Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has disclosed that the East African nation will not renew South African power firm, Eskom’s licences to run two of its hydropower stations if they expire in March 2023.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the country plans to bring the electricity sector under the government’s control to reduce electricity costs to consumers.
Instead, the government will create a new entity which will be known as Uganda National Electricity Company Limited (UNECL), a state-run company, to manage the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the electricity sector, the statement by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development revealed.
President Yoweri Museveni has repeatedly complained that expensive private capital was responsible for high electricity tariffs in Uganda, which makes it unaffordable for consumers.
“The ministry has already formally notified Eskom of the government’s decision not to renew their concession agreements when they come to their natural end in March 2023,” the ministry said in the statement.
Eskom did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Eskom runs two hydropower plants at the source of the River Nile in Jinja, about 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
The government intends to “minimise expensive private capital” in the electricity sector by bringing it under direct state management and control, the ministry said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has commenced the implementation of the Power Sector Reforms, targeting to enhance sector performance and provide affordable power to the people of Uganda.
The move follows a Cabinet Directive on October 3, 2022.
The reforms are expected to minimize expensive private capital in the Electricity Sub- Sector investments in generation, transmission, and distribution.
It will culminate in creating the Uganda National Electricity Company Limited (UNECL) as a state-run entity with majority shareholding under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement as a possible option.
Cabinet, among others, directed the Ministry not to renew the Concession and Privatization Agreements for Eskom Uganda Limited and UMEME Limited after their concessions come to their natural end.
Eskom is the country’s largest energy generator on a 20-year concession effective March 1, 2003, for managing and maintaining the 180MW Nalubale and 200MW Kira Hydropower Plants.
UMEME is Uganda’s main electricity distribution company, holding a 20-year electricity distribution concession from the Government of Uganda, effective March 1, 2005.
The Ministry has already formally notified Eskom and UMEME of the Government’s decision not to renew their concessions agreements when they come to their natural end in March 2023 and March 2025, respectively.
The Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) and Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) have also been directed to make appropriate arrangements for the transition.
Hon. Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, appreciated UMEME and Eskom for the years of continued support and investment in Uganda’s Energy Sector.
“On behalf of the Government of Uganda, I take this opportunity to appreciate UMEME and Eskom for the Operation and Maintenance of the Government assets on behalf of UEDCL and UEGCL for the past 18 and 19 years, respectively.”
The Minister noted that the electricity distribution network under UMEME covers a large percentage of the country, has grown in asset capacity and complexity, and employs about 2,000 staff. “To this effect, I call upon the parties to the concession agreements to ensure a smooth transition of all the relevant responsibilities and asset handover in close coordination with this Ministry,” the Minister said.
She said the Ministry would spearhead the transition process and engage all concerned parties, including the shareholders, to ensure that the Government of Uganda’s decision to end the concession naturally is executed reasonably.
The Ministry has already constituted a Joint Committee to handle the Eskom Concession and is in the process of making a similar arrangement for the UMEME concession. The respective Committees are tasked with the planning and management of the end of the concessions to ensure seamless handover of the operations of the assets.
“Government is committed to avail the necessary financing to ensure it fulfills its obligations in the related agreements,” elaborated Irene Bateebe, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry.
“UEDCL and UEGCL will be supported to enable them to manage the transition period and operation of the concessions as happened with the 50MW Namanve Thermal Power Plant that has reverted to UEGCL in 2021.”
The Permanent Secretary said the Ministry, with the support of the Auditor General, would undertake due diligence of the companies’ investments to determine any outstanding obligations by Government.
The Ministry continues to put in place all measures to ensure universal access to clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
CENIT Energy Limited, a private company owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has written to inform GTS Engineering Limited that it will terminate the Operation and Maintenance contract with them by 31st December 2022.
A letter signed by the Chief Executive Officer of CENIT Energy Limited Victor Onoja and sighted by enegynewsafrica.com said, “We wish to inform you that CENIT Energy Limited will no longer be renewing or extending the terms of the Operation and Maintenance contract after 31st December 2022.”
The letter said there would be a competitive tendering process for the operations and maintenance management services contract for the CENIT plant and your company will be invited to participate.
“Thank you for your service and we wish you success in your future endeavours,” it concluded.
Checks by energynewsafrica.com indicate that CENIT Energy Limited signed an operations and maintenance (O&M) contract for its 126 Megawatts power plant located in Tema industrial area in 2013.
