Uganda: UETCL Hints Of Load Shedding After Collapse Of Transmission Towers
Ugandan Electricity Transmission Company has hinted at load-shedding exercises in parts of the country.
According to a statement issued by the company, two of its towers on the Owen falls-logo (land 2) 132kV transmission line at Kivuvu village in the Mukono District were vandalised by assailants on the morning of Saturday, 12th November 2022, causing them to collapse.
The power transmitter said it had no other option than carry out a load-shedding exercise in areas affected or dispatch the expensive Namanve thermal plant.
“We regret any inconveniences that may arise,” the statement concluded.
Energynewsafrica.com reached the Acting CEO of UETCL, Mr. Michael Taremwa Kananura, on WhatsApp over the development but is yet to respond to our queries.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: GRIDCo Sensitises Residents Along Konongo -Kumasi Transmission Line Ahead Of Upgrading
Ghana’s power transmission company, GRIDCo, has announced plans to reconstruct the 24km single circuit 161kV transmission line from Konongo to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
This is part of GRIDCo’s effort to boost the power supply due to the increasing demand for power in the area.
Ahead of the intended project, officials of GRIDCo have undertaken a series of engagements to sensitise and educate residents who are along the path of the line to relocate to facilitate the construction of the line.
The project-affected areas are Asokwa, Susan, Akyi/Anloga, Bomso, Ayigya, Kentinkroo, Odoum, Fumesu, Adako Jackie/Kwame, Ejisu, Besease, Manhyia, Boankra, Hwereso, Kubease, Duapompo, Koforidua, Nnobewam, Adumasi/Agyariago and Konongo.
In a post sighted on the Facebook page of GRIDCo, it said, “GRIDCo’s goal is to reconstruct the current single circuit 161kV line into a double circuit line. This work would address the increased demand for electricity in Kumasi and its environs. The project is expected to be completed within one year i.e., by end of 2023.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The project-affected areas are Asokwa, Susan, Akyi/Anloga, Bomso, Ayigya, Kentinkroo, Odoum, Fumesu, Adako Jackie/Kwame, Ejisu, Besease, Manhyia, Boankra, Hwereso, Kubease, Duapompo, Koforidua, Nnobewam, Adumasi/Agyariago and Konongo.
In a post sighted on the Facebook page of GRIDCo, it said, “GRIDCo’s goal is to reconstruct the current single circuit 161kV line into a double circuit line. This work would address the increased demand for electricity in Kumasi and its environs. The project is expected to be completed within one year i.e., by end of 2023.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Gunmen Kidnap BEDC Driver; Demand N10Million Ransom
A driver of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has been abducted by gunmen and demanding N10 million (US$22,650) before releasing him.
The driver, Seun Emmanuel, was said to be driving his boss and the Manager of BEDC in the Ondo Region and heading to Akure from Ifon, the headquarters of the Ose Local Government area when they ran into the gunmen who had mounted roadblocks at Elegbeka.
According to a report by Punch, a local newspaper, the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle of the driver, causing him to lose control of the steering wheel and somersault into a bush.
The report said the boss of the driver fell unconscious and the gunmen thought he had died and, therefore, left him and took the driver away.
“The driver was whisked into the bush by the bandits. His boss fell unconscious, so they left the boss they thought had died,” Punch quoted a source as saying, adding, “The bandits contacted the family of the victim, initially demanding a sum of N100 million but later reduced it to N10 million.”
The incident is currently being investigated by the police in the area.
“We are working on the matter. Our men at the anti-kidnapping unit are working towards rescuing the victim,” the Police Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident, said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
UK To Expedite $4.1B Climate Funding To Kenya To Fast-Track Clean Energy
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Kenyan President William Ruto agreed to fast-track six green investment projects worth $4.1 billion spanning green energy, agriculture and transport.
Sunak praised Kenya’s pioneering climate leadership and urged President Ruto to continue championing clean growth.
The new, clean and green investments projects will become flagship projects of the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership. This ambitious five-year agreement is unlocking mutual benefits for the UK and Kenya.
The projects include:
- new geothermal and solar energy generation at Menegai and Malindi;
- a $3.5 billion Public Private Partnership to deliver the Grand High Falls Dam, which will generate a gigawatt of renewable power and provide an area over twice the size of the Maasai Mara with drought-combating irrigation solutions;
- the green regeneration of central Nairobi anchored around a new central rail station; and
- a $263,957,024 investment in a climate-resilient agriculture hub for the Lake Victoria region in Kisumu, which will create 2,000 direct jobs and provide an income for a further 20,000 farmers.
Kenya: Gov’t Targets 30GW Of Green Hydrogen After Signing Strategic Deal With UK
Kenya’s President William Ruto said it aims to produce 30GW of green hydrogen production after signing a KES500billion (US$4,098,500,000.00) deal with the UK to fast track green investments.
The UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership is an ambitious five-year agreement that aims to unlock benefits for both countries.
The UK Government will commit KES2bn to a new guarantee company that will lower investment risk and unlock KES12bn of climate finance for Kenyan projects over the next 3 years, through collaboration with CPF Financial Services and other private investors.
The Malindi Solar Expansion will receive an additional KES7.5bn investment.
Plans at the 40MW solar plant, constructed by UK Company Globeleq with finance from British International Investment, which was connected to the grid in December 2021, will double the size of Malindi Solar and add battery storage.
Other investments include KES425bn in Grand High Falls Dam – which will generate 1,000MW of hydro-electric capacity – KES12.5bn in Menengai Geothermal and KES31bn in United Green crop and agro-industrial processing system.
Addressing delegates at COP27, President H.E William Ruto, said Kenya’s electricity is 93% green and outlined the potential of green hydrogen, before making the 30GW target.
“There exists in Kenya the opportunity to produce 20GW of wind power, 10GW of geothermal electricity, and being at the equator, considerable amounts of solar power. In East Africa, there is sufficient hydro-electric potential to produce 100,000MW and if properly exploited, could generate enough clean energy for the whole of the continent.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ECG Recovers Gh¢2.45 Million From Power Theft In Eastern Region
The Electricity Company of Ghana in the Eastern Region has recovered GH¢2,457,747.25(US$163,931.74) from customers who engaged in power theft.
The Revenue Protection Unit of ECG, through its routine exercise, discovered that some of the customers had engaged in illegal connections between January and October 2022.
During the exercise, 36 of the meters assessed were discovered to have been bypassed, 24 meters were tampered with, hence, recording low units, 19 meters were connected without authorisation and three people had connected power directly to their premises.
The power usage was quantified for the customers to pay.
Other customers with challenges on their meters were rectified to ensure that the company raked in the needed revenue to sustain its operations.
The General Manager of ECG for the Eastern Region, Ing Sariel Adobea Etwire, who made this known to the media, said the amount recovered was an improvement over Gh¢1.26 million recovered in 2021.
She said ECG has the vision to become financially viable and was not relenting in revenue protection activities to ensure that all customers using power without payment would be smoked out for prosecution.
Ing Etwire said the Eastern Region has undertaken various initiatives, which have, in the past, helped the Region to enjoy a relatively stable power supply.
She assured customers that her outfit would continue to work hard to keep the light on and urged customers to do their part by paying their bills promptly.
“However, those who have not been receiving bills for some time should do well to report to the nearest ECG office to avoid piling up their monthly bills,” she advised.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ECG Recovers Gh¢2.45 Million From Power Theft In Eastern Region
The Electricity Company of Ghana in the Eastern Region has recovered GH¢2,457,747.25(US$163,931.74) from customers who engaged in power theft.
The Revenue Protection Unit of ECG, through its routine exercise, discovered that some of the customers had engaged in illegal connections between January and October 2022.
During the exercise, 36 of the meters assessed were discovered to have been bypassed, 24 meters were tampered with, hence, recording low units, 19 meters were connected without authorisation and three people had connected power directly to their premises.
The power usage was quantified for the customers to pay.
Other customers with challenges on their meters were rectified to ensure that the company raked in the needed revenue to sustain its operations.
The General Manager of ECG for the Eastern Region, Ing Sariel Adobea Etwire, who made this known to the media, said the amount recovered was an improvement over Gh¢1.26 million recovered in 2021.
She said ECG has the vision to become financially viable and was not relenting in revenue protection activities to ensure that all customers using power without payment would be smoked out for prosecution.
Ing Etwire said the Eastern Region has undertaken various initiatives, which have, in the past, helped the Region to enjoy a relatively stable power supply.
She assured customers that her outfit would continue to work hard to keep the light on and urged customers to do their part by paying their bills promptly.
