Ghana: ECG Deploys Clou Smart Meters In Tema Region
Ghana’s southern power distribution, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Tema Region, has replaced about 82,000 existing prepaid meters with Clou smart meters in the area.
The power distribution company started piloting the meter replacement project in December 2019 and fully rolled it out in January 2020.
It forms part of the company’s drive to continuously improve convenience for customers.
The new meters have a number of benefits among which are the ability to help customers track their energy consumption and to be able to buy credit using the ECG Power App for smart phones or dial *226# for non-smart phones.
The Regional Commercial Manager, Mr. Mawudoefia Dotse Hlorlewu indicated that these meters are being installed mainly at Afienya, Nungua, Tema Township and surrounding areas.
Speaking to the press, the Commercial Manager of ECG, Tema Region, said that vending points to serve customers have been commissioned at strategic locations where the project has taken off, adding that it would be extended to other communities as the project progressed.
He also indicated that the company strives to educate customers continuously on how these new meters work.
Mr. Hlorlewu further said that the uniqueness of the Clou prepayment system lies in the use of a keypad operator rather than a card which requires customers to insert or swipe to load credits.
He indicated that the meters are GPRS compliant so purchases are remotely credited to the meter either from the point of sale or through the ECG Power App.
Commenting, Ing. Emmanuel Appoe, the Regional Engineer, explained that the meters are individually linked to a separate user interface unit installed on the customer’s premises which can be used to manually operate the meter.
Ing. Appoe intimated that in the event where purchases are not remotely credited to the meter due to network challenges, the user interface can be used by customers to manually conclude the transaction using the token number on the purchase receipt generated at the vending point or via the ECG Power app.
Further touching on the technical qualities, Ing. Appoe mentioned that “these meters have the ability to cut off power whenever there are challenges with unstable voltages in the system…be it high or low.”
He added that should any customer try to tamper with the meter, it would cut off and ECG officials would immediately know that the meter had been tampered with.
On his part, the General Manager for ECG in the Tema Region, Ing. Emmanuel Akinie indicated that the Clou metering project would be extended to other parts of the region.
“We are going to systematically increase the penetration of Clou meters in the region but in phases,” he said, and added that collaboration would be mutually beneficial to the communities and the company.
He expressed delight at the successful take off of the project and thanked the traditional leadership and people in the communities for their support.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
$150 Billion In Stolen Oil Money Smuggled Out Of Iraq
Some $150 billion in oil revenues has been stolen and smuggled out of Iran since the fall of Saddam Hussain in 2003, the president of Iraq said, as quoted by media, at the introduction of a new law aimed at fighting corruption.
“Of the close to a trillion dollars made from oil since 2003, an estimated $150 billion of stolen money has been smuggled out of Iraq,” President Barham Saleh said, as quoted by The New Arab, as he urged the Iraqi parliament to “adopt this crucial piece of legislation, in order to curb this pervasive practice that has plagued our great nation”.
The draft law that Saleh presented to parliament envisages close scrutiny on transactions of sums over $500,000 as well as bank accounts, with a special focus on accounts with $1 million or more in them.
Unfortunately, the law may never pass parliament, The New Arab reports, citing a local security and politics expert.
It’s certainly one of the best pieces of legislation proposed by the executive branch since 2003. But will it be adopted? I doubt it,” Fadel Abo Ragheef told the AFP.
The political parties the lawmakers belong to will act to sabotage it, so it doesn’t pass. In public they will support it, but behind the scenes, they will do everything to prevent its adoption, because many of the politicians are involved in this racket”.
CNN quoted the Iraqi president as saying that the proposed legislation will also seek to recover those $150 billion in stolen funds through cooperation with other governments and international organizations.
“Here I reiterate Iraq’s call, which we have previously issued at the United Nations General Assembly, for the formation of an international coalition to fight corruption along the lines of the international coalition against ISIS,” President Saleh said.
Iraq is currently making some $5 billion in crude oil export revenues. Over the first quarter, the country’s oil revenues totaled $15.53 billion, up 40 percent from last year’s fourth quarter and up by $1.5 billion from the first quarter of 2020.
Source:Oilprice.com
Gambia Targets 100 Percent Electricity Access By 2025
The Gambian Government says efforts are being made to ensure that every Gambian has access to quality and affordable energy by 2025.
“This is a year of working as more and more contracts are being signed and implemented,” Hon. Fafa Sanyang, Minister for Petroleum and Energy for The Gambia, said during the signing ceremony of contract for the construction of 30kV line with Distribution Network and Secondary subtractions for Sami & Sandu District villages.
Upon completion of the project, over 46 communities will, for the first time, have access to electricity, according to Mr. Nani Juwara, MD of National Water & Electricity Company (NAWEC).
Ghana: Parts Of Accra To Experience 16 Days Of Power OutagesThe Gambia has a total population of 2,476,572 people, and out of this, more that 60 percent have access to electricity.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.comOver 46 communities to access to electricity for the first time say Mr Nani Juwara MD NAWEC as NAWEC signs a contract with MBH Power Ltd for the construction of a 30KV line with Distribution Network and Secondary subtractions for Sami & Sandu Districts Villages pic.twitter.com/qzMqV5n9ZU
— Ministry of Petroleum and Energy The Gambia (@MoPEGambia) May 24, 2021
Ghana: Toddler, Two Others Burnt In Tanker Explosion( Photos)
Three persons including a toddler have been burnt following a tanker explosion on Monday in the Republic of Ghana.
The explosion which occurred at Onyina Nofo near Mankranso in the Ashanti Region also led to the burning of about 30 houses rendering the owners homeless.
The victims are the truck driver, his assistant and the toddler who is said to hail from the community.
Report suggests that some people who were closer to the scene also suffered varying degree of burns.
Eyewitnesses account indicate that the incident occurred after the fuel tanker lost balance, skidded into the village and exploded in the process.
Personnel from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service were at the scene to bring the situation under control.
The Director-General of the National Disaster Management (NADMO), Eric Agyeman-Prempeh, who spoke on an Accra-based Citi FM, said other residents in the area had been rendered homeless as a result of the incident.
“This afternoon, a tanker exploded at Onyina Nofo in the Ahafo Ano South West District. I have been here with my team and many people have been rendered homeless. A lot of people’s houses have been burnt. Three people died including the driver and his mate, as well a two-year-old toddler.”
Mr. Agyeman-Prempeh said NADMO had to improvise to provide a temporary shelter for the displaced residents.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Director-General of the National Disaster Management (NADMO), Eric Agyeman-Prempeh, who spoke on an Accra-based Citi FM, said other residents in the area had been rendered homeless as a result of the incident.
“This afternoon, a tanker exploded at Onyina Nofo in the Ahafo Ano South West District. I have been here with my team and many people have been rendered homeless. A lot of people’s houses have been burnt. Three people died including the driver and his mate, as well a two-year-old toddler.”
Mr. Agyeman-Prempeh said NADMO had to improvise to provide a temporary shelter for the displaced residents.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Zambia: Lusaka To Experience Power Outage For 16 Hours On Sunday
The capital of Zambia, Lusaka, is expected to experience about 16 hours of interruptions in power supply from 05:00am to 20:00hours on Sunday.
Zambia’s electricity company, ZESCO Limited, which made the announcement in a statement, said the interruption of power supply is to facilitate the re-configuration of transmission and distribution lines which will result in more stable and consistent power supply in Lusaka.
“These works are part of the US$20 million Lusaka Transmission and Distribution Rehabilitation Project (LTDRP) funded by the World Bank and European Investment Bank,” the statement explained.
INTERRUPTION OF POWER SUPPLY IN PARTS OF LUSAKA ON SUNDAY MAY 23, DUE TO MAINTENANCE WORKS pic.twitter.com/lBv0Mm7eEx
— Zesco Limited (@ZescoL) May 20, 2021
Ghana: Assailants Set ECG’s Pylon Ablaze In Tema
The Tema Regional Police is investigating a case in which the Electricity Company of Ghana’s 33kV cable connecting a pylon near GRIDCo’s head office was set ablaze by unknown persons.
According to information available to energynewsafrica.com, a security guard at GRIDCo detected through the company’s CCTV that there was smoke emanating from the ECG’s pylon on Thursday and quickly informed the Fire Service department stationed within the company, who swiftly responded and brought the fire under control.
Police visit to the scene later revealed some severe damages to the cable connecting the pylon.
Some burnt debris of vehicle tyres were also detected at the base of the pylon, indicating that the perpetrator might have had some bad intention of burning the pylon.
The Public Relations Officer for Tema Regional ECG Madam Sakyiwaa Mensah who confirmed the incident said the case has been reported to the Tema Regional Police.
Some burnt debris of vehicle tyres were also detected at the base of the pylon, indicating that the perpetrator might have had some bad intention of burning the pylon.
The Public Relations Officer for Tema Regional ECG Madam Sakyiwaa Mensah who confirmed the incident said the case has been reported to the Tema Regional Police. G7 Countries Agree To Stop International Funding For Coal-Fired Power
The Group of Seven (G7) rich countries have agreed to stop international funding for the construction of coal-fired power stations that emit carbon, a document summarising a G7 environment ministers’ meeting showed on Friday.