The contract ended in 2020 and it was renewed for two more years.
Surprisingly, within two years, energynewsafrica.com understands that management of CENIT Energy decided to review the contract after every month and also cut the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) cost by 50 per cent without engaging GTS Engineering Limited on their decision.
The information available to this portal indicates that GTS Engineering Limited does not have any other contract apart from the one with CENIT Energy which means the company will be sending its 65 work workforce.
Speaking to energynewsafrica.com, Commercial Manager at CENIT Energy Limited, Albert N. Ayirebi-Acquah said the decision to terminate the contract is purely commercial.
He explained that for some time now, the company has restructured its business by cutting down on expenditures to ensure sustainability.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has not ruled out that the fighting in Ukraine could turn into a “lengthy process,” while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Ukraine will not leave any of its citizens under Russian occupation.
The two presidents made the comments on December 7 as they addressed separate human rights organizations.
Putin, who met in a televised meeting of his Human Rights Council, said the “special military operation” could go on for a long time, and called Russia’s annexation of part of the territories of Ukraine a major achievement of the operation.
“Of course, it could be a lengthy process,” Putin said roughly nine and a half months after ordering the invasion.
Putin vowed to “consistently fight for our interests” and to “protect ourselves using all means available” and reiterated his claim that he had no choice but to send troops into Ukraine.
Putin described the land gains as “a significant result for Russia,” noting that the Sea of Azov “has become Russia’s internal sea” and recalled how Tsar Peter the Great fought to get access to it.
Russia captured the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol in May after a nearly three-month siege of the city.
In September, Putin illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions – Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk, and Luhansk — even though his forces did not completely control them.
Russia illegally seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Ukraine has managed to recapture some territories, including Kherson city and the entire right bank of the Kherson region after the withdrawal of Russian forces last month.
Zelenskiy, who addressed the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, said Ukrainian forces have liberated 1,888 settlements from Russian occupation so far in the fighting.
The war has turned into a war for survival, he said.
“Hundreds of our cities and villages were simply burned to the ground due to Russian strikes,” he said.
“We have already managed to free 1,888 settlements from occupation. But almost as many Ukrainian towns and villages remain under occupation. And this means that now the fate of millions of people is being decided on the battlefield in Ukraine.”
He stressed that Ukraine will not leave “any of our people under Russian occupation,” in Russian camps, “where thousands have already disappeared,” or on Russian territory, “where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians were forcibly deported.”
The subject of nuclear weapons was also discussed during Putin’s meeting with the Human Rights Council, whose members are mostly people who fully support the Kremlin’s policy.
Asked by a member of the council to pledge that Russia would not be the first to use nuclear weapons, Putin refused to give guarantees.
Russia’s military strategy, he said, envisions the use of weapons of mass destruction in response to an attack.
Russia intends to protect “national interests” — first by “peaceful means” and if this does not help, then by “all available,” Putin said.
“That means if a strike is launched against us, we will strike back in response,” Putin said.
Putin has raised alarm in Western countries by making veiled threats about the use of nuclear weapons. These have raised fears that the Russian military could use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine in order to achieve results more quickly.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price, when asked about Putin’s remarks, declined to reply directly but said, “We think any loose talk of nuclear weapons is absolutely irresponsible.”
Putin also said it made no sense to talk about another mobilization because there is no need for it “to date.”
About half of the 300,000 conscripts recently mobilized are in the “special operations” zone, but only 70,000 are directly at the front, he said.
By: RFE/RL
The National Accommodation Association of South Africa says rolling blackouts are having a dire impact on the hospitality industry, leading to loss of business.
Eskom ramped up to stage six power cuts which will last until Friday morning when stage five will be introduced.
The association’s chairperson Rosemarie Van Staden says they were hoping for a boost in business during the festive season but load shedding is getting in the way.
“We are getting cancellations from people at that moment. The moment they find out that there’s load shedding in your area, they say they’re not coming to stay there anymore. To come into a house where there is very little light on, due to the fact that we cannot afford solar systems. So, now, what do you do a whole evening, when you sit in a room, and there’s no TV, no lights, nothing that you can do,” Van Staden elaborates.
Source:www.sabcnews.com
The 2022 Women in Energy Conference held from 29th November to 1st December 2022 in Accra, the capital of Ghana, witnessed huge attendance by the female staff of the energy sector institutions and fewer of their male counterparts in the Republic of Ghana.
The conference, held under the theme: ‘Energy Transition: Prospects for Women in Energy,’ drew participants from the Electricity Company of Ghana, Volta River Authority, Petroleum Commission, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Ghana Grid Company, Energy Commission, Ministry of Energy, Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Enclave Power Company Limited, Tullow, Kosmos Energy, National Petroleum Authority, Ghana National Gas Company, Bui Power Authority, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Wilkins Engineering Limited, among others.
The Managing Directors and Chief Executive Officers of Energy Sector Institutions made statements on what their respective institutions have done or are doing to increase their female workforce and how they are increasing the number of women at the top management level.
The Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei Opare, attended the opening ceremony.
Female entrepreneurs who are working in the energy sector and were speakers at the conference shared their life journeys in the country’s energy sector and challenged the participants to continue to pursue their dreams despite the challenges that may come their way.
A group photograph of Staff of GRIDCo at the Women in Energy ConferenceA group photograph of Staff of ECG at the Women in Energy Conference A group photograph of Staff of Petroleum Commission at the Women in Energy ConferenceA group photograph of Staff of Energy Commission at the Women in Energy ConferenceA staff of NPAA group photograph of Staff of Tema Oil Refinery at the Women in Energy ConferenceA group photograph of Staff of Ministry of Energy at the Women in Energy ConferenceStaff of PURCA group photograph of Staff of BOST at the Women in Energy ConferenceA group photograph of Staff of GNPC at the Women in Energy ConferenceSource: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in the Federal Republic of Nigeria says vandals have destroyed six of its transmission towers and also killed vigilante personnel along the 330 kilovolts double circuit Afam-Onne transmission line in River state.
A statement issued by the company noted that there have been a series of attacks on its power line, starting with one in September when vandals in Gbake community of Ogoniland, vandalised four towers, dismantled the members and carted them away.
In October, the vandals vandalised two towers on the same transmission line route and returned the third time for a similar attack when security operatives arrested nine of the vandals who had been charged in court already.
NDPHC also said during a routine patrol on 25th November, vigilantes encountered vandals again on the 330kV Afam-Onne line and one of the vigilante operatives was shot and killed.
According to media reports, the Executive Director of Corporate Services at NDPHC, Nkechi Mba, who spoke about the said incident, consoled the families of the victim while extolling his gallantry.
“We will be relentless in hunting these vandals down, particularly those who assassinated the young man.”
She called on communities to collaborate with security operatives to tackle cases of vandalism.
“The infrastructure that governments develop is done with taxpayers’ money and is, therefore, owned by the people. Public infrastructure is our commonwealth, and we should strive to jointly protect it,” Mba noted.
The NDPHC official noted that it would continue to work with security operatives to protect critical assets.
“The company will ensure that anyone caught vandalising our assets will be made to face severe legal sanctions,” she noted.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Parts of Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, are currently experiencing a power outage as a result of a truck crashing into TCN’s 132kV transmission tower No.20 on Tuesday afternoon.
“The current restricted outage situation in parts of Abuja is caused by a truck loaded with gravel that lost control and crashed into TCN’s 132kV transmission tower No 20, supplying bulk electricity to the 100MVA part of the Katampe Substation and 2x60MVA GIS Central Area Substation,” TCN said in a statement issued by Ndidi Mba, General Manager Public Affairs.
The incident which occurred at about 2.55 pm on Tuesday brought down the tower but did not record any loss of life.
The statement said attempts were being made by TCN engineers to remove the conductors lying on the road to ensure ease of movement around the area.
It said TCN engineers were at the site of the incident and assessing the level of damage and attempting to put in place remedial installation in the form of a temporary by-pass to restore electricity supply to the affected areas.
“Consequent upon the incident, there is restricted outage in Maitama, Wuse, Central Area and some parts of Garki,” it said.
“Meanwhile, as every effort is being made to put in place a remedial source of supply, TCN is assuring affected customers that it will work round the clock to ensure that restoration is quickly achieved, after which it would commence the dismantling and reconstruction of a new transmission tower to replace the damaged one.”
TCN assured its customers that its engineering lines crew were making every effort to restore the power supply, and noted that the supply would be restored as soon as possible.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
As part of the Global Impact Conference 2022, held on December 1 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Members of Impact Team 2050, the international youth advisory council under the Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, presented a report on the development of the future education.
The Impact Team 2050 is a council of 11 young men and women from 11 countries: China, India, Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Argentina, South Africa and Russia.
They are talented scientists, engineers, managers, community leaders and opinion leaders in sustainable development, nuclear education, communications and international cooperation.
Behind each of them is the youth of their own country with its own set of values and vision of world development trends.
In the report “Education X: Catalyst for the Future”, the Impact Team presented their vision of the future of nuclear education as an important factor in the global transition to clean energy.
The report includes an overview of modern education models in different regions of the world, an analysis and assessment of changes in the preferences of young people in the global media environment as well as recommendations for improving the model of nuclear education in accordance with the request of the younger generation.
“We are acknowledging our role in the development of the society and finding solutions for existing humanitarian challenges. If we want our work to be as effective as possible and reflect all modern trends, we need the view from the younger generation. We are grateful to each member of the Impact Team 2050 for their contribution to our joint work for an unbiased assessment of our plans and, of course, for the developed proposals for further cooperation,” said Mr. Alexei Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom.
The outcomes of the report defined the discussions at the Global Impact Conference 2022 that was moderated by the Members of Impact Team 2050. The conference hosted round tables on women leadership, innovative school education, stories of successful corporate universities along with the professions of the future.
Member of Impact Team 2050, Ms Princesses Mthombeni, Founder of Africa4Nuclear (South Africa), spoke at the round table “Transformation of Education for the Transformation of the World” where the panel discussed scenarios for changing educational ecosystems, innovative pedagogy and the role of regional specifics in education.
Another Member of Impact Team 2050, Lora Chkonia, Consultant at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO, moderated the session on HR trends in the JEDI world. The panel discussed employer brands that are most attractive to all groups of audiences: youth, people of silver age and people with disabilities.
Tankers carrying largely Kazakh crude oil from Russian ports to international markets are stuck in Turkish waters in the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles because Turkey is insisting on them presenting proof of insurance.
The tanker jam began earlier this week, on the day the G7 and EU price cap on Russian oil exports came into effect.
Per the cap mechanism, vessels carrying Russian oil can only receive Western insurance coverage and financing services if the cargo is being marketed at or below the cap price of $60 per barrel.
The vessels themselves, if they come from a Western country, are also part of the cap mechanism.
But Turkey is stopping tankers carrying non-Russian oil and insisting that they prove they confirm their insurance cover from Western companies, according to an FT report that said as many as 19 tankers had piled up in the Turkish straits on Monday.
Insurers, meanwhile, have said it is impossible to guarantee cover for these vessels and have effectively refused to provide the documents that Turkey is asking for.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, the number of tankers stranded in Turkish waters has risen to at least 20, holding a total of 18 million barrels of mostly Kazakh crude.
Although one million of the barrels are reportedly Russian Urals destined for India. The UK and the U.S. governments are trying to convince Turkey to drop its demand for insurance cover proof, the report noted.
The oil that has gotten stuck in Turkey is most likely going to Europe, which in addition to the G7 price cap also implemented an embargo on Russian crude arriving by sea.
According to Bloomberg, Turkey may be feeling anxious about the fact this oil is hailing from a Russian port and wants to make sure it is not violating sanctions.
Turkey, according to the FT is also worried that the price cap could see an increase in the number of uninsured vessels sailing through its straits, carrying the risk of spills that would not be covered in case they are uninsured.
This appears to be the first of what could be many unintended consequences of the price cap.
Source: Oilprice.com
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has hinted that his outfit has planned to make a case for Ghanaians, especially LPG consumers by engaging the country’s highest decision body, Cabinet, to remove some taxes on the commodity to make it more accessible and affordable, especially to the poor.
The CEO of Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator also gave the assurance that he would make a case for tax exemptions for investors who would be establishing cylinder bottling plants in the northern part of Ghana for a certain period to allow them to have maximum return on their investments.
He said the Authority is determined to ensure these are achieved because their goal in the energy sector is to help to eradicate energy poverty.
The NPA Boss made this known in Accra on Tuesday at the launch of the nationwide awareness and sensitization campaign to promote the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
Her Excellency Samira Bawumia, Second Lady of the Republic of Ghana
The nationwide campaign is aimed to discourage the use of wood fuel (firewood and charcoal) and increase the LPG penetration for domestic, commercial and industrial activities from the current 37 percent to 50 percent by 2030.
Dr. Abdul-Hamid said the launch of the LPG campaign was to make LPG affordable, available and accessible to the Ghanaian people.
“We understand that perhaps the majority of the Ghanaian people are poor and most people cannot afford to buy cylinders and gas. So we at NPA in collaboration with our sector ministry are trying very hard to make it easy for people to access LPG”, he said.
The Second Lady, Hajia Samira Bawumia, who launched the LPG Awareness and Sensitization Campaign, urged the public, especially women to adopt LPG as it is a cleaner, safer, and healthier cooking fuel.
She said the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking also contributes to climate change through emissions of greenhouse gases and black carbon as well as deforestation through the harvesting of wood and sometimes even economic trees like shea tree, and oak tree.
She noted that Ghana, like many other Sub-Saharan African countries, relies heavily on solid biomass fuels for domestic and commercial cooking and heating.
Hajia Samira said that women and children travel long distances to collect fuel in the form of firewood in most rural communities and indicated that this time-consuming and exhausting task did not offer much time for other productive activities.
In addition to being strenuous, she said, there are many risks involved; including bites from venomous animals and increased risk of sexual assault.
That, she said, limits access to education which tends to restrict opportunities for economic growth, in addition to the adverse health impact, and noted that “It is mostly women and children who bear the brunt of this.”
Hon. William Owuraku Aidoo, Deputy Minister for Energy
Hajia Samira said LPG as an alternate cooking fuel is clean, safe, and efficient, and expressed joy that the NPA was promoting the use of LPG for cooking to ensure the attainment of government’s effort to increase LPG usage to 50% by 2030.
“Estimates indicate that cooking with LPG saves about four (4) productive hours daily. These extra hours gained daily can be used in productive areas like education, agriculture, and other income-generating activities.
“By increasing access and use of LPG we have an unprecedented opportunity to not only deliver significantly on gender equity, but also improve health, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and enhance livelihoods; all in one go”, she said.
Hajia Samira called for increased education on the safe use of LPG by including information on cylinder expiration dates and when to change or replace the various LPG accessories. I am confident that this campaign will ensure awareness on these issues.
Hajia Samira commended the Ministry of Energy and the NPA for their commitment toward driving awareness, adoption and use of LPG in households and other areas of the economy.
In his remarks, the Deputy Minister of Energy, Mr. Owuraku Aidoo, said the timing of the promotional drive was significant given the current debate about climate change with its associated environmental and health effects.
He said Climate change posed a greater responsibility on countries to adapt and adopt more environmentally sound practices to save the environment from further deterioration.
Mr Aidoo said it was, therefore, crucial for Ghana to play a lead role in discouraging any activity that has an adverse effect on the environment and my Ministry is ready to support the NPA and other allied institutions to stem this tide for our collective good.
In a solidarity speech read for him, the Industry Coordinator Mr. Kwaku Agyeman Duah noted that household penetration of LPG has improved significantly over the last two years.
“This achievement again shows what we can accomplish when we work together across stakeholders for the common good,” he said.
According to him, the same commitment is necessary to gradually making the product unbelievably affordable and accessible, adding “By doing so, low-income households who rely on charcoal not by choice but due to the cost of LPG being unaffordable will intentionally switch to LPG.”Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Marketers Association in the Republic of Ghana has reiterated call on the Government of Ghana to take bold steps by ensuring that LPG becomes competitive.
According to the group, it is their desire that LPG consumption in the West African nation will increase rapidly.
However, the group said it is worried about the high cost of the product which is making it difficult for some customers to quickly shift from the use of charcoal to LPG usage.
Currently, a litre of LPG is sold more than Ghs11 per kilo.
Justice Mantey, Secretary to LPG Marketers Association, Republic of Ghana
Addressing a gathering at the launch of the LPG Awareness and Sensitisation Campaign in Accra, Justice Mantey, Secretary to the LPG Marketers Association, said it would be difficult for consumers to switch to LPG if the price of the product continues to rise.
“I urge the government to be bold and take the bull by the horn and make sure that the price of LPG becomes competitive,” he said.
Ghana has set a target of achieving 50 per cent LPG consumption by 2030.
Currently, LPG penetration is about 37 per cent.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ghana National Gas Company and four other national oil companies for the execution of the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project.
The MoUs were signed with national oil companies and relevant entities from Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone,
The signing ceremony, according to a statement from NNPC on Monday, was held in Morocco and was attended by the Group Chief Executive Officer NNPC, Mele Kyari; Dr. Amina Benkhadra, General Director of Morocco’s National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines; Mr. Baboucarr Njie, Managing Director of the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation, Gambia; and Celedonio Placido Viera, General Director of PETROGUIN, Guinea Bissau.
Also in attendance were Mr. Amadou Doumbouya, Director-General of the National Company of Oil, Guinea; Mr. Foday Mansaray II, Director-General of Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone; and Dr. Ben Asante, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company.
Speaking at the event, Kyari commended NNPC’s partners – ONHYM, who had worked with the NNPC Limited all through the years to bring the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline Project to limelight.
Kyari said it was comforting to witness the steady growth of the project, especially with the inclusion of NNPC’s counterparts and key institutions from other African countries through execution of the relevant Memoranda of Understanding.
He recalled that on September 15, 2022, NNPC and ONHYM signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ECOWAS Commission in Morocco, adding that this event was coming a month after the NNPC signed additional MoUs with Petrosen of Senegal and SMH of Mauritania.
He said, “Today, we will be attaining another feat by signing five MoUs with the national oil companies and relevant entities from Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.
“From inception of the project to this stage, concerted efforts have been made by the governments of Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco, which led to the very commendable achievements recorded thus far.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Seplat Energy Plc, a leading Nigerian independent energy company listed on both the Nigerian Stock Exchange Limited and the London Stock Exchange, has announced that it has successfully obtained the ISO 55001:2014 Standard Asset Management System certification.
This makes Seplat the first energy company in Africa to achieve this remarkable feat.
ISO 55001 is the international standard that helps organisations to manage their assets and optimise asset lifetime value effectively.
It will deliver benefits both now and in the future by helping to improve the company’s bottom line, reduce risk, improve asset performance, and ultimately improve investors’ confidence in how Seplat Energy manages the Asset.
ISO 55001:2014 Standard is a holistic business improvement tool that applies to many organisations in many different sectors.
The audit was based on sampling within the Western Asset operations of Seplat Energy, where the team demonstrated their commitment and provided evidence of conformity with thoroughly developed and implemented procedures and controls necessary for the effectiveness and sustainability of their Asset management system against the requirements of ISO 55001:2014 Standards.
“This is another exciting moment for Seplat Energy especially being the first energy company to achieve this certification in Africa. We have built a leading energy company with what it takes to comply with world-class standards. With ISO 55001:2014 Standard certifications, we have proven that our strong performance over the years is not by chance but based on sustainable world-class processes established as part of our business to deliver sustainable energy solutions to society. We will continue to set the pace for others to follow,” Roger Brown, Seplat Energy CEO, said.
Samson Ezugworie, Seplat Energy Chief Operating Officer, affirmed that Seplat Energy will continue to strive towards sustaining and continually improving the company’s Asset management performance as required by the ISO 55001:2014 Standard.
He added that the company appreciates that having a robust asset management system helps it make the most of its assets while balancing financial, environmental, and social costs, risk, quality of service, and performance.
Seplat Energy embarked on building an agile framework to reduce risks related to asset degradation and failure, build long-term resilience, achieve financial goals, and meet regulatory requirements following the ISO 55001:2014 Standard. Therefore, we are delighted to have attained this feat as the first in Nigeria and Africa to achieve the ISO55001:2014 certification.
Seplat Energy remains committed to seeking continuous improvement and growing its organisational resilience.
A group photograph of Staff of ECG at the Women in Energy Conference
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 
She said the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking also contributes to climate change through emissions of greenhouse gases and black carbon as well as deforestation through the harvesting of wood and sometimes even economic trees like shea tree, and oak tree.
She noted that Ghana, like many other Sub-Saharan African countries, relies heavily on solid biomass fuels for domestic and commercial cooking and heating.
Hajia Samira said that women and children travel long distances to collect fuel in the form of firewood in most rural communities and indicated that this time-consuming and exhausting task did not offer much time for other productive activities.
In addition to being strenuous, she said, there are many risks involved; including bites from venomous animals and increased risk of sexual assault.
That, she said, limits access to education which tends to restrict opportunities for economic growth, in addition to the adverse health impact, and noted that “It is mostly women and children who bear the brunt of this.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
However, the group said it is worried about the high cost of the product which is making it difficult for some customers to quickly shift from the use of charcoal to LPG usage.
Currently, a litre of LPG is sold more than Ghs11 per kilo.
