economic growth.”
Ghana is at the second phase of its nuclear programme and hopes to construct the first nuclear power plant by 2030.
This portal cannot tell for now the size of the reactor Ghana has decided but what Dr Yamoah, CEO of Nuclear Power Ghana, told this portal in 2021 is that the size of the reactors proposed by the vendors ranges from 700MWe to 1400MWe for large reactors and 50MWe to 300MWe for small modular reactors.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
In a Facebook post after meeting the officials of French Electricity and Nuclear Power Company, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh wrote: “Government continues to deepen its efforts at including nuclear energy in our generation mix in the medium-to-long-term.
“It is for this reason that yesterday, I met senior officials of the French Electricity and Nuclear Power Company. Discussions aimed at partnering with the company; a leading name in the nuclear power space in the context of Ghana’s nuclear power development.”
According to him, Ghana remains committed to its nuclear energy prospects, adding, “I do not doubt that a potential marriage between Ghana and any of its partners will advance this cause fully, as we work collectively to achieve a dependable and sustainable energy to support economic growth.”
Ghana is at the second phase of its nuclear programme and hopes to construct the first nuclear power plant by 2030.
This portal cannot tell for now the size of the reactor Ghana has decided but what Dr Yamoah, CEO of Nuclear Power Ghana, told this portal in 2021 is that the size of the reactors proposed by the vendors ranges from 700MWe to 1400MWe for large reactors and 50MWe to 300MWe for small modular reactors.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Exclusive Photos From VRA’s Creativity And Innovation Day
On Wednesday, April 26, 2023, Volta River Authority (VRA) celebrated Creativity And Innovation Day as part of its 62nd Anniversary celebrations.
Energynewsafrica.com brings you exclusive photos from the celebrations.
Ghana: VRA Celebrates Creativity And Innovation Day With Awards
Ghana’s largest state power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA) has celebrated the Creativity and Innovation Day instituted in the company and awarded some staff who generated creative ideas for the sustainability of the company’s operations in the face of energy transition.
The Creativity and Innovation Day was instituted in VRA in April 2022 by the CEO, Ing Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa, as part of the Authority’s anniversary celebrations.
It began with the setting up of a 14-member Creative and Innovation Committee.
Giving an overview of the activities that had taken place since the inauguration of the Committee on April 26, 2022, Dr. Stella Agyenim Boateng, an Advisor to the CEO of VRA, said the Committee organised road shows at all VRA work locations to create awareness, carry out sensitisation exercises and educated staff on the need to embrace creativity and innovation as a culture, build the capacity of the Committee members, held webinars on topics such as creativity and innovation, future of artificial intelligence in business; building resilient cyber security environment, created a link to solicit innovative ideas from staff and held departmental day exhibition of ideas and concluded it with a panel discussion on creativity and innovation.
She explained that 67 ideas were received and ranked and ten top ideas were recognised with various awards.
Denni Anyomi was crowned the overall winner and received a plaque. He would also be sponsored to travel to Dubai for some days.
The 2nd and 3rd winners also received plaques and would travel to Rwanda and Benin to understudy for a few days.
The rest received plaques and cash to appreciate their innovative and creative ideas.
Delivering a speech, the Chief Executive Officer of VRA, Mr. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa noted that the goal of growing the Authority is dependent on the symbiotic relationship between their sustainability plan, overarching corporate strategy and creativity and innovation.
He said it is for these reasons that the Authority, last year, initiated ‘Creativity and Innovation Day’ as part of its anniversary celebrations.
He said the need for creative thinking has become pertinent looking at the current state of the energy industry.
“It is very clear that the old ways and conventional methods of working or managing organisations are no longer effective. What we need is fresh and unique ideas that provide novel approaches and solutions to the way we carry out our business,” he said.
He noted that there is a paradigm shift in the energy industry, stating that renewable energy sources are displacing conventional energy sources.
“We must keep creativity and innovation at the forefront of our business to build new markets and increase competitiveness. We must develop new partnerships and relationships, cut down the turnaround time and increase profitability as every private sector institution does,” he urged the staff.
The Board Chairman of VRA, Mr Kofi Tutu Agyare charged the management to ensure that creative and innovative ideas received from the staff are implemented.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Delivering a speech, the Chief Executive Officer of VRA, Mr. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa noted that the goal of growing the Authority is dependent on the symbiotic relationship between their sustainability plan, overarching corporate strategy and creativity and innovation.
He said it is for these reasons that the Authority, last year, initiated ‘Creativity and Innovation Day’ as part of its anniversary celebrations.
He said the need for creative thinking has become pertinent looking at the current state of the energy industry.
“It is very clear that the old ways and conventional methods of working or managing organisations are no longer effective. What we need is fresh and unique ideas that provide novel approaches and solutions to the way we carry out our business,” he said.
He noted that there is a paradigm shift in the energy industry, stating that renewable energy sources are displacing conventional energy sources.
“We must keep creativity and innovation at the forefront of our business to build new markets and increase competitiveness. We must develop new partnerships and relationships, cut down the turnaround time and increase profitability as every private sector institution does,” he urged the staff.
The Board Chairman of VRA, Mr Kofi Tutu Agyare charged the management to ensure that creative and innovative ideas received from the staff are implemented.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: BOST Offers Gh¢1.5Million Scholarship To 50 Students Pursuing Engineering Course
Ghana’s strategic fuel stock-keeping company, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education (MoE) to provide Gh¢1.5 million educational scholarships to fifty needy but brilliant students from communities impacted by its operations across the West African nation.
The scholarship package, which is for four years, will cover tuition fees, accommodation, monthly subsistence allowance, transportation costs to school and back home for each academic term, learning materials (laptops and textbooks), and educational tours for each of the 50 beneficiary students.
The 50 students are already enrolled and currently enjoying the scholarship package at the University of Mines and Technology in Tarkwa in the Western Region.
At a short ceremony at the head office of BOST in Accra, Wednesday, the Head of Legal and General Counsel at BOST, Mrs Harriet Amoah, who spoke on behalf of the Managing Director, Mr Edwin Provençal, said that in December 2021, BOST received a formal request from the Ministry of Education to partner it to provide scholarships for Engineering students in the country.
The Ministry’s proposal, she said was aimed at collaborating with seven public universities offering Engineering and Computer Sciences.
She said in line with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy on education, BOST accepted the Ministry of Education’s proposal but insisted that candidates be selected from communities impacted by BOST operations.
Mrs Amoah disclosed that the 50 candidates were selected from the Kpone-Katamanso and Shai-Osudoku Districts from the Greater Accra Region, Lower Manya and Asuogyaman Districts in the Eastern Region, the Kaase Municipality from the Ashanti Region, Central Gonja District from the Savanna Region, Savelugu District from the Northern Region, West Mamprugu District from the North-East Region and the Bolgatanga Municipality from the Upper East Region.
She said BOST has either petroleum pipelines passing through these districts or has tank farms sited there.
The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, who is the brain behind the MoE’s Engineering Scholarship programme, thanked the management of BOST for being a good corporate citizen.
He was delighted that BOST has responded positively and it is making a significant contribution towards national development.
He was hopeful that other corporate entities in the country would follow BOST’s example.
The Ministry of Education is hoping to get, at least, 2,000 students trained in engineering.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Kosmos Energy Appoints Three New Board Of Directors
Kosmos Energy Ltd, a US-based full-cycle deepwater independent oil and gas exploration and production company has appointed three new Board of Directors, effective April 25, 2023.
The new Board members are Ms. Maria Moræus Hanssen, Sir John Grant, and Mr. J. Mike Stice.
The Company also announced today that Sir Richard Dearlove has informed the Company he will not seek re-election to the Board at the end of his current term.
Sir Richard has served on the Board with distinction since 2012.
“Sir Richard has been instrumental in helping Kosmos navigate an increasingly complex world. We are grateful for his significant contributions as Kosmos has transformed from a frontier explorer into a full-cycle deepwater exploration and production company with diversified production, world-class LNG developments, and infrastructure-led exploration. I have always valued Sir Richard’s sound judgment and wise counsel.
“I would also like to welcome Maria, John, and Mike as new Directors. Collectively, they bring a diverse set of skills and a wide range of relevant experiences to the Board, particularly with respect to international operations, natural gas and LNG projects and government relations. I look forward to working with each of them as we focus on the delivery of the Company’s distinctive strategy,” Andrew G. Inglis, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in a statement issued by Kosmos Energy.
Ms. Maria Moræus Hanssen joins the Board with more than 30 years of experience in the upstream energy industry, including as deputy chief executive officer and chief operating officer of Wintershall Dea GmbH, a Germany-based oil and gas producer, from May 2019 to December 2019, and, prior to its merger with Wintershall Dea GmbH, as Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Management Board of DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG (DEA) from January 2018 until April 2019.
