The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), together with the USAID/West Africa Energy Programme, (WAEP), has held a day’s workshop in Accra for selected stakeholders to educate them on the Commission’s Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA) Guidelines and the Net Metering Guidelines.
The stakeholders included Civil Society Organisations, the media, the Energy Foundation, the Association of Ghana Industry, the Energy Commission and the Consumer Protection Agency.
The Executive Secretary of PURC, Dr Ishmael Ackah, in his opening remarks, disclosed that the Commission would introduce net metering in 2023.
Net metering is an arrangement whereby contracted customers feed excess renewable energy into the national grid.
Dr Ackah explained that “under this system, customer-generators are credited in kWh for electricity supplied to the grid. This will be done in close collaboration with the Energy Commission in the identification of 35 Customer-Generators.” So far, net meters have been installed for all customers but in series with their existing prepayment and postpaid meters.
These meters would be configured to be read remotely and electronically.
On his part, Ing Bernard Mordey, on behalf of the Chief Party of West Africa Energy Programme (WAEP), Mr Adaku Ufere, expressed the programme’s profound gratitude to the PURC for coming out with net metering guidelines for the first time to serve as an incentive for private sector participation in generating electricity from various renewable sources.
Ing. Mordey explained that the Programme and PURC are working to increase the supply and access to affordable and reliable electricity. According to him, “Net metering guidelines are welcome as it would encourage private sector investments in the renewables.”
Net metering would help increase the supply of electricity whilst reducing the cost of fuel in generating electricity.
The Principal Manager in charge of Regulatory Economics at the PURC, Mr Robert Saka Addo made a presentation on PURC Tariff Setting Guidelines.
Mr. Addo took participants through the Commission’s Quarterly Tariff Adjustment (QTA) Guidelines.
Robert Saka Addo
The QTA enables the Commission to reflect changes in macroeconomic variables in the operations of utility service providers. These variables are the inflation rate, foreign exchange rate, and the cost of natural gas, electricity, and water supply. The QTA further helps to minimize the impact of these uncontrollable factors on the cost of natural gas, electricity & water provision and to ensure the delivery of quality services to consumers.
Mr Addo further explained that the Net Metering Guidelines approved by the PURC shall consist of a price (capacity and energy charges in GHp/kWh) for energy exchange (kWh) between the Customer-generator and the distribution utility and shall be valid for the duration of the Net Metering Agreement.
The Net Metering Quantity shall be determined from the energy produced by the customer-generator and the energy supplied by the distribution utility company to the customer-generator. Eligible customers under the Net Metering Scheme shall be classified into three categories namely Residential Customers, Non-Residential Customers, and Industrial Customers.
The Net Metering Credit shall take the form of Net Metering quantity (kWh) to the customer-generator if there is net energy exported to the distribution grid and charged to the customer-generator if there is net energy imported from the Distribution Grid.
Net Metering Credits shall attract the prevailing rate approved by the PURC to ensure rate uniformity for all qualified net metering customers at any given time.
Distribution utilities shall apply for the net metering credits against (per-kWh) charges on a customer-generator’s bill per PURC prevailing rate structure.
Mr Kofi EllisSource: https://energynewsafrica.com
Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in the Republic of Ghana have adjusted their pump prices further downward in a bid to cushion consumers during the festive season.
This comes barely a week when the OMCs adjusted their pump prices downward.
Currently, a litre of petrol is selling between Gh¢12 and Gh¢13.40 while diesel is sold between Gh¢14.47 and Gh¢15.85.
Fuel prices shot up astronomically in October, with diesel being sold at Gh¢23.49 per litre while petrol was sold at Gh¢17.89 per litre.
The increment in fuel prices, which was triggered by the weak Ghanaian cedi against major international currencies and the rise in crude oil prices, pushed prices of goods and services upward.
Fuel consumers lamented the situation due to the unbearable hardships it brought on them.
However, since November, fuel prices have been dropping significantly, bringing a huge relief to consumers.
Checks by energynewsafrica.com revealed that most of the OMCs have adjusted their pump prices as of Thursday, 22nd November 2022.
Leading Oil Marketing Companies, GOIL, Shell and TotalEnergies are all selling petrol at Gh¢13.40 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢15.85 per litre.
Petrosol is selling diesel at Gh¢12.79 per litre while petrol is being sold at Gh¢15.49 per litre.
Engen is selling diesel at Gh¢15.60 per litre while petrol is sold at Gh¢13.30 per litre.
Star Oil is selling petrol at Gh¢10.99 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢13.99 per litre.
Allied is selling petrol at Gh¢11.35 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢14.35 per litre.
Zen petroleum is selling petrol at Gh12.87 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh15.69.
Both Alinco and Goodness are selling petrol at Gh¢11.30 while diesel is being sold at Gh¢14.47
Duke’s petroleum is selling petrol at Gh¢11.50 per litre while diesel is sold at Gh¢14.95 per litre.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that there will be “no limitations” on spending for the military’s war in Ukraine, as Western sanctions and price caps hope to crush war coffers, Bloomberg reports.
“The country and government is giving everything that the army asks for–everything. I trust that there will be an appropriate response and the results will be achieved,” Putin told top military officials at the Defense Ministry’s annual meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin that Russia should expand its armed forces to 1.5 million troops, including 695,000 professional contract soldiers from the current 1.15 million in a bid to bolster security.
Shoigu, however, has not explained where the additional recruits would be found with the latest mobilization drive deeply unpopular inside Russia.
Putin’s bluster and show of defiance will, however, be put to the test in the coming months as revenue from energy exports comes under pressure following price restrictions imposed by the U.S. and its allies.
Whereas Russia is running a record current-account surplus for the current year, cash flows are expected to weaken considerably in 2023 as oil and gas sales to Europe plunge.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy says it expects that the EU embargo on Russian oil and petroleum products should cut Russia’s profits by at least 50%.
“We expect the collapse of profits from oil and gas exports to be at more than 50%, precisely because of the introduction of the EU embargo on oil and petroleum products and the introduction of price restrictions. Oil and gas account for 60% and 40% of federal budget revenues. We expect that Russia’s revenues will fall below the critical level of $40 billion per quarter,” Yuliya Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine has said. She has expressed hope that plunging profits will make it more difficult for Russia to continue waging an expansive war.
Source: Oilprice.com
A five-member delegation from West Japan Engineering Consultants Inc. (West JEC)–the firm responsible for the design and supervision of the construction of the Accra Central Substation Bulk Supply Point—has paid a working visit to the Ghana Grid Company office in Accra.
The delegation was received by Ing Francis Arthur, Manager, Project Management Section (Engineering Department), Ing Benjamin Ahunu, Accra Area Manager, and Cyril King, Accra Area Operating Supervisor.
The purpose of visiting the Accra Central BSP was to gain first-hand information on the state of affairs of the facility since it was commissioned and operationalised in 2018, a post on GRIDCo Facebook page sighted by energynewsafrica.com explained.
The Accra Central substation was constructed with support from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Speaking after touring the facility, Mr Kenji Sakemura, Senior Electrical Engineer & Acting General Manager, in charge of the Overseas Group at West JEC, said, “I am generally impressed by the facility’s set-up and maintenance regime for optimal operations.”
The operationalisation of the substation has improved power supply reliability to the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra and the North Industrial Area, with stable voltage levels with minimal transmission and distribution losses.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Government of Ghana has finally reached an agreement with petroleum refiners in the United Arab Emirates to supply the West African nation with petroleum products beginning January 2023 under the gold for oil initiative.
Under this initiative, the Government of Ghana will be using gold to exchange for refined petroleum products instead of using US dollars to pay for the products.
The move is part of the Akufo-Addo administration’s effort to address the situation where oil importers chase dollars for oil import, thereby, putting pressure on the local currency, the cedi.
Vice President Dr. Bawumia broke the news in November 2022 when he said the government was engaging oil firms to use gold for oil.
Giving an update on the oil for the gold initiative on Thursday, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia wrote on his Facebook wall: “I am happy to announce that the Government of Ghana has concluded the arrangements for the operationalisation of the Gold for Oil policy.
“Consequently, the first oil products under the policy will be delivered next month (January 2023). My thanks to the Minister for Energy, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Governor of the Bank of Ghana, the Chamber of Mines, PMMC, NPA and BOST for their leadership in the operationalisation of the Government’s Gold for Oil Policy.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Environmental groups sued the Biden administration on Wednesday to block a sale of oil and gas drilling rights off the coast of Alaska that is scheduled for next week.
The legal action, filed in federal court in Alaska, comes as the Interior Department is preparing to offer nearly 1 million acres in the Cook Inlet on December 30, 2022.
The sale was among the concessions to the oil and gas sector included in President Joe Biden’s climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Under the law, the administration is required to hold the sale by Dec. 31. Interior had scrapped the Cook Inlet sale this year before the IRA passed, citing a lack of industry interest.
An Interior Department spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The groups suing the administration are Cook Inletkeeper, Alaska Community Action on Toxics, Center for Biological Diversity, Kachemak Bay Conservation Society and Natural Resources Defense Council.
In the complaint, the groups alleged the sale’s environmental review violated federal environmental laws by not adequately considering its impact on climate change as well as consequences for threatened species such as the Cook Inlet beluga whale and humpback whales.
The groups are asking the court to vacate the environmental review and any leases that are executed following the sale.
“Cook Inlet is already experiencing severe effects of climate change, and new oil and gas leasing will only magnify those harms,” the complaint said.
Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles (290 km) from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska.
The federal government has held several oil and gas lease sales in the Cook Inlet since the 1970s, but no production has occurred in federal waters to date, according to the sale’s environmental review.
There are currently 14 active federal leases there, all owned by Hilcorp (HILCO.UL).
Operating oil and gas platforms in the area are all in state waters, but oil production has declined substantially since peaking in the 1970s.
South Africans are likely to witness a reduction in fuel prices by as much as R2.80 cents (US$0.16) in the New Year, according to the latest information from the Central Energy Fund.
The fund’s data shows that 95 unleaded petrol could be cut by R1.94 cents (US$0.11) in January, with 93 petrol due for an R1.95 cents (US$0.16) decrease, while diesel prices could enjoy steeper cuts of as much as R2.78 cents per litre.
Oil prices have been volatile, slumping in recent weeks in response to global fears of an economic slowdown but climbed again in the past few days over-optimism stoked by China’s relaxation of its zero-COVID policy.
In the longer term, it is thought that structural underinvestment in the new oil supply could lead to higher prices.
Fuel prices will rise as the local currency strengthens, which it has done slightly since last week.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has donated GH¢100,000 to the Oncology Centre of the Tamale Teaching Hospital towards the treatment of cancer patients.
The amount is to fund the cost of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment of some of the breast, cervical, prostate and liver cancer patients.
A Deputy Chief Executive of NPA, Mrs Linda Asante, who donated on behalf of the NPA’s Chief Executive, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, at the hospital on Wednesday, said the gesture was to ease the burden on cancer patients at the Oncology Centre.
She said the support for the Centre was part of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments of the NPA.
She indicated that the idea to support cancer patients was mooted by the NPA Ladies’ Association two years ago as part of its breast cancer awareness campaign.
The idea was embraced by the NPA’s Chief Executive, which culminated in the first donation of GH¢100,000 to the National Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital last year.
In his response, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Dr Adam Atiku thanked the NPA for the donation as it would go a long way in footing the bills for the treatment of many cancer patients at the Oncology Centre.
He said the hospital had been recording increased cases of breast and cervical cancer in women, prostate cancer in men and liver cancer for both men and women.
He said breast cancer topped the chart of cancer cases and had become a burden on families and the hospital.
Dr Atiku expressed worry that cancer was the second or third leading cause of death among children, and indicated that cancer was curable when detected early.
Dr Atiku said the Oncology Centre receives more patients from neighbouring and Sahelian countries.
However, Dr. Atiku said the Oncology Centre does only surgery and chemotherapy and refers the radiotherapy cases to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital due to the absence of radiotherapy machines.
Besides, he said the Centre does not have a mammogram for cancer diagnosis.
Dr. Atiku, therefore, appealed to corporate bodies to support the Oncology Centre to acquire radiotherapy machines and a mammogram.
The NPA team included the Director of Finance and President of the NPA Ladies’ Association, Mrs Ayi Zakariah, the Communication Manager, Mr Mohammed Abdul-Kudus, and the Manager of CSR, Ms Natasha Boakye.
Ghana’s presidency has directed the Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and the Board to discontinue the ongoing negotiation with Decimal Capital Ltd, as a strategic partner for the country’s premier refinery.
Instead, the president wants the Managing Director and the Board to look for a new strategic partner.
Though it is not yet known why the presidency has directed the discontinuation of the deal, what energynewsafrica.com predicts could be the possible reason is the involvement of Mr Asante Berko in the deal.
Mr. Asante Berko was recently arrested in the UK over his alleged involvement with bribes paid to Ghanaian authorities to secure an energy contract for a Turkish company in Ghana when he was working at Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Mr. Asante Berko, a former Managing Director of TOR, according to a report by this portal in June 2022, was leading Decimal Capital Ltd, a Kenya-based private limited liability company, to offer financial solutions to a wide variety of individuals and businesses to take over the operations of Tema Oil Refinery.
Before the official announcement by the management of TOR regarding their selection of Decimal Capital Ltd from among several companies as their strategic investor, Mr Asante Berko was holding meetings at the refinery with the Jerry Kofi Hinson-led management of TOR and some staff.
A statement issued by Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) on June 23, 2022, stated that Decimal Capital Ltd had been selected as the new strategic partner for TOR, confirming energynewsafrica.com’s publication.
According to the statement, the deal “was expected to boost the local supply of refined oil products and help stabilise the Ghana cedi, in the face of the ongoing international oil market crisis.
“A local Transactional Advisor has been contracted by TOR to lead the negotiations in formulating the lease agreement, which is expected to be completed over the next three to four weeks.
“The investment partner is expected to provide funding for a first phase, which will bring the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) of TOR back on stream to refine about 45,000 barrels per day in the next few months,” parts of the release stated.
Meanwhile, some staff of the refinery are demanding that President make changes in the management and the Board to bring fresh ideas on board to turn the refinery around.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday inaugurated the Kovykta natural gas field in eastern Siberia, located strategically to allow Russia to increase gas exports to China amid growing tensions between Moscow and the West.
The inauguration is the culmination of efforts that began about a decade ago to develop new fields and build the Power of Siberia pipeline to deliver to the rapidly expanding market.
“We are launching the unique Kovykta gas field, the largest in eastern Siberia. Its recoverable reserves are 1.8 trillion cubic meters of gas,” Putin said via video link during a televised ceremony.
Currently, Russia lacks pipelines to transport gas from its Western Siberian and Arctic gas fields that serve China and Europe.
The first Power of Siberia pipeline began to deliver gas from eastern Siberia to China at the end of 2019. It won’t be the last.
Moscow has laid out plans to build a Power of Siberia 2 pipeline as Russia increasingly turns to the Middle Kingdom in the face of heavy western sanctions.
China and India have become some of the biggest buyers of Russian oil and gas, with Bloomberg’s oil strategist Julian Lee revealing that Russia’s flagship Urals crude oil has been trading at a massive discount of more than per barrel $30, or about 40% to the international Brent crude oil, at the end of last week. In contrast, a year ago, Urals traded at a much smaller discount of $2.85 to Brent.
Urals is the main blend exported by Russia. Moscow is beginning to feel the heat of its war in Ukraine and could be losing $4 billion a month in energy revenues, as per Bloomberg’s calculations.
Supplies of Russian pipeline gas–the bulk of Europe’s gas imports before the Ukraine war–are down to a trickle and might be further impacted after a gas pipeline in central Russia that brings gas from Russia’s Arctic through Ukraine to Europe was shut down on Tuesday following a deadly blast.
Built in the 1980s, the pipeline enters Ukraine via the Sudzha metering point and currently is the main route for Russian gas to reach Europe.
Source:Oilprice.com
The Krobo Office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Limited, in Somanya, Eastern Region, has embarked on a campaign against fake energy meters in a bid to protect customers from issues associated with the use of such meters.
The office has, for the past few weeks, displayed a number of these fake meters alongside the original ones on a notice board at the office where customers are constantly engaged and educated to become aware of the various types of fake meters in the system.
This campaign was necessitated when during routine monitoring exercises, it became apparent that several customers had fake meters installed at their premises.
“Customers are being continually scammed by vendors of fake meters who pose as ECG workers, approach potential customers and then eventually give them these fake meters,” said Ing Tetteh Apan, the Engineer in charge of the office.
He added that “customers are usually caught unawares by these vendors of fake meters which are made to seem like they are from ECG.”
He added that the nameplates of the meters are charged to often mimic that of the original meters.
Some of these fake meters work all right but as they are not part of the ECG system, customers would not often get bills.
However, once the meter is seen by the ECG, the total amount of energy it has consumed is determined and the user is billed accordingly.
The energy supply of the user is also cut off, and they are asked to report to the ECG office to start the process of acquiring a meter through the right process.
Given this, potential customers of ECG and the general public are encouraged to ignore such fake meters to avoid issues.
“Members of the general public have shown interest in this campaign by engaging ECG officials and asking for the differences between the fake and original meters, as well as what to do in case they chance on some. On this, they are told to inform ECG so the necessary punitive and corrective measures can be put in place.”
Monitoring and auditing of energy meters and other equipment are part of the core activities undertaken by the ECG.
These are done to ensure the integrity of ECG meters and to ensure that they are working as they should.
In instances where fake meters are seen, they are seized by officials of ECG.
Electricity supply has been restored to the Bawku Municipality and other surrounding towns in Upper East that experienced a blackout last Monday.
According to NEDco, the power supply was restored at about 7:15 pm on Monday.
Bawku and several areas experienced blackout following a sporadic gunshot by feuding factions in Bawku that hit GRIDCo’s Zebilla-Bawku 161Kv transmission line.
The 161kV transmission tripped on earth, causing an outage to the Bawku Bulk Supply Point.
“Fault has been identified as broken conductor [on tower number 287 within Bawku town] as a result of a gunshot.
“The outage has affected supply to Bawku, Pusiga, Garu, Gamabaga, Nelerigu, Bunkprugu and their environs. Other affected areas include Bittou in Burkina Faso and Dapongo in Togo,” a statement from GRIDCo said.
Confirming the restoration of the power supply, Mr. Abaaba Alhassan, an Interim Head of Communication for NEDco, said his outfit and GRIDCo worked tirelessly to ensure that power was restored the same day.
A former Chairman of the Energy Commission of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Ampofo, is currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and participating in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s technical conference on a draft continental Regulatory Framework on how to attract private sector investments in Electricity Markets in Africa.
The two-day conference has brought together participants from across Africa, especially energy sector regulators.
At its December 2021 meeting, the AU Specialized Technical Committee on Transport, Transcontinental and Interregional Infrastructure and Energy requested ECA and AUC to develop a regulatory framework aimed at enhancing the influx of private investment in electricity markets in Africa.
A Draft Continental Regulatory Framework aimed at assisting member states to effectively address regulatory challenges to increase private sector investment in the energy sector has, therefore, been developed.
The framework has been developed in the context of the African Single Electricity Market (AfSEM) which seeks to promote energy integration and trade among member states.
The participants at the two-day conference have been discussing the framework and assessing country-specific cases on regulation and lessons to be learned.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa has deployed personnel of the country’s National Defense Force to protect Eskom’s power plants across the country.
At least a minimum of 10 soldiers have been deployed to each power station with priority being given to the tutuka, camden, majuba and grootvlei power stations.
This follows fears of sabotage as the country has been enduring stage 6 rolling blackouts for the past few days.
There are reports that some machines at different power stations have been deliberately damaged while some contractors have been supplying poor-quality coal which also damages the machines.
Speaking at the ANC’s 55th national conference in Nasrec, Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenga noted that the level of criminality taking place at power plants has left the president with no choice but to consider beefing-up security.
The spokesperson says the power utility has welcomed the intervention.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Accra Central substation was constructed with support from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Speaking after touring the facility, Mr Kenji Sakemura, Senior Electrical Engineer & Acting General Manager, in charge of the Overseas Group at West JEC, said, “I am generally impressed by the facility’s set-up and maintenance regime for optimal operations.”
The operationalisation of the substation has improved power supply reliability to the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra and the North Industrial Area, with stable voltage levels with minimal transmission and distribution losses.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 