Electricity access in the Northern Region of Ghana is growing as more communities in the Karaga constituency have been connected to the national grid.
Last Sunday, about eight communities in the Karaga constituency were lit, making them enjoy electricity for the first time.
The eight communities were connected to the national grid by the Deputy Minister for Energy, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, who is also the Member of Parliament for the area.
The eight communities are Dibli, Dibli Tapala, Bugulgu, Yagbaa, Kanani Nagbani, Gbengbenlik and Tintaranga.
https://web.facebook.com/MoAminAdam/posts/475144567508236
Ghana’s electricity extension is currently around 86 per cent and with this latest development, the number of communities without electricity will reduce.
In his inaugural address on Thursday, January 7, 2021, Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo pledged the commitment of his administration that Ghana would attain universal access to electricity by the time his administration leaves office.
Commissioning the project, Dr Mohammed Amin expressed joy about the project since it would enhance their socioeconomic conditions.
According to him, access to electricity also offers the communities development prospects to trigger rapid job creation and other infrastructural openings for the constituency.
“President Akufo-Addo continues to prioritise the needs of our people and we are grateful for his Sterling leadership,” he stressed in a post sighted by energynewsafrica.com on his Facebook wall.
President Joe Biden has issued a threat for the Nord Stream natural gas project if Russia were to invade Ukraine, although he did not elaborate on how such a move would be made.
“If Russia invades — that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again, then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,” the U.S. President said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as quoted by CNBC.
“We will bring an end to it.”
In response to a question from a Reuters journalist on how exactly this would be done, Biden declined to elaborate, saying only “We will, I promise you, we’ll be able to do it.”
Yet the effect of the declaration may well have been a little spoiled by the statement of the German Chancellor, who did not appear nearly as enthusiastic about punitive action against Nord Stream 2 as his U.S. counterpart.
“We have intensively prepared everything to be ready with the necessary sanctions if there is a military aggression against Ukraine,” Scholz said. “It is part of the process that we do not spell out everything in public, because Russia should understand that there might be even more to come.”
In response to Reuters’ Andrea Shalal’s question on whether he would “commit to pulling the plug on Nord Stream 2”, Sholtