The Serbian minister for mining and energy, Zorana Mihajlovic, has announced that the first public call for the country’s rebate program for rooftop PV will be launched on September 3.
The rebates will cover up to 50% of the costs for installing and deploying a PV system and are intended at supporting homeowners and businesses to take advantage of the recently introduced net metering regime, which will allow them to sell excess power to the Serbian state-owned power utility, Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS).
Mihajlovic said the procedures to install a rooftop system have also been simplified and that EPS is compelled to connect a PV system within five days after its owner has secured connection approval.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, Serbia had an installed PV capacity of 29 MW at the end of 2020.
Last year, only 6 MW of new PV systems were deployed in the country.
Around 10 MW of this installed power comes from an expired FIT scheme, which granted rates ranging from €0.124 to €0.146/kWh for rooftop PV arrays, depending on system size, and €0.09/kWh for ground-mounted installations, all under 12-year power purchase agreements.
According to the Serbian government’s energy strategy, the nation’s cumulative PV capacity is expected to increase by 100 MW in 2025, and 200 MW in 2030.
Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com
Trina Solar Co., Ltd., a leading global PV and smart energy total solution provider, has announced the appointment of Solinc East Africa Ltd in Kenya as an official distributor to supply Trina Solar’s products and solutions in East Africa.
The new appointment comes as part of Trina Solar’s commitment to further increase its footprint and presence in the African continent to cater to the rapidly growing demand for solar energy.
Established in 2009, Solinc E.A developed the first and only solar panels manufacturing plant in the region. Now, with an annual distribution volume of over 15 MW, it has grown to one of East Africa’s largest provider of quality PV products.
The expertise gained from past production, has driven the company’s specialization in solar installation and maintenance of residential & C&I Solar systems.
Solinc is part of the Associated Battery Manufacturers Group of companies.
Antonio Jimenez, Managing Director and Vice President for Trina Solar MEA, stated: “The Middle East and Africa region is witnessing a significant boom in the renewable energy industry. We are already seeing a big rise in demand for solar power in Kenya with Trina Solar aiming to capture a big share of this growing solar energy market. Through our distributors, Trina Solar is bringing closer to our customers innovative, technologically advanced reliable products. This along with Trina Solar’s reliability and flawless customer-centric approach, ensures that our innovative and high-quality products and solutions are now available for everyone to enjoy electricity reliably and affordably. “
As of Q2 2021, C&I’s and SMEs form about 39% of Kenya’s National Grid (KPLC) total number of customers. Together they consume over 60% of KPLC’s installed capacity, with this figure rapidly growing day after day. With East and Central Africa having enormous solar energy potential, this appointment will ensure the availability of Trina Solar’s tier 1 PV modules in these markets and will further boost the company’s ambitious expansion across the continent.
“We are confident that our top quality products along with our ambitious growth plans will enable us to become top provider for many solar energy projects to take place across the Middle East & Africa region,” added Jimenez.
Edward Ritchie, General Manager of Solinc commented: “With Solinc’s long standing track record in the East African solar industry, we are well placed to cater for the increasing demand for high quality PV modules and associated equipment. We are excited to partner with Trina Solar, a manufacturer with an eye for quality.”
Trina Solar’s total module capacity reached 35GW in 2021. According to InfoLink, Trina Solar ranked globally in second position of module shipment in H1 2021.
Trina Solar currently more than 5GW of accumulative grid connections and is also proudly responsible for setting twenty world records for silicon cell efficiency and solar module power output since 2011.
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Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com
The tension among Libya’s top oil officials escalated last Sunday when Oun said he had suspended the chairman of NOC, which is the most important revenue asset for OPEC’s African member
Libyan oil minister Mohamed Oun cannot suspend the chairman of Libya’s National Oil Corporation, the head of NOC, Mustafa Sanalla, told Bloomberg after Oun said this weekend he had suspended Sanalla and referred him for investigation.
“The minister of oil cannot legally suspend me from work or refer me to investigation,” Sanalla told Bloomberg in an interview on Monday. “The cabinet is the decision-maker and has the final word on the NOC,” the state oil firm’s long-standing chairman said.
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.
The tensions have reportedly increased also because of the overlapping of their functions and duties and the jurisdiction of the oil ministry and the national oil corporation.
Earlier last month, reports emerged that Oun had recommended to the government of national unity that it replace Sanalla in a board reshuffle.
Insisting that only the cabinet has the authority to suspend a chairman at NOC, Sanalla also said that an oil ministry is a burden on the national oil corporation.
“The NOC would be much better off without the presence of the Ministry of Oil,” Sanalla told Bloomberg in the interview. “The ministry is a heavy burden on the NOC,” he added.
Still, the dispute between the ministry and NOC will not affect Libya’s oil production, Sanalla noted.
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 earlier this month.
Source: Oilprice.com
A former Vice Chancellor of Ghana’s premier University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, has been appointed the Board Chairman for the newly constituted board of the Energy Commission.
He comes to the Energy Commission board with rich experiences which cut across several areas.
At the University of Ghana, he was a professor of Entomology at the Department of Animal Biology and Conversation Science.
He rose to become the provost of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences at the University of Ghana.
Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu is a scholar of international standing with proven knowledge and experience in university administration and governance in addition to commendable fundraising ability at his disposal.
He was the main brain behind the building of a laboratory (Food Security) at the University of Ghana for use by staff and students in 1999.
He was also solely responsible for the acquisition and installation of a Scanning Electron Microscope worth US$500,000, the first of its kind in West Africa, through a grant from the Government of Japan.
Professor Owusu has served on numerous University boards and committees as well as serving as Hall Tutor of Jean Aka Nelson Hall, the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG) Secretary, as well as Editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Ghana Science Association, Regional Editor for the UNESCO African Journal of Science and Technology and a reviewer for a number of other international journals.
Professor Owusu is also a member of the University of Cambridge African Research Partnership (CAPREx) team.
Other members of the Energy Commission board are Ing. Oscar Kojo Amonoo-Neizer, Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Dr Isaac Frimpong Mensa-Bonsu, Mr Moses Aristophanes Kwame Gyasi, Mr Dari Bismark Harruna (Kpembe-wura) and Lydia Seyram Alhassan, MP for West Ayawaso Wuogon Constituency.
Rev. Oscar Amonoo-Neizer, Executive Secretary of Energy Commission
Speaking at the inauguration of the newly constituted Board on Tuesday, Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh charged the board to serve faithfully and diligently in order to make meaning of the trust and confidence reposed in them by President Akufo-Addo.
He further urged the board to give meaning to the government’s commitment to developing and elaborating national policies and strategies for all renewable resources such as biomass, solar, geothermal, water and wind.
The Chairman of the Board, Prof Ebenezer Oduro Owusu expressed the new board’s readiness to tackle the challenges of the industry and the Commission.
Italian oil and gas firm, Eni, has filed a suit at the International Tribunal in London, United Kingdom, to challenge a directive by Ghana’s Ministry of Energy, asking them to unitise Sankofa offshore oil field and Afina oil block operated by Springfield E&P, a wholly Ghanaian upstream player.
According to thesaurus, unitisation is the joint development of a petroleum resource that straddles territory controlled by different companies
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 Unitization and Unit Operating Agreement (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 and 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.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Ghana’s Minister for Energy
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.
More than a year after the directive, both Eni and Springfield E&P have failed to unitise the Sankofa offshore field and Afina Discovery.
Unhappy with the development, Springfield took the case to a high court in Accra, capital of Ghana.
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
Hot on the heels of oil majors either exiting or cutting back their activities in West Africa, comes news of other players moving to fill the gap – in the coastal countries of Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Ghana, for instance.
In other West African coastal countries – Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, and Togo – there are also hopes of finding oil fields containing economically viable quantities of oil and gas.