“However, those who have not been receiving bills for some time should do well to report to the nearest ECG office to avoid piling up their monthly bills,” she advised.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Gas Is Good For Industrialisation—Dr Ben Asante
A renowned gas infrastructure engineer and Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Gas Company, Dr Ben K.D Asante, has described natural gas as a good source of energy that is crucial to the industrialisation agenda of Ghana.
According to Dr Asante, considering the current impact of climate change, countries across the world need to act quickly and make efforts to help mitigate the impact of climate change and ensure a sustainable development model.
He said it is imperative that Ghana does not only deal with the challenge of acquiring ever-increasing amounts of energy to continue economic growth but also make sure that its energy stores increasingly come from renewable methods that are sustainable for the environment.
Dr Asante was speaking at the Ghana Oil and Gas Conference organised by the Ghana Upstream Chamber in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The conference was under the theme: ‘Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy’.
Ghana has, so far, made remarkable progress in its clean energy transition, becoming one of the countries to have investments in solar and other renewable sources of energy.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Dr Asante was speaking at the Ghana Oil and Gas Conference organised by the Ghana Upstream Chamber in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The conference was under the theme: ‘Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy’.
Ghana has, so far, made remarkable progress in its clean energy transition, becoming one of the countries to have investments in solar and other renewable sources of energy.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Court Rejects Nigeria’s $1.1bn Damages Request Against Eni, Shell
An appeals court in Milan, Italy has rejected Nigeria’s $1.1bn compensation request against Italian energy group Eni and British oil and gas company Shell in civil proceedings relating to a $1.3bn oilfield deal.
The decision was read out in court on Friday, November 11, 2022.
In July, prosecutors had dropped related criminal proceedings, clearing Eni and Shell, as well as managers including Eni Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi, in one of the oil industry’s biggest alleged corruption cases.
The main case revolved around a deal in which Eni and Shell acquired the OPL 245 offshore oilfield in 2011 to settle a long-standing dispute over ownership.
Prosecutors alleged that just under $1.1 billion of the total amount was siphoned off to politicians and middlemen.
Eni said on Friday it was satisfied with the appeals court’s decision and added it had started arbitration against the African country at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
“Eni recalls that it has promoted a ICSID international arbitration in Washington against Nigeria for the protection of its OPL 245 license with respect to the overall detrimental consequences suffered in the affair,” the Italian group said in a statement reported by Reuters.
In a separate message, Shell said it was pleased that the civil proceedings had been dismissed.
“This follows the Milan criminal tribunal’s finding that there was no case to answer for Shell or its former employees when they were fully acquitted in 2021, a decision that was upheld in July 2022, when criminal proceedings ended,” Shell added.
A lawyer representing Nigeria in the proceedings said on Friday that the country was still deciding whether to appeal the decision at Italy’s top administrative court.
Documents explaining the reasons behind Friday’s court decision will be made available in 90 days.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
EU Needs $460 Billion Investment To Maintain Nuclear Power Capacity
The European Union will need up to $462 billion (450 billion euros) in investment just to keep the current level of its nuclear power generation capacity, the EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said at a nuclear energy forum this week.
Nuclear power will have an important role to play in the EU’s climate targets of low-carbon electricity generation, Simson said at the European Nuclear Energy Forum in Prague.
“The backbone of the future European carbon free power system will be predominantly renewables. But the reality is that these renewables will need to be complemented with a stable Baseload electricity production. This is why nuclear energy is not just a safety and security concern, but also a real solution,” she added.
This year, a year when surging energy prices have highlighted the importance of energy security, the EU is particularly focused on its nuclear power availability.
According to the EU modeling, nuclear power generation will account for around 15%-16% of the EU’s power output in 2030 and 2050, Simson said.
The EU needs a stable generation capacity, at the level of just over 100 GW, in the coming decades. Yet, a lot of investment will be needed to keep that generation capacity in the future.
“Our analysis shows that without immediate investment, around 90% of existing reactors would be shut down around the time when we need them most – in 2030,” Simson noted.
The EU will need between $360 billion (350 billion euros) and $462 billion (450 billion euros) of investment just to maintain the current generation capacity, and another up to $51.3 billion (50 billion euros) in the long-term operation of existing reactors, according to the EU commissioner.
New technology, such as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), could be the solution to integrate the energy system and decarbonize the sectors that pose the biggest challenge, said Simson, adding that the EU aims to have the first European SMRs go live in the early 2030s.