“We stress that international investments in unabated coal must stop now and commit to take concrete steps towards an absolute end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by the end of 2021,” the document said.
Coal is considered unabated when it is burned for power or heat without using technology to capture the resulting emissions, a system not yet widely used in power generation.
The agreement comes in the context of aligning international financing with the goals under the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, by reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, including deep reductions this decade.
In order for the goal to be reached, power generation must give way to renewable-sourced electricity such as wind and solar.
The document said the G7 countries will review and phase out new direct government support for carbon intensive fossil energy, except in limited circumstances at the discretion of each country.
The G7 asked other major economies to adopt the commitments, raising pressure especially on China, which consumes around half of the world’s coal. Japan, which had long fallen behind peers in ditching coal, has been coming closer to the position of the other G7 members.
The phase-out of payments includes official development aid, export finance investments and financial and trade promotion support.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday had decried new oil, gas and coal projects.
“This meeting is a hopeful start,” said the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), a professional network in the energy space, in a statement.
Source : Reuters
Nigeria’s Rig Count Drops By 67%
Nigeria’s rig count has dropped to five in April 2021, thus indicating a decrease of 67 percent compared to 16 recorded in the corresponding period of 2020, according to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
In its May 2021 Oil Market Report obtained by Energy Vanguard, OPEC, also disclosed that the nation’s rig count, a major index of measuring exploration and production in the oil and gas industry, stood at six before dropping to the current five.
This means that the nation has not been investing adequate funds in new projects, capable of increasing its reserves, which the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR puts at 37 billion barrels.
Commenting on the development, a Port Harcourt-based Energy Analyst, Dr. Bala Zaka, attributed the rig count to the inability of the nation to pass its Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB into law.
He said: “The delay in the passage of the PIB into law has not encouraged many foreign and indigenous companies to invest in new projects, which could have culminated into the making of new finds as well as commercial reserves.”
However, the report showed that the rig counts of other African countries remained much higher than Nigeria, meaning that such feats were fuelled by increased investments during the period. Specifically, Algeria and Libya led with 27 and 12 respectively, while Nigeria and Angola came third and fourth respectively during the period under review.
Nevertheless, OPEC disclosed that it was committed to promoting or encouraging investment in Nigeria and other member states.
In the upstream, it stated: “Regardless of all the challenges and uncertainties, OPEC Member Countries continue to invest in additional upstream capacities. On top of the huge capacity maintenance costs that Member Countries are faced with, they continue to invest in new projects and reinforce their commitment to the oil and gas market as well as to the security of supply for all consumers.”
Needless to say, this is only a reflection of OPEC’s well-known policy that is clearly stated in its Long-Term Strategy and its Statute. In the medium-term, about 160 projects, with an overall estimated cost of some $156 billion, are being undertaken by OPEC Member Countries.”
In the downstream, it also stated: “The upcoming projects landscape for the medium-term (2016–2021) for OPEC Member Countries’ downstream sector is affected by two factors: the lifting of international sanctions on Iran, and the return of Gabon to the Organization.
“A significant number of new investments are set to occur in OPEC Member Countries. “Almost 8 mb/d, of potential refining projects in OPEC Member Countries with a relatively new surge in capacity additions from Iran, if all projects are implemented as planned. “However, a review of viability of these projects suggests that around 2.2 mb/d of distillation units will be added to the refining sector in OPEC Member Countries in the period 2016–2021.
“This combines around 1.7 mb/d of additional crude distillation capacity and 0.44 mb/d in the form of condensate splitters.
“Condensate splitters additions are planned in Iran and Qatar and set to start falling off by 2020. The overall OPEC Member Countries’ distillation capacity (including splitters) is set to reach a level of 13.3 mb/d by 2021.
Ghana: Stop Issuing Licences To New OMCs-Akwaboah Tells NPA
Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has been urged to suspend the issuance of licences to new entrants into the oil marketing business in order to sanitise the sector.
The West African nation, currently, has 116 licensed Oil Marketing Companies with over 4,000 retail outlets.
This number, according to the Chairman of Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Mr Henry Akwaboah, is unacceptable for a country which has a land size of 238,535 km².
According to him, Ivory Coast, which has a land size (322,463 km² ) bigger than Ghana, has less than 1,000 fuel retail outlets so wondered why Ghana will have that huge number of fuel retail outlets.