Nowhere are the activities of West African coastal countries more manifest than in the registrations for Africa Oil Week 2021 in November. The African continent’s premier oil and gas conference has moved temporarily to Dubai as a COVID-19 safety precaution but has committed to return “home” to Cape Town, South Africa from 2022.
Committed participants in AOW 2021 from West African coastal countries thus far include:
• Sierra Leone’s Minister of Energy, Alhaji Kanja Sesay, Minister of Environment Prof. Dr Foday M. Jaward, Minister of Mineral Resources Timothy Kabba, Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Madam Frances Alghali, and Director General of the Petroleum Directorate, Foday Mansaray;
• The Gambia’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Fafa Sanyang, Commissioner for Petroleum in the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Jerreh Barrow and the Chief Executive Officer of Gambia National Petroleum Company, Yaya Barrow; and
• Ghana’s Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
AOW’s Vice President of Energy and Director of Government Relations, Paul Sinclair, said: “AOW in Dubai is going to be a blockbuster. With, the Minister of Energy for the United Arab Emirates, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, confirming he will set out his commitments to West Africa and beyond, we can only see more success coming to the region, as a result of AOW 2021 in Dubai.”
In Sierra Leone, one company eyeing the prospects is Cluff Energy Africa. Since Algy Cluff created Cluff Oil in the ’70s, Cluff Energy Africa has operated sustainable and efficient natural resources projects in Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, and Ivory Coast.
Cluff’s new venture, Cluff Energy Africa, established two years ago, has already provisionally been awarded licenses covering 16,000km² in Sierra Leone with plans to expand across East and West Africa. He describes exits and divestments by the majors as an enormous opportunity to fill the gap.
Despite the volatility accompanying Covid-19, Cluff is confident that the rebound will see oil prices settle at a high watermark and, with the giants of the industry pulling out, a space has been left for smaller and nimbler companies to move in.
“We’re definitely seeing a fragmentation of the oil and gas market,” he explains. As well as smaller players, Russia and China are also looking to consolidate their position in the African commodities market.
He says these changes are part of an inevitable transition, and that alternative energy sources will be the answer for global energy production to meet the Paris Climate Accord targets.
Nonetheless “smaller countries need to survive in the interim,” he says, especially as national budgets to develop alternative energy on a large scale are limited.
For Africa, with an electrification rate of only 43 per cent compared to a global average of 87 per cent, the challenge of the energy transition comes as countries grapple with how to deliver energy on a scale to drive growth and development.
High hopes for Gambia
In The Gambia, Australian company FAR and joint venture partner Petronas have contracted a deep-water drillship for an oil exploration well later this year.
The drillship Stena IceMAX will spud the Bambo-1 exploration well in October and November. If successful, a discovery could result in a standalone development which would be The Gambia’s first oil production The well is expected to take 30 days to drill to a planned total depth of 3 266 metres in water depths of 993 metres, 500 metres south of the Senegal-Gambia border.
“We are pleased to be recommencing exploration drilling at FAR with this high impact well in The Gambia and with the same drill team that drilled efficiently and safely for the Samo-1 well in 2018,” FAR Managing Director Cath Norman says.
“The well will be the first well to be drilled in the Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry (MSGBC) basin since the collapse of the market in the wake of the oil price crash and the Covid-19 pandemic.
“A discovery of oil offshore Gambia would be extremely significant for FAR shareholders and the people of Gambia and help move Gambia out of ‘energy poverty’ and to transition from burning heavy fuel oil for power generation.”
Upstream boost for Ghana
The upstream oil and gas business in Ghana recently received a boost when Eni announced that it has made a significant oil find offshore Ghana, close to its existing Sankofa hub, which would allow it to fast-track production. The Eban-1X well is the second well drilled in CTP Block 4, following the Akoma discovery. Preliminary estimates place the potential of the Eban-Akoma complex between 500 and 700 Mboe in place.
Due to its proximity to existing infrastructure, the new discovery can be fast-tracked to production with a subsea tie-in to the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO, with the aim to extend its production plateau and increase production.
Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com
Sasol, an integrated energy company in South Africa, has shut down its Secunda Operations plant for statutory maintenance of the company’s critical infrastructure and equipment.
The shutdown, which started Monday, 30th August, 2021, is expected to run till the end of September 2021.
In a statement, Sasol said: “We believe that well maintained equipment enables reliable operations and encourages a safe and healthy working environment.”
The company has planned a number of activities during this one month shutdown.
According to Sasol, its Secunda employees and service providers would be carrying out some of the following activities: “restoring and/or replacing some of our equipment to strengthen a safe and reliable operational environment; improving procedures to ensure that our processes are aligned to best practices; reviewing and measuring our ways of working against those used by market leaders and optimising cost, time and available resources to ensure a successful shutdown.”
It is expected that during the shutdown, approximately 1.3 million man hours would be worked to complete all activities.
During this time, ± 102,000 planned activities would be performed to repair, clean, service or replace approximately 7,500 pieces of equipment.
“Our objective is to achieve a successful shutdown in terms of safety, stakeholder involvement and community impact as we adhere to the current COVID-19 regulations. It is for this reason that, ahead of shutdown, Sasol partnered with the Mpumalanga Provincial government and the Department of Health to rollout a COVID-19 vaccination programme to our service providers and employees.”
The company explained that this was done as an effective measure to mitigate the increased workplace exposure to the COVID-19 and the risk of it spreading.
Sasol encouraged all stakeholders to remain vigilant and practise non-medical interventions by wearing masks, washing hands and observing social distance. Health is a top priority for Sasol.
Secunda would be expecting an influx of people coming for a shutdown, which may result in increased traffic. Sasol would like to encourage stakeholders and communities to be patient.
“Zero harm is only possible when we do it together, so let us Own it,” the company said.
Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com
The Head of Public Affairs Unit of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in the Republic of Nigeria, Adekunle Anthony Tayo, has been reported dead.
The Management of BEDC announced his demise in a statement on Monday.
“With grief and heavy hearts, the Management and staff of BEDC Electricity Plc wish to inform you of the demise of our beloved colleague, friend, team leader and an amazing compatriot, Adekunle Anthony Tayo, who passed away early hours of Saturday, 28th, August, 2021, after a brief illness,” the company said.
Adekunle joined BEDC team in March 2015 until his demise.
Tayo/PRO (as he is often fondly called) was the Head of Corporate Affairs Unit and worked at the Head Office where he championed the company’s public, mainstream and social media relations efficaciously for many years.
The company said Tayo contributed positively to ensuring that stakeholders (Press, Customers, etc.) were well informed of ongoing activities in the company.
Amongst others, the company said he was very passionate about customer complaints and took it upon himself most times to resolve customer issues during his various radio appearances.
He is survived by his wife, three children and relatives.
“Tayo will be sorely missed by all. We pray that the Lord grants him eternal rest and comforts his family as they grief.”
May his soul rest in perfect peace.
Funeral arrangements will be as announced by the family.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Eko Electricity Distribution Plc in the Republic of Nigeria has denied increasing electricity tariffs.
Nigerian media reported last week that the EKEDP had increased electricity tariffs and that the increment was expected to take effect on September 1, 2021.
However, in a statement issued and signed by Engr. Adeoye Fadeyibi MD/CEO, the company denied the report, saying it was not coming from them.
“Eko Electricity Distribution Plc would like to inform the general public to disregard all such reports not emanating from the management or the company’s website – www.ekedp.com.
“While we continue to review effective and regulatory strategies to manage the impact of changes to macro-economic indices affecting end-user tariffs, the general public will be duly informed, in the event of any changes to the end-user tariff.
“We advise all customers to disregard all communications that have not been issued by management or published on the company’s website www.ekedp.com.
“Please kindly contact our 24/7 customer care line on 07080655555, OR [email protected] for further information for enquiries and a prompt resolution of any further queries or complaints.