Source: Oilprice.com
Power Outages As Rare November Storm Hits Florida
More than 300,000 homes and businesses in Florida have been left without power as storm Nicole batters the US state.
States of emergency and evacuation orders are in place, and residents have been told to stay indoors with heavy rain and storm surges forecast.
Two people were killed when they were electrocuted by a downed power line in Orange County in the centre of the state.
Storms of this size so late in the year are extremely rare.
The storm has already lashed the Bahamas as a huge category one hurricane, and caused widespread flooding.
Nicole hit Florida’s eastern coast as a hurricane at 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) with winds of up to 75mph (120km/h).
These have weakened slightly to around 60mph and Nicole has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it makes its way north-west across the sunshine state.
Since the storm hit in the early hours, more than 600,000 homes and businesses have lost power.
Electricity has been restored to around half of these but 308,000 remain without, according to service providers.
The storm is expected to weaken further as it heads north towards Georgia and the Carolinas, over the next two days.
Its remnants could possibly even hit Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York later in the week.
Most of Florida’s 22 million residents remained under a tropical storm, high wind and storm surge warnings along with local hurricane statements that urged people to stay indoors and watch for flooding.
Source: BBC
The storm has already lashed the Bahamas as a huge category one hurricane, and caused widespread flooding.
Nicole hit Florida’s eastern coast as a hurricane at 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) with winds of up to 75mph (120km/h).
These have weakened slightly to around 60mph and Nicole has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it makes its way north-west across the sunshine state.
Since the storm hit in the early hours, more than 600,000 homes and businesses have lost power.
Electricity has been restored to around half of these but 308,000 remain without, according to service providers.
The storm is expected to weaken further as it heads north towards Georgia and the Carolinas, over the next two days.
Its remnants could possibly even hit Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York later in the week.
Most of Florida’s 22 million residents remained under a tropical storm, high wind and storm surge warnings along with local hurricane statements that urged people to stay indoors and watch for flooding.
Source: BBC
Ghana: Gov’t Is Planning To Sell TOR—Jinapor
The Government of Ghana is planning to sell the country’s premier refinery, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), a Ranking Member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Abdulai Jinapor has claimed.
According to him, information available to him indicates that the government intends to hand over the refinery to a private entity.
The 45,000 barrel per stream-day refinery constructed in 1963 has been idle for several months and many are of the view that the incessant hikes in fuel prices could have been averted if the refinery were functioning.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with energynewsafrica.com, Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu was asked whether he supports calls for the revamping of TOR and he responded in the affirmative.
“We think that TOR can be revamped. TOR can do almost half of our total consumption. Its processing capacity is about 45,000 per stream daily. If you upgrade it, you can even have 65,000 per stream day capacity.
“So as a matter of urgency, I hold the view that something should be done about TOR,” he advised.
In June 2022, this portal reported that a former Managing Director of the refinery, Mr Asante Berko, was returning to the refinery as an investor, this time around, leading a company by the name Decimal Capital Ltd.
On 23rd June 2022, the management of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), in a statement, confirmed that it had selected Decimal Capital Ltd among other companies they were considering, claiming Decimal Capital Ltd’s proposal was better.
Even though TOR’s statement did not give details of the partnership, energynewsafrica.com’s sources indicate that Decimal Capital Ltd is going to be part of the new management.
According to the statement, the deal “is 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.
However, Mr. Jinapor, who is aware of this yet-to-be-concluded deal, said the government had approached a Chinese company to take over the refinery for five years.
“Let me serve notice that we will not accept the situation where they try to sell TOR for the balance of payment purposes.
“We believe that TOR must be revamped but that must not be an avenue for somebody to use unorthodox, opaque and financially engineered ways for their private benefits. We will not accept that. We will ensure that the right thing is done,” he stressed.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Genser Energy Commended For Promoting Local Participation
Genser Energy, a Ghana-based energy solution provider, has been praised for giving opportunities to more Ghanaians to work in providing energy solutions to the industrial and mining sectors of Ghana and other parts of Africa.
The independent power producer, serving multinational clients in the industrial and mining sectors, prides itself on people and focuses on hiring local staff. Over 80 per cent of its staff is Ghanaian.
Genser Energy received high approval ratings from the members of the Energy and Mines Committee of Ghana’s Parliament during a tour of the company’s natural gas power plant, which is providing energy to Gold Fields Ghana Limited’s Tarkwa Mines in the Western Region and the Ejisu Plant Metering Station in the Ashanti Region.