In his view, the downstream industry is chocked and has become a fertile ground for some OMCs to engage in corrupt practices including evading of taxes due the state and, therefore, required a clean up like the government did in the banking sector.
Mr Akwaboah, who was speaking in an exclusive interview with energynewsafrica.com, said: “I’m proposing that, going forward, the NPA should stop issuing licenses to OMCs.
“I think the entry requirements should be more rigorous. It’s not just your ability to pay for the licence that should allow you to come. If, indeed, you want to come into the sector, demonstrate to the authority that you have about 10 service stations ready or 10 businesses or customers who are ready to buy from you. It is only then that I think NPA should issue you a provisional licence and based on your activities for the next year or two, you can get your full licence to operate,” he said.
Mr. Akwaboah, who said time has come for the NPA to stop allowing anybody at all to enter the oil marketing business, also stressed the need for Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to stop tax exemptions they give to some OMCs because they are abusing it.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Seven Fuel Retail Outlets Closed Over GHS 98 Million Taxes
Seven retail outlets belonging to some Oil Marketing Companies in the Republic of Ghana have been shutdown by the West African nation’s revenue authority, GRA.
The seven retail outlets are Santol Limited, Grid Petroleum, Life Petroleum, Sawiz Petroleum, Deliman and Co. Ltd, Petra Energy and Sonnidom Limited.
They owe the state to the tune of GHc98,155, 797.62 in taxes.
Santol Ltd owes GHc57,398,141.90, Grid Petroleum owes GHc1,253, 969.51, Life Petroleum owes GHc1, 149,946.78,Sawiz Petroleum owes GHc5,122,387.20, Deliman & Co. Ltd owes GHc11, 631,689.80, Petro Energy owes GHc20, 736,960.30 and Sonnidan owes GHc862,702.13
Speaking to the press after closing down the seven retail outlets in an exercise dubbed: ‘VAT Distress Action’, Mr Nathaniel Okai Tetteh, who is the Chief Revenue Officer in charge of Debt Management, Compliance and Enforcement Unit of the GRA, said the exercise was undertaken after a failed discussions and negotiations with the companies to pay their outstanding taxes to the Authority.
Mr. Tetteh said the locked-up companies have 10 days to visit the Authority’s Head Office to settle their debts to avoid further actions like auctioning their assets.
He said the GRA would go after companies like Santol Limited, Life Petroleum, Delma Company Limited and Petra Energy which owed the Authority a huge sum of money.
He said the exercise was to enforce tax compliance and improve the Authority’s revenue generation.
The exercise also formed part of the GRA’s comprehensive national tax campaign to encourage more Ghanaians to honour their tax obligations to enable the government to meet its domestic revenue targets, increase social intervention policies and accelerate development across the country.
The Authority, in September 2019, launched a task force dubbed: “’Operation Collect, Name and Shame’, aimed at collecting overdue taxes and the names of recalcitrant businesses were published in the media and asked to settle their debts.
The Authority, in September 2019, launched a task force dubbed: “’Operation Collect, Name and Shame’, aimed at collecting overdue taxes and the names of recalcitrant businesses were published in the media and asked to settle their debts. Nigeria: Power Supply Restored To Kaduna State After 4 Days Of Blackout
Residents of Kaduna state in Northern Nigeria are now enjoying electricity after being thrown into darkness for four days.
Kaduna State, which has over 6,113,503 population, experienced blackout on Sunday as a result of a strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress.
However, a statement issued by the Kaduna Electric Utility Company on Wednesday noted that power supply had been fully restored.
The power utility company said: “We are happy to report that power supply has been restored to many parts of Kaduna State after the suspension of the strike action by the Nigerian Labour Congress.
“As at 10:30pm , Wednesday, we were able to pick load on most of our 11KV feeders hence many parts of the metropolis including Zaria and environs, have had their supply restored. This was possible after restoration of the 33KV feeders by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
“We, once again, thank all our esteemed customers and other stakeholders for bearing with us in the past four days. We also appreciate the efforts of the TCN team for supporting us in restoring supply back,” a statement issued by Abdulazeez Abdullahi, Head of Corporate Communication for Kaduna Electric Utility Company, said.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Parts Of Accra To Experience 16 Days Of Power Outages
Some residents in parts of Accra, capital of Ghana, will be experiencing power outages from May 27 to June 11, 2021, a statement issued by Southern electricity distribution company, ECG, has announced.
According to ECG, it has become necessary to cause interruption in power supply in parts of Accra due to the reconstruction of a section of GRIDCo’s transmission lines along the Winneba to Mallam stretch.
The power outages will start from 6pm and end at 12 midnight in over 40 communities placed in three different groups.