“EKEDP wishes to thank all its esteemed customers for their continued patronage and support,” the statement concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
India is planning to create a 600 MW network of ‘power banks’ around the country’s national capital, New Delhi, on the lines of the 10 MW ‘Battery Energy Storage System’ created by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) plant in northwest Delhi’s Rohini, State Power minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday.
“The new system of energy storage is designed in a way that it can be charged during off-peak power demand hours and the stored energy can be utilised during peak demand hours, thereby stabilising the whole grid against fluctuations,” Jain said, adding that the system could be charged with solar and other renewable sources of energy.
“Delhi government is planning to create a 600 MW network of such power banks around the capital, creating a power reserve that will benefit the consumers in case of grid instability or a shutdown,” he said.
This live session will focus on addressing the existing hurdles in developing a strong domestic supply chain for the solar sector, along with developer outlook for the sector, post-Covid, and the investment plans that follow.
Jain said the Rohini facility costs around Rs 55 crore, but Delhi government is looking to reduce costs by innovating further.
“We will review the project in a month’s time and based on our learnings from its operation, we will plan out the replication of the system for other parts of the city,” he said.
“Power cuts have become a history in the national capital because of effective and efficient management by the Kejriwal-led government,” Jain said.
The Arabian Gulf Oil Company, a subsidiary of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), has suspended oil production for lack of money, Arab News has reported, citing the company’s Facebook page.
AGOCO warned late on Thursday that it would stop oil-producing operations unless it gets its share of the budget allocations for last year and this year.
This is not the first time AGOCO stops pumping oil. In April, the company decided to halt production because of the delays in the budget which is planned to allocate money to the oil firm to repair and maintain infrastructure, and keep oil production online.
AGOCO is the operator of the oilfields Sarir, Mesla, al-Bayda, Nafoora, and Hamada, which, combined, can pump 300,000 barrels per day (bpd).
After AGOCO stopped production, NOC declared force majeure on the port of Hariga due to lack of funds for infrastructure repairs, pushing the country’s crude oil production below 1 million bpd for the first time in months as NOC was forced to suspend production at several fields. The company blamed the shortage of funds on Libya’s central bank.
A week later, NOC said it had lifted the force majeure on loadings from the Hariga oil terminal after reaching an agreement with the new unity government over the allocation of funds.
Currently, the North African oil producer exempted from the OPEC+ cuts pumps around 1.2 million bpd.
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.
Libya will struggle to keep its oil production at current levels if the country fails to resolve a long-running dispute over its budget, Libya’s Oil Minister Mohamed Oun told Bloomberg earlier this 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.
Source: Oilprice.com
The Government of Ghana is considering lifting a ban it placed on the construction of new Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) outlets in the West African nation.
In view of this, the country’s Ministry of Energy is expected to meet with the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the downstream petroleum regulator in September this year, to finalise a Cabinet memo on the issue.
The Government of Ghana, through NPA, placed a ban on the construction of new LPG outlets, following a gas explosion at Atomic Junction which resulted in the death of seven people including a cameraman with Accra-based NET 2 TV.
Several people also got injured in the explosion.
The ban has since caused discontent among marketers who claimed the move has stalled over US$600 million investment.
“Within the first week of September, we are going to finalise a Cabinet memo on the lifting of the ban on LPG refilling plants. We will meet with NPA and iron out the differences in it and roll it out,” the Chief Director at the Ministry of Energy, Mr Lawrence Apaalse revealed at Kpone near Tema, where he represented the sector Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh at the swearing-in ceremony of new executives for the Ghana National Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Union.
According to him, with the Cylinder Re-circulation Model (CRM) coming in, there have been issues as to how to roll-out the programme with one of them being the new refilling plants.
He said LPG marketers have been appealing to the Ministry to lift the ban.
Meanwhile, the LPG Marketers Association has welcomed the new development, describing it as a good news.
“We have always respectfully disagreed with the government when it comes to this ban, especially the ban on stations under construction, before the Atomic incident occurred. We would have agreed if the government had said that the NPA should not issue new construction permits to our members.