Sir John Grant joins the Board with decades of experience working at the highest levels of government, having served in the British Foreign Service from 1976 to 2007 during which time he held posts in Stockholm, Moscow, and Brussels, where he was the UK’s Permanent Representative to the European Union from 2003 to 2007. He also has extensive experience in the energy and mining sectors where he most recently served as Vice President of International Government Relations at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation from October 2016 until his retirement in 2019 and prior to that where he served as Executive Vice-President of Policy and Corporate Affairs at BG Group.
Mr. J. Mike Stice joins the Board with a career that spans more than 40 years in the upstream and midstream gas businesses, including senior roles at Conoco and ConocoPhillips where he served as President of Conoco Asia Pacific Ltd., President of Conoco Energy Solutions, and President of ConocoPhillips Qatar. His most recent industry role was Chief Executive Officer of Access Midstream Partners L.P. (formerly known as Chesapeake Midstream Partners, L.P.) from 2009 until his retirement in 2014. Mr. Stice is currently serving as a Director of Marathon Petroleum Corporation and MPLX GP LLC and is a professor at the University of Oklahoma, where until recently he also served as Dean of the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Mozambique: President Nyusi Greenlights $20 Billion TotalEnergies LNG Project
It is now safe for TotalEnergies to restart work on the $20-billion Mozambique LNG project, Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi said on Wednesday, but the French supermajor says the decision to resume construction is up to all shareholders in the venture.
“The working environment and security in northern Mozambique makes it possible for TotalEnergies to resume its activities any time,” Nyusi said today at an energy conference in Mozambique’s capital city of Maputo, as carried by Reuters.
TotalEnergies holds a 26.5% stake in the LNG project, which was put on hold in 2021 following Islamist militant attacks in towns close to the site.
The project site is close to Palma in the Cabo Delgado province, where Islamic State-affiliated militants have been active for a few years. In the spring of 2021, Islamic State-affiliated militants raided Palma in attacks that left dozens of people killed.
“The restart is a decision of Mozambique LNG, not a decision of TotalEnergies, which only owns 26.5% of the project. Given the context, the decision will have to be unanimous and TotalEnergies’ position is that it is appropriate to take the time to have the expected assurances before considering a possible restart,” TotalEnergies spokesperson Stephanie Platat told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Mozambique LNG project is not expected to start operations until 2027 at the earliest, even if TotalEnergies quickly decides to lift the force majeure on the works and proceed with development, Stephane Le Galles, project director at TotalEnergies, told Bloomberg last month while on a visit to the construction site in northeastern Mozambique.
“From the time we restart to production, we need another four years to build the facility,” Le Galles said.
In February, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné visited Cabo Delgado and entrusted Jean-Christophe Rufin, an expert in humanitarian action and human rights, with an independent mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the province.
TotalEnergies has yet to decide when to resume the project, with several conditions needed for a positive decision, Le Galles told Bloomberg last month. Those include the same project costs, an improved security situation, Mozambique government officials returning to the towns of Palma and Mocimboa da Praia, and an assessment of the human rights conditions in the Cabo Delgado province.
Source:Oilprice.com
Ghana Gas To Takeover Operations Of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited
Ghana’s National Gas Company (GNGC) will soon take over the operations of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited (GCMCL), energynewsafrica.com can confirm.
This is because President Nana Akufo-Addo has approved the proposal by Ghana Gas to acquire GCMCL, a source at Ghana Gas confirmed to this portal.
According to a report filed by citinewsroom.com, Ghana’s seat of Government, Jubilee House, wrote a letter on April 18, 2023, to the new Managing Director of GCMCL, informing her about the new plan.
“Concerning your correspondence dated 24th March 2023, bearing on the above-mentioned subject matter, I write to inform you that the President of the Republic has approved the acquisition of Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited (GCMC) by the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC),” part of the letter said as quoted by Citinewsroom.com.
GCMCL was recently the subject of media discussion after the resignation of the immediate past Managing Director, Madam Frances Awurabena Essiam.
She granted interviews on several TV and radio stations and accused the Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, of interfering in her work, hence, her decision to resign.
She claimed that her outfit had discussed a partnership agreement with Ghana Gas and went ahead to acquire 16 acres of land for the establishment of a new cylinder manufacturing plant to take advantage of the government cylinder recirculation model programme.
She, however, alleged that the sector minister was not in favour of Ghana Gas and preferred another company.
It is the expectation of the about 50 workers that the company would witness a turnaround as Ghana Gas Company is taking over.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com