“The Kasoa Bulk Supply Point, which is nearing completion and sponsored by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), under the auspices of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), will require a re-construction of a section of GRIDCo’s 161KV Winneba to Mallam transmission lines and tie-in-works. This exercise will lead to a shortfall in the transmission of power to Accra during the peak load hours,” the Electricity Company of Ghana said in a statement.
The outage would be experienced by just one group each day until the end of the exercise.
Among the areas that would be affected by the exercise include Cantonments, Golden Tulip, Ashale Botwe Old Town, Max Mart, Teshie Tebibiano among others.
This intended power outage comes days after a similar exercise was done to allow for tie -in of the newly constructed Pokuase Bulk Supply Point to GRIDCo’s 330 kV transmission line.
Spain: We’ve No Plans For Full Takeover Of Siemens Gamesa – Siemens Energy
Siemens Energy has said it has no current plans to buy the one third of wind turbine maker Siemens Gamesa it does not already own, denying a Spanish newspaper report it had engaged banks to help it make such a move.
Spain’s stock market regulator suspended trading in Siemens Gamesa’s shares after Expansion newspaper said Siemens AG had hired Morgan Stanley to review options for the Spain-based business, including a possible takeover and withdrawal from the market.
Expansion said Siemens AG had hired the bank through Siemens Energy, which owns 67% of Siemens Gamesa. The conglomerate holds 35% of Siemens Energy directly, and another 10% via its pension fund.
The paper said Siemens had also hired Deutsche Bank to give an independent valuation.
Hours after the shares were suspended, Siemens Energy wrote in a letter to the Spanish regulator that it regularly reviewed its entire portfolio and that this included its stake in Siemens Gamesa.
“While we can of course not exclude any scenario in the future, we can confirm that SIEAG (Siemens Energy) is currently not working on a takeover bid in relation to SGRE (Siemens Gamesa),” the letter said, adding none of the mentioned banks had been mandated.
At current market valuations, the 33% share in Siemens Gamesa that Siemens Energy does not already own is worth around 5.7 billion euros ($6.96 billion).
Shares in Siemens Energy retreated after gaining as much as 4% on the news, while Siemens Gamesa’s stock rose more than 3.5% after the suspension was lifted.
Siemens Energy Chief Executive Christian Bruch said earlier this month it was too early to talk about buying out the rest of Siemens Gamesa, but that this would become an issue at some point.
Siemens Gamesa was formed in 2017 through a merger of Spain’s Gamesa and what was then the wind business of Siemens.
India: 188 Rescued From Capsized ONGC Barge, Personnel On Other Adrift Vessels Safe
Some 188 persons have been rescued and search is on for the remaining 73 onboard accommodation barge Papaa 305, contracted by state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, that sunk off the Mumbai coast in the intervening hours of Monday and Tuesday.
All 137 personnel on board another barge, GAL Constructor, were rescued on Tuesday after it ran aground off Mumbai’s Colaba coast, according to latest information from the Indian Navy and ONGC sources.
Another barge Support Station-3 with 220 people on board, which was drifting north-west have been hooked to a tug boat. All onboard are reported to be safe. All the three barges belong to Shapoorji Pallonji group company Afcon and were had onboard people hired by the company.
Drillship Sagar Bhushan, which is owned by ONGC, too has been secured. The vessel had 101 persons on board, including 38 ONGC employees.
Indian Navy ships, Coast Guard vessels and other ships from ONGC and Afcon rescued the marooned people in a night-long operation through Monday amid choppy sea and cyclonic weather. The rescue efforts were still on till the time of reporting on Tuesday.
The rescuers are racing against time, battling with ferocious wind and three-storey-high waves. People aware of the situation said the choppy sea has made transfer of people from barges to rescue ships a challenging task.
Many of those rescued from Papaa 350 are reported to have been pulled out of the water after floating for many hours in their life jackets. People in the know said all on board had put on life vests and initiated evacuation measures as soon as the barge showed signs of tilting.
The barges and the drillship were deployed for drilling and exploration in Heera field of Mumbai High and western offshore, which make up ONGC’s main production base.
The vessels had gone adrift on Monday after their moorings snapped due to the ferocity of cyclone Tuktae, which pushed up wind speed to 195 km and created waves as high as 6-8 metres.
ONGC and Afcon is individually updating the families of people on board the vessels. ONGC brass is monitoring the rescue and relief operation round-the-clock.
The barges and the drillship were deployed for drilling and exploration in Heera field of Mumbai High and western offshore, which make up ONGC’s main production base.
Source:www.energyworld.com