Two of Libya’s key oil export terminals have resumed loading crude on tankers, after protests had stopped operations earlier last week.
The Es Sider and Ras Lanuf oil terminals resumed loading tankers last Friday, Reuters reported, quoting Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and engineers at the ports.
However, loading operations and exports from a third oil port, Hariga, continue to be blocked due to protests.
The relative stability of Libya’s crude oil production and exports from recent months could abruptly end after protests erupted this week at several key crude terminals, including one that prevented a tanker from loading crude at the biggest oil port.
Protesters at the Es Sider terminal have derailed the loading of a Suezmax tanker, Yannis P, sources familiar with the situation told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
The demonstrators were demanding that NOC’s chairman Mustafa Sanalla resign.
The tension among Libya’s top oil officials escalated at the end of last month when Libyan Oil Minister Mohamed Oun said he had suspended NOC’s chairman Sanalla.
In a separate protest, graduates were protesting at the port of Tobruk in eastern Libya, demanding employment, Argus reported last Tuesday, citing Libyan shipping sources.
The protests at Libyan oil terminals come at a turbulent time for the oil industry of the OPEC member exempted from the OPEC+ cuts.
The tension between Oun and Sanalla has been growing since Oun was appointed oil minister in March in the government of national unity, which includes a post for an oil minister for the first time in five years.
Libya will struggle to keep its oil production at current levels if the country fails to resolve a long-running dispute over its budget, Oun told Bloomberg last month.
The success of Libyan plans to boost oil production remains in jeopardy due to disagreements over the nation’s budget—the first national budget in nearly a decade.
According to secondary sources in OPEC’s latest Monthly Oil Market Report, Libya’s crude oil production averaged 1.165 million bpd in July, up from 1.163 million bpd in June.
Source:Oilprice.com
The Executive Director of Institute for Energy Policies Research (INSTEPR), an energy think tank in the Republic of Ghana, Kwadwo Opoku has cautioned oil rich African nations against taking risky ventures in the name of energy transition.
Describing the ongoing energy transition agenda as a fiction, Mr Kwadwo Opoku urged oil rich African nations to rather take advantage of energy transition to build a vibrant petrochemical industry since fossil fuels will still be relevant in the next 45 years.
His comment was contained in a press statement following the recent oil discovery in Ivory Coast by Italian oil and gas firm Eni.
“I have come to the realization that when people do not have innovative ideas and plan to
change the lives of people, they look for every excuse with slogans and buzz phrases.
“For me the phrase ‘Energy Transition’ is like ‘Vision 2020’. In the 1990s, every political speech started
with Vision 2020 and how Ghana will be a Middle-Income country by 2020.
“We are in 2021, we can all judge for ourselves if this Vision was achieved. Data shows that there is no such thing as the collapse of the Crude Oil Industry. The world crude Oil reserve is 1,700 billion barrels as of 2020 and if no new discoveries are made, this will last for about 45 years. With all that you have read, do you think it is possible that the human population will survive without Crude Oil after 2046?” he quizzed.
Russian oil and gas giant LUKOIL, has raised concerns about Norwegian oil and gas firm, Aker Energy’s decision to sell 37 percent stake in the DWT/CTP oil block offshore Republic of Ghana to the West African nation’s national oil company, GNPC.
Ghana’s GNPC is seeking acquisition of 37 percent stake in Deep Water Cape Three Points oil block operated by Aker Energy and 70 per cent in the South Deepwater Tano(SDWT) block operated by AGM.
It has, therefore, submitted a document to Ghana’s Parliament seeking approval to go for a loan facility of $1.65 billion to facilitate the acquisition of stakes in the two oil blocks.
However, the planned acquisition has generated wide spread criticisms with 15 civil society groups working in the extractive sector, good governance and anti corruption institutions raising concerns about the value of the deal.
While the ongoing controversy surrounding the deal is yet to settle, LUKOIL has expressed shocked over the deal.
LUKOIL which holds 38% License Interest and a 42.22% Participating Interest in the Aker Energy block in a letter addressed to the Presidency and copied to the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Finance, Aker Energy and the GNPC, said it was not aware of the planned deal until the Ghanaian media published stories about the deal after the country’s Energy Minister submitted a document to Parliament on behalf of GNPC.
LUKOIL asserts that the planned acquisition of the oil blocks poses significant risks to the project execution of the oil blocks adding that to avoid any negative consequences for the DWT/CTP project, LUKOIL going forward should be involved in the following;
(i) the sale/acquisition of Aker Energy’s share.
(ii) the resignation of the Operator of the DWT/CTP project and an appointment of a successor.
(iii) further project financing plans so as to ensure further sustainable development of the project in the interest of all stakeholders.
Ghana’s largest independent Sunon Asogli Power Ghana has been shortlisted among four other companies to bid for the construction of the proposed 350 MW limbe gas fired power plant in the Republic of Cameroon.
The four other companies are Folder Energy Partners Limited/ China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Power Construction Corporation Of China Limited (POWERCHINA), AKSA ENERGY URETIM A S and ACWA Power.
Among the companies which had been shortlisted for the final bid Sunon Asogli was ranked as the number one followed by Folder Energy Partners Limited/ China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC), Power Construction Corporation Of China Limited (POWERCHINA), AKSA ENERGY URETIM A S and ACWA Power respectively.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Cameroonian Ministry of Water and Energy.
ZEN Petroleum, a wholly owned Ghanaian Oil Marketing Company (OMC) has announced the opening of three new service stations, bringing its total number of stations to 35.
Located at Korle Gonno-Accra, Sekondi Ekuase, and Wa, the new stations expand ZEN’s presence in the Greater Accra and Western Regions, and mark the Oil Marketing Company’s (OMC) entry into the Upper West Region.
Having maintained its position as the leading supplier of fuels to Ghana’s mining industry, ZEN has seen a recent expansion of its Retail presence, with a target of 10 stations set to be opened in 2021.
The opening of the new service stations indicates ZEN’s consistent growth in the petroleum downstream sector, having seen 100% Retail growth in 2020, with 342 million litres of fuel delivered in the past year and approximately 3 million litres of lubricants delivered per month.
ZEN’s growth has also been marked by its position as a major employer in the downstream sector, having recently increased its staff strength to nearly 950 in recent months.
In a statement during the opening of the new station, ZEN’s Retail Director Prince Awuley, said: “We continue to prioritise safety, fuel quality and accessibility by ensuring our stations are designed, constructed and operating well above industry standards. Our latest stations are therefore equipped with double wall tanks, leak detection, overfill prevention, flame arrestors, oil separators and other key safety features, while providing priority access and parking for persons with disabilities.”
He added, “We are excited to reach all corners of Ghana with our high-quality fuels and lubricants at the most affordable prices, and the world-class service delivery our customers have come to associate with the ZEN brand.”
Available to customers at the new stations are checks for leaks, water, density and levels of fuel dispensed using 10 litre Test Measure Cans, in addition to convenient mobile payment systems, a lube bay, a convenient shopping option and restrooms.
In addition to its recent expansion efforts, ZEN has also been heavily involved in community-based philanthropic projects.
These include the construction and donation of the recently commissioned Oppong-Boanuh Investigation Centre and renovated Divisional Headquarters for the Odorkor Police Command, and a donation to 8 year-old Dave Chief Quansah Acheampong, winner of the Africa Under-9 Chess Champion Competition in the African Schools Individual Chess Championship 2020.
Through its “ZEN 2 Community” programs, ZEN is committed to giving back to communities and conducting business safely, responsibly and with a passion to develop Ghana.
ZEN is a wholly owned Ghanaian Oil Marketing Company (OMC) that within ten years has established itself as the market leader in supplying Fuel and Lubricants to mines in Ghana.
ZEN has consistently proven to be a reliable, safe and valuable partner in supplying high quality hydrocarbon products to the industrial and retail sectors in Ghana and continues to innovate towards establishing a growing, world-class retail network, driven by a diverse local team of passionate experts.
ZEN is committed to locally driven business solutions, respecting local customs and adhering to our core values, while maintaining a global outlook, international standards and the provision of quality products and services.
The eyes of international oil and gas investors are becoming increasingly fixed on Africa as an area of development, and on the East Africa region in particular – with good reason.
“It’s no secret that the East African oil and gas sector has recently benefited from substantial FDI,” says Paul Sinclair, Vice President of Energy at Africa Oil Week (AOW).