Dr Kwabena Donkor, the MP for Pru East and a member of the committee, said: “As one of the key drivers of local content policy, I am very proud of your participation in the midstream oil and gas sector. You are probably the best example of Ghanaian participation in the midstream sector.
“Genser is the company of the future,” said Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, another member of the committee and a former Energy Minister. “If you are familiar with the Gas Master Plan of Ghana, it’s as if everything that has been envisioned by Ghana, Genser has just picked up and running ahead of everybody.”
In its 15 years of operation, Genser Energy provides summer internship opportunities for undergraduate students from Ghanaian universities, where selected interns have the opportunity to work alongside project engineers and managers in developing existing and new projects. Genser also has a partnership arrangement with the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), a non-profit leadership development organization, to recruit National Service Personnel as part of measures to harness their soft and technical skills while building a career.
“It has been a wonderful and admirable journey with Genser. Now and then there are new opportunities and new things to learn,” Nathaniel Nortey Tetteh, who joined Genser Energy as an intern in 2010 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and now acting as a project manager at the company’s Prestea Gas Plant, said.
“The love for co-workers is admirable and everyone is willing to help, especially the young ones. You’ll never want to miss such an environment because it’s been very great working at Genser. If you want to learn more, the best place for you is Genser because the opportunities are many. The people are loving and very accommodating,” Tetteh said.
For his part, Daniel Ayi, Vice President in charge of Operations at Genser Energy, said they aim to empower indigenous Ghanaians, especially the young ones, in the energy sector.
“Genser is a multinational company with a few foreigners and the rest between 85% to 90% are local engineers. We take the engineers from the universities and train them. Most of our workforce is made up of the youth. We’ve been able to train them to take up certain key positions and with time most of them will graduate to the management level,” Ayi said.
“Genser has come to stay and we want to conquer, especially West Africa to push our power to the neighbouring countries. Genser has training opportunities and plans for the youth in particular. We’re aiming to put the image of Ghana on the world map,” he added.
Nana Osae Nyampong VI, the Board Chairman of Genser Energy, said the company is more interested in creating opportunities for young indigenous locals to blaze the trail in a sector dominated by ex-pats. He said once Ghanaians are empowered it holds the key to turning the economic fortunes of the country.
“We are a Ghanaian company, so we look to Ghana for our staff. It’s only when we cannot get, then we look elsewhere for it,” Nana Nyampong VI said.
Genser Energy focuses on providing affordable and reliable energy and moving toward cleaner sources. It works closely with the government to advance the transition responsibly. The Ghana-based company provides direct and indirect jobs and also brings in foreign direct investment into the country.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
IEA Chief: OPEC+ May Have To Rethink Its Decision To Cut Oil Production
The OPEC+ group may have to “rethink” its decision to slash their collective oil production target by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) from November as it further stokes inflation and worsens the economic outlook for oil-importing developing nations, Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), told Bloomberg on Wednesday.
“The recent decision of OPEC+ to cut the production by 2 million barrels a day was definitely not helpful,” Birol said, commenting on the global economic prospects.
The OPEC+ decision may need a rethink, he told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
The cut in production increases energy security risks worldwide and could lead to higher oil prices that could be the tipping point for a global recession, the IEA said in its Oil Market Report for October, describing the OPEC+ cut as one of the multiplying “disruptive market forces.”
“Disruptive market forces are multiplying as the world struggles to navigate the worst global energy crisis in history. The OPEC+ bloc’s plan to sharply curtail oil supplies to the market has derailed the growth trajectory of oil supply through the remainder of this year and next, with the resulting higher price levels exacerbating market volatility and heightening energy security concerns,” the agency said.
“With unrelenting inflationary pressures and interest rate hikes taking their toll, higher oil prices may prove the tipping point for a global economy already on the brink of recession,” the IEA added in its report last month.
The agency also expressed doubts that the current high prices would incentivize an investment and supply response from non-OPEC producers, considering that U.S. shale keeps discipline and faces supply-chain issues and cost inflation.
Global energy security requires continued investment in fossil fuels, alongside major investments in renewables, Birol told Bloomberg today.
That’s a stark contrast from the IEA’s 2021 warning that if the world is to reach net zero by 2050, it wouldn’t have to invest in new oil and gas supply after 2021.
Oilprice.com