“Prior to the Atomic incident, a lot of construction permits had been issued from 2014 to 2017, and some of these were in their various stages of constructions, while others were 70% to 90% complete. All these stations had to be put on hold,” Mr. Gabriel Kumi, Vice Chairman of LPG Marketers Association told Myjoyonline.com.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
By:Prince Yao Amevi
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” -Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder
The above clearly identifies what the distinguishing factor is- Innovation. It might not emanate from bringing an entirely new process but changing the throughput definitely results into desirable outcomes.
It was a year ago this month (August 2020) that the Volta Regional PRO for ECG, Mr. Benjamin O. Antwi announced to major stakeholders in Volta Region that Mr. Emmanuel Lumor has been appointed as the General Manager (GM) of ECG Volta.
I received the news wondering who Mr. Lumor was because the PRO said good things about his boss and as always I thought it was him trying to praise his new boss but a PURC official commented on the PURC platform that the new GM is a fine gentleman.
I decided to take a keen interest in activities of ECG under his leadership in Volta and Oti Regions. Fast forward the new General Manager settles and embarks on stakeholder engagement tours to engage stakeholders like traditional authorities, customers, media, security agencies, PURC and some opinion leaders. In all his engagements, one message stood out. He said, “Together with my management team, we want to make ECG Volta, The Hub of Excellent Customer Service so we are here to seek your support and advice to make this vision a reality”.
This bold pronouncement by the General Manager was welcomed with joy by all stakeholders though they all agreed it was ambitious but Mr. Lumor assured them it was possible.
At one of the engagements that I witnessed at the palace of Togbe Afede XIV in Ho, Mr. Lumor actually backed his words with action by giving an instant response to a complaint lodged by the Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV. This led to words of commendation from all the traditional rulers present at the engagement and later a letter of commendation from the Asogli State to the General Manager and ECG Volta.
This sent a signal to all stakeholders that there is a new dawn in Volta Region but people were still skeptical about the attitude of ECG staff and Outages in the Region. A year after his appointment, it is evident for all to see that the outage situation in Volta Region has improved drastically. In fact, I listened to a radio program with Mr. Lumor as the guest discussing ECG news and many customers who called during the phone in session commended the ECG Volta for their hard work and reiterated that the outage situation in Volta region has improved tremendously.
The response time to faults by the ECG staff has improved. Hitherto, it takes longer hours for ECG staff to restore power supply or even attend to faults but the situation has improved since the arrival of Mr. Lumor.
Last year February, the ECG lost close to 1200 poles due to perennial bush fire which was worrying to me as I thought the ECG could have avoided this situation. On one of his radio programs, Mr. Lumor indicated that he intends to bring the number down drastically and my checks at the ECG revealed that the Volta Region lost 14 poles this year to perennial bush fires. During the Christmas break, most assembly members indicated they saw the ECG embarking on the creation of fire belts around their poles and I personally saw them do that with the help of some third parties. The momentum and zeal of the ECG during that period was very massive so I am not surprised that the company recorded lower numbers this year.
In Ho, one of the challenges that customers face has to do with challenge with their prepaid meters at night. At times customers had to sleep in the dark because their meter had a challenge and the ECG had closed. However, after a year in the Region, I have noticed that the ECG works till 10:00pm to resolve all challenges reported by customers on their prepaid meters. At times they go beyond that time to ensure all challenges are resolved to the delight of customers.
Personally, I had an encounter with him at Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and shared my
Experience during my meter acquisition period (https://m.facebook.com/story.php story_fbid=10215953780955788&id=1785286535) and the many positive responses I received publicly and privately generated some amount of energy within me to observe and see whether the actions (positive) of the New Regional General Manager was not going to be a nine day wonder. It never was since it looks more of the way of life of this leader.
I have moved in and out of ECG either to buy prepaid credit or complain about a problem. The big office complex which was constructed in 2014 welcomes you with mostly a lady presumably from an outsourced security service who either pays no attention to you or responds to your salutation. New comers into the edifice will be most confused finding their way round the many offices. Couldn’t there have been a trained receptionist who directs customers to their various solution points? I thought to myself anytime I visited. This prayer got answered when to my surprise I met a lady who welcomed me at the entrance.
Lady (Receptionist): Good afternoon Sir and welcome
Me: with shock on my face, afternoon
Lady (Receptionist): What can we help you with?
I told her my challenge and she directed me to the officer who could offer solution. What shocked me more was her question whether my problem was solved on my way out of the office. I have met receptionists but the lady at ECG, Ho stands out. She has a beautifully built counter all to herself which adds some formal setting to her department.
My checks indicate that this innovation was by the same man in my Facebook post-The new General Manager.
Prior to this encounter I reported my faulty prepaid card in January 2021 and as always it was placed into small gadget by the engineer and I was asked to return home and get it slotted into my meter because the fault has been rectified. Two hours after I left the office, I received a call from someone who introduced himself as an engineer from ECG who was calling to check whether my meter was able to ‘pick’ the card as they indicated. Till now I cannot remember the answer I gave because I was dumbfounded by the gesture which I have never experienced with the power producer. A trace once more led me to the man in my Facebook post-The General Manager.
It is legitimate to condemn public sector workers who exhibit lackadaisical attitude towards service delivery but it will be an upfront on nation building if we do not celebrate those that innovate to the delight of customers.
Like the Toyota Production System (TPS) employed Kaizen to meet customer expectation, may you continually improve until all bottlenecks- especially meter contractors, new connection and fault reporting are finally eliminated to make the processes at Electricity Company of Ghana as customer friendly as ever . Let us also see sanctions on recalcitrant employees who continue to tarnish your hard work otherwise the one bad nut adage will wear flesh, until then keep improving keep innovating, Mr. Emmanuel Lumor.
Author,
Prince Yao Amevi
Journalist
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), one of the electricity distribution companies in the Republic of Nigeria, has rejected claims that the privatization of the country’s power sector has turned out to be a failure, according to report filed by businesspost.ng.
Addressing journalists Tuesday, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of IBEDC, Mr. John Ayodele, said the company and others were making progress despite the challenges.
Describing the challenges faced by Discos, Mr. Ayodele noted that IBEDC records a deficit of N4 billion monthly stating that between January and July 2021, it has recorded 15,032 cases of vandalisation of distribution assets.
Mr. Ayodele said the money paid by customers to the company also goes to generating (GENCO) and transmission companies operating in the sector as well.
He maintained that IBEDC does not have the full power to reduce the tariff, stressing that stakeholders must unanimously agree to review power tariffs in the country.
On the efforts of the company towards effective service delivery, he said the electricity distributing company, has been investing heavily in the sector.
He disclosed that the company has added 2,632 distribution substations to its network, rehabilitated 39 dilapidated substations, replaced two failed power stations and 381 distribution transformers.
The company reconstructed six new 33 kilovolt (kV) and six new 11 kV outgoing feeders, rehabilitated 22 high tensions and 52 low tension overhead lines.
Mr Ayodele said the company has made progress on Asset and Customer Enumeration; an exercise that has made it possible to correctly capture the active consumer base of the company and aided the Distribution Transformer (DT) metering project.
According to him, the company has ensured that 50 per cent of IBEDC DT meters are smartly metered, adding that metering would aid management and solve problems of accountability of energy.
He explained that the organisation has been working on improving occupational and safety management systems and initiated e-billing which enables effective delivery of bills to postpaid customers via SMS and Email.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Professor Owusu is also a member of the University of Cambridge African Research Partnership (CAPREx) team.
Other members of the Energy Commission board are Ing. Oscar Kojo Amonoo-Neizer, Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Dr Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Dr Isaac Frimpong Mensa-Bonsu, Mr Moses Aristophanes Kwame Gyasi, Mr Dari Bismark Harruna (Kpembe-wura) and Lydia Seyram Alhassan, MP for West Ayawaso Wuogon Constituency.