“These regional investments have reignited global appetite for East Africa, and this is reflected in the rising numbers of delegates applying to attend AOW to meet and do business with East African stakeholders.”
Indeed, a total of eight East African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, Djibouti, Eritrea and Burundi – will all have high-level ministerial and NOC representation at AOW in November 2021.
This incredible cohort demonstrates the region’s support for AOW’s temporary move to Dubai as a safety precaution. AOW has already committed to being back home in Cape Town, South Africa, from 2022.
The list of regional energy authorities and NOCs attending the event is extensive, and includes AREEN, SIHD, EPRA, EWURA and UNOC. The following ministers have also confirmed their attendance:
· Hon. Yonis Ali Guedi: Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Djibouti
· Hon. Dr Koang Tutlam: State Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ethiopia
· Hon. Charles Keter: Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Kenya
· Hon. John Munyes: Cabinet Secretary for Petroleum and Mining, Kenya
· Hon. Francis Gatare: CEO of the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum & Gas Board
· Hon. Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Somalia
· Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa: Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Uganda
“CEOs and board-level executives are also participating from TotalEnergies, PGS, TGS, Tullow, Africa Oil Corp, Equinor, Eni and more,” says Chris Hall, AOW’s Group Event Director.
“Their presence makes it clear why important figures such as Dr Estêvão Pale, Chairman and CEO of ENH, are attending AOW to promote oil and gas projects in Mozambique.”
Much of this interest has been spurred by the East African Community’s development of a strategy to facilitate the efficient and reliable delivery of oil products in the region. The strategy recommends developing a new refinery in Uganda; accelerating a planned upgrade of the Mombasa refinery in Kenya; and improving handling, transportation, storage and distribution facilities across the region.
Investors are also observing important discoveries made in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, which are expected to enhance East Africa’s potential to achieve energy self-sufficiency. Feasibility studies are under way for the construction of new crude oil pipelines in Uganda, for example, and contractors are being mobilised to extend existing oil product pipelines from Kenya to Uganda and Rwanda.
According to data and analytics firm GlobalData, the recent green light for the East African Oil Pipeline means that Uganda is set to produce its first oil as early as 2025, with production expected to jump in the next five years to 230,000 barrels per day, from zero in 2021.
GlobalData oil and gas analyst Conor Ward says: “The Lake Albert oil development in Uganda will be one of the largest oil developments we have seen in Africa in the last 20 years, expecting to recover almost 1.5 billion barrels of oil. The Tilenga and Kingfisher fields (part of the Lake Albert development) will bring significant value to the government of Uganda, and the two fields alone could generate up to US$8 billion in fiscal revenues.”
These projects will contribute to planned expansions in other East Africa Community partner states, as well as other countries that rely on the region for petroleum imports.
Although East African countries are reliant on oil for their energy needs, the region is also beginning to look towards renewable energy as a viable path. Kenya, for example, is among five countries driving the current African solar energy market. Hydro and wind have also been prioritised.
To maximise these opportunities – as well as those still on the horizon – East African nations must harmonise their respective regulations to make sure the region is seen for the scalable investment destination that it is. Once this is done, the region’s potential will open up even more. All of these issues and more will undoubtedly be discussed at AOW.
Executive Director for African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), a think tank in the Republic of Ghana, Benjamin Boakye, has described as welcome assurance by Ghanaian leader, Nana Akufo-Addo that he will do everything possible to see to the resolution of the impasse between Italian oil and gas giant, Eni, and Springfield E&P.
According to him, although President Akufo-Addo’s comment about his resolve to see to the peaceful resolution of the issue is “a bit too late, it is redeemable.”
Mr Boakye revealed that he had the opportunity to write to the Ghanaian leader and insisted that unitisation is a function of science and technology, stressing that in oil and gas industry, science gives meaning to laws.
“Unfortunately, Ghana focused on the law without exhausting the science,” he stated.
The ACEP boss said: “It is only fair to both parties that an indisputable body of evidence is generated to justify unitisation. Again, it must be noted that when the law fails to be an enabler, oil stays in the ground, and the law cannot produce oil.”
The Italian oil and gas company has filed a suit at the International Tribunal in London, in the United Kingdom to challenge a directive by Ghana’s Ministry of Energy, asking Eni and Springfield E&P to unitise Sankofa offshore field operated by Eni and Afina oil block operated by Springfield E&P.
In a statement filed by three renowned lawyers namely Craig Tevendale, Andrew Cannon and Charlie Morgan from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Eni is seeking five reliefs from the Tribunal.
The claimant wants the Tribunal to declare that the purported 9th April Directive, 14th October Directive, 6th November Directive and any other steps taken to implement those directives represent a breach of contract under the Petroleum Agreement.
The claimant also wants the Tribunal to declare that the respondents take no further action to implement the purported unitisation of the Sankofa Field and Afina Discovery on the terms of the purported 14th October Directive, the Draft UUOA sought to be imposed by purported November Directive or otherwise.
The third relief the claimant is seeking is an order that the respondent pays damages in an amount to be quantified for the losses suffered by the claimant arising out of the respondent’s breaches of the petroleum agreement, Ghanaian law and International law on a joint and several basis.
Additionally, the claimant is seeking an order that the respondent pays all of the costs and expenses of the arbitration including the fees and expenses of the claimant counsel and any witnesses and/or experts in the Arbitration, the fees and expenses of the Tribunal and the fees of the SCC on a joint and several basis and /or an order such further or other relief as the Tribunal may in its discretion consider appropriate.
It would be recalled that in April 2020, Ghana’s former Minister for Energy, John Peter Amewu issued a directive to Eni and Springfield E&P to begin talks and combine their adjacent oil and gas fields in April and gave them until September 18 to reach an agreement.
The Minister’s directive said that seismic data had indicated Eni’s Sankofa offshore field, which entered production in 2017, and Springfield’s Afina Discovery, had identical reservoir and fluid properties.
“Regrettably, it has become obvious that the parties do not intend to comply with the Ministry of Energy’s directives,” the letter signed by Minister John Peter Amewu said.
A year after the directive, both Eni and Springfield E&P have failed to unitise the Sankofa offshore field and Afina Discovery.
Springfield took the case to a high court in Accra.
The court, in its ruling recently, directed Eni to escrow 30 percent of proceeds from the Sankofa offshore field pending the final determination of the case.
Nigeria’s new Minister for Power, Engineer Abubakar D. Aliyu, on Monday, assumed office at the Federal Ministry of Power.
Engr Aliyu was Minister of State for Works and Housing before his redeployment to the Power Ministry last Wednesday by President Muhammadu Buhari after a minor cabinet reshuffle.
The 55-year-old engineer replaced Engr Saleh Mamman who was relieved of his appointment last week.
On arrival at the ministry at the Power Holdings Company of Nigeria Headquarters in Abuja, Monday afternoon, the Minister received a rousing welcome from the permanent secretary, directors and staff of the ministry, as well those of the six agencies under it.
Also present to receive the Minister were the Chief Executive Officers of the six agencies, i.e Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN) and Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET).
After the rousing welcome, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry, Mr William Alo took time to introduce the six CEOs of the agencies in the Ministry, all the directors and other management staff to the Minister.
Speaking on behalf of the staff, the Permanent Secretary expressed the happiness and preparedness of the staff to work with the new Minister.
“We know you are here to continue the good work of the President as it concerns the Power sector. We assure you of commitment to redouble our efforts to make sure we deliver on our mandate,” he said.
In his response, Engr Aliyu appreciated the warm reception, and emphasised on team work, dedication and honesty among the staff.
He said team spirit and selflessness are sine qua non in actualising the mandate reposed in them by President Buhari in the Power sector.
“I know you have done a lot; I am here to assist you because that is my mandate to ensure that we succeed. My employer sent me here for a purpose,” he said.
“So, I need not only all hands on deck but I need your minds; that is where enthusiasm is; that is where loyalty is; that is where honesty is; that is where commitment and dedication are.
“Our work touches the lives of all Nigerians so I am here to add value to what you have been doing.
“I want those titles to be translated to production of power to Nigerians, from generation, transmission to distribution; that is when our title will make more meaning.
“Otherwise time would come when we would be ashamed to mention our names with those titles.
“So I want to ask everyone from the permanent secretary down to the smallest on the ladder by rank in any part of the Ministry of Power to be dedicated and committed to the task ahead.”
The new Power Minister is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
Engr Aliyu studied Civil Engineering, and Highways and Transportation Engineering at the Kaduna Polytechnic; and Civil and Water Resources Engineering at University of Maiduguri.
He was Deputy Governor in Yobe State for 10 and half years, making him the longest serving Deputy Governor in Nigeria.
President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E Nana Akufo-Addo is upset by the decision of Italian oil and gas firm, Eni, for going to the International Tribunal in London, United Kingdom, to seek resolution of the impasse between them and Springfield E&P, a wholly-owned Ghanaian upstream player.
“I’m still very upset that at the end of day, the matter that we were having discussion on has become the subject of notice of arbitration,” President Akufo-Addo said last Friday when he met chiefs in the Western Region at the Western Regional House of Chiefs during his tour of the region.
The President said there had been several closed door meetings to resolve the issue and, therefore, felt bad about the new development.
Nevertheless, the President said: “I want to assure you that we will continue with the discussions and find a common ground leading to a possible solution to the matter.”
“We should settle this matter and I will do my possible best to resolve it,” he added.
According to energynewsafrica.com’s sources, President Akufo-Addo had held meetings with the Italian government representatives and officials of Eni and also held separate meetings with officials of Springfield E&P and directed the country’s Energy Ministry and Attorney General to draft heads of agreement detailing a roadmap for the peaceful resolution of the matter.
Energynewsaafrica.com’s sources indicate that the Ministry of Energy and Attorney General disregarded President Akufo-Addo’s directive.
Unhappy with the development, the Italian oil and gas firm, Eni, filed a suit at the International Tribunal in London last month to challenge a directive by the Ministry of Energy, asking them to unitise the Sankofa offshore field operated by Eni and Afina oil block operated by Springfield E&P.
In a statement filed by three renowned lawyers namely Craig Tevendale, Andrew Cannon and Charlie Morgan from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, Eni is seeking five reliefs from the Tribunal.
The claimant wants the Tribunal to declare that the purported 9th April Directive, 14th October Directive, 6th November Directive and any other steps taken to implement those directives represent a breach of contract under the Petroleum Agreement.
The claimant also wants the Tribunal to declare that the respondents take no further action to implement the purported unitisation of the Sankofa Field and Afina Discovery on the terms of the purported 14th October Directive, the Draft UUOA sought to be imposed by purported November Directive or otherwise.
The third relief the claimant is seeking is an order that the respondent pays damages in an amount to be quantified for the losses suffered by the claimant arising out of the respondent’s breaches of the petroleum agreement, Ghanaian law and International law on a joint and several basis.
Additionally, the claimant is seeking an order that the respondent pays all of the costs and expenses of the arbitration including the fees and expenses of the claimant counsel and any witnesses and/or experts in the Arbitration, the fees and expenses of the Tribunal and the fees of the SCC on a joint and several basis and /or an order such further or other relief as the Tribunal may in its discretion consider appropriate.
It would be recalled that in April 2020, Ghana’s former Minister for Energy, John Peter Amewu issued a directive to Eni and Springfield E&P to begin talks and combine their adjacent oil and gas fields in April and gave them until September 18 to reach an agreement.
The Minister’s directive said that seismic data had indicated Eni’s Sankofa offshore field, which entered production in 2017, and Springfield’s Afina Discovery had identical reservoir and fluid properties.
“Regrettably, it has become obvious that the parties do not intend to comply with the ministry of energy’s directives,” the letter signed by Minister John Peter Amewu said.
A year after the directive, both Eni and Springfield E&P have failed to unitise the Sankofa offshore field and Afina Discovery.
Springfield took the case to a high court in Accra.
The court, in its ruling recently, directed Eni to escrow 30 percent of proceeds from the Sankofa offshore field pending the final determination of the case.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Power supply in Obuasi, Ghana’s mining town and surrounding communities in the Ashanti Region are expected to improve in the coming days due to some interventions by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to meet growing demand of electricity in the area.
This follows the ECG’s transportation of 10MVA transformer to Obuasi on Friday, September 3, 2021, to replace the existing 5MVA transformer in area to accommodate more power.
The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer of ECG, Erastus Baidoo told energynewsafrica.com that upon installation of the new transformer, there would be massive improvement in power supply, after explaining how bad the power situation in Obuasi and its surrounding towns have been for sometime now.
According to him, lights have been unstable so “with the new 10MVA transformer, there is going to be a big improvement in power supply from Obuasi all the way to New Edubiase,” he said.
“We can be assured that there will power reliability and quality,” he added.
Mr Erastus Baidoo warned consumers who are engaging in power theft to desist from the acts.
According to him, the power distribution company is investing a lot of money to improve power supply and reliability and, therefore, expects consumers to pay for the power they consume and not steal it.
He said his outfit has teamed up with the security agencies and are going after those engaging in such acts.
President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo has appointed the Member of Parliament for East Sunyani, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh as the Board Chairman of Bui Power Authority, Ghana’s second largest power generation company.
Bui Power Authority operates 400MW power generation plant on the Bui River in Savannah and Bono Regions in the Republic of Ghana.
The company is currently constructing 250MW solar plant with the first phase of 50MW completed and transmitted on the national grid.
Besides this, BPA has installed 1MW floating solar on the Bui reservoir and operates 45kW Tsatsadu micro- hydro generating station in the Volta Region.
The newly constituted seven-member board of BPA includes Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Power Authority, Salifu Sa-Eed, Nana Ama Tima Boakye, Paul Twum-Barimah, Dr Rebecca Acquah-Arhin and Mr Kwame Appia Kyei.
At a short ceremony to inaugurate the new board, Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh noted that the operations of the Bui Power Authority form part of the huge security backbone of Ghana’s power generating system.
He, therefore, charged the new board to effectively and efficiently utilise the resources of the Authority including the Black Volta, to inure to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
In his acceptance speech, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, MP for East Sunyani and the new Board Chairman of the Bui Power Authority, thanked His Excellency the President for the confidence reposed in them for their appointment.
Hon. Samuel Kofi Dzamesi, CEO of Bui Power Authority
He said the new board is aware of the work of its predecessors and assured the Energy Minister that they will work harder to make BPA better.
Italian oil and gas major, Eni has discovered a major oil and natural gas reservoir offshore Ivory Coast.
Ivorian Energy Minister Thomas Camara, who disclosed this, said the reservoir could hold 1.5 to 2 billion barrels of oil and around 51 million cubic metres of natural gas.
“The find will greatly increase Cote d’Ivoire’s proven reserves as well as its oil and gas production in the coming years,” Thomas Camara said as quoted by AFP.
Eni, which drilled a 3,445-metre-deep well about 60 kilometres off the coast, said it would carry out a further evaluation of the wider potential of the find.
To date, Cote d’Ivoire has 51 identified oilfields, most of them offshore near the border with Ghana.
Four are in production, 26 in exploration and 21 are still open.
The country increased its oil production in 2019 by 12 percent to reach 36,000 barrels daily.
It signed contracts in 2019 with Eni and the French oil giant, Total, to explore the possibility of increasing its oil production.
Total, Eni and other international oil companies, notably British firm Tullow Oil, announced significant discoveries of Ivorian offshore oil reserves in recent years.
Africa needs investments to the tune of $130 billion annually to become a net-zero continent by 2050, a report by Friends of the Earth has suggested.
According to a report by the organization titled, “A Just Recovery Renewable Energy Plan for Africa,” the money would come from “the global North” and will address the three biggest problems of the continent: energy poverty, climate change, and Covid-19.
“Such a plan would require over 300 gigawatts (GW) of new renewable energy by 2030, as agreed by the African Union, and over 2000 GW by 2050,” Friends of the Earth said.
“The report, based on the work of renowned academic Dr Sven Teske from Sydney University, demonstrates how a Just Recovery plan could be achieved for US$130 billion per year and funded through public finance from the global North, putting an end to tax dodging and dropping the debt,” the organization also said. “It also highlights the potential to create 7 million new jobs in renewable energy.”
Africa has been estimated to have solar energy potential of as much as 1,000 GW and wind potential of 110 GW, not to mention 350 GW in hydro power potential and 15 GW of geothermal potential. And yet, all of this vast potential remains largely untapped, even though solar and wind farms are getting so cheap that they are said to be on par with coal in some parts of the world.
The reasons this potential has not been tapped on any meaningful scale so far are complex. One of them is that many African countries simply lack transmission infrastructure extensive enough to accommodate utility-scale solar and wind installations economically. This makes a lot of installations not just expensive but economically unviable.
“As of two years ago, the cost for a micro-grid provider to connect one household to their grid was around $1000 dollars,” Toby Gill, CEO of Intelligent Power Generation, told Oilprice earlier this year. “When you then consider the average customer is paying less than $1-2 per day for their electricity use, the payback period for these energy companies becomes untenable.”
Source:Oilprice.com
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu as the West African nation’s Minister for Power.
This follows a Federal Government executive meeting on Tuesday, September 1, 2021, which saw few changes in the Buhari-administration with the Power Minister, Engr. Sale Mamman being booted out.
Prior to his appointment as the Power Minister, Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu was the Minister of State, Works & Housing.
In a statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Advisor to the President in charge of Media & Publicity, Buhari said he rejigged the cabinet because “I have found it essential to reinvigorate this cabinet in a manner that will deepen its capacity to consolidate legacy achievements.”
Engr. Abubakar Aliyu is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and a member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
He was Deputy Governor (to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam) in Yobe State for 10 and half years, making him the longest serving Deputy Governor in Nigeria.
As Deputy Governor in Yobe State, Engineer Aliyu served as the overseeing commissioner in the ministries for health, commerce, integrated rural development.
He was at various times appointed to head Yobe State Task Force on immunisation and primary healthcare, Yobe State Committee on Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons, Yobe State Boundary Committee, Yobe State Environmental Committee, and Yobe State Sanitation Committee.
He also headed the Committee for the Rehabilitation and Return of IDPs, where he administered the affairs of the IDPs at the camps and host communities, as well as successfully returned the IDPs to their homes.
He attended Central Primary School, Jimeta, Adamawa State, where he had his First School Leaving Certificate in 1979.
He proceeded to the G.S.S.S. Monguno, in Borno State, where he obtained his West African School Certificate in 1984.
After the completion of his secondary school, he proceeded to Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna, where he obtained a National Diploma (ND) in Civil Engineering in 1988, and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Highways and Transportation Engineering in 1993.
In 1999, he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil and Water Resources Engineering from the University of Maiduguri.
Engineer Aliyu had worked as a Technical Officer in Borno State Ministry of Works from 1988 to 1991.
He was also a Principal Engineer and Head of Engineering Department in the ministry in 2004.
He was appointed the Supervising Project Engineer of Yobe State Ministry of Housing in 2007, and Managing Director of Yobe State Housing and Property Development Corporation, as well as the Ag. Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Housing in 2009.
The minister is a recipient of numerous professional awards.
He is married with children.
Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com
These include the construction and donation of the recently commissioned Oppong-Boanuh Investigation Centre and renovated Divisional Headquarters for the Odorkor Police Command, and a donation to 8 year-old Dave Chief Quansah Acheampong, winner of the Africa Under-9 Chess Champion Competition in the African Schools Individual Chess Championship 2020.
Through its “ZEN 2 Community” programs, ZEN is committed to giving back to communities and conducting business safely, responsibly and with a passion to develop Ghana.
ZEN is a wholly owned Ghanaian Oil Marketing Company (OMC) that within ten years has established itself as the market leader in supplying Fuel and Lubricants to mines in Ghana.
ZEN has consistently proven to be a reliable, safe and valuable partner in supplying high quality hydrocarbon products to the industrial and retail sectors in Ghana and continues to innovate towards establishing a growing, world-class retail network, driven by a diverse local team of passionate experts.
ZEN is committed to locally driven business solutions, respecting local customs and adhering to our core values, while maintaining a global outlook, international standards and the provision of quality products and services. 
At a short ceremony to inaugurate the new board, Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh noted that the operations of the Bui Power Authority form part of the huge security backbone of Ghana’s power generating system.
He, therefore, charged the new board to effectively and efficiently utilise the resources of the Authority including the Black Volta, to inure to the benefit of all Ghanaians.
In his acceptance speech, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, MP for East Sunyani and the new Board Chairman of the Bui Power Authority, thanked His Excellency the President for the confidence reposed in them for their appointment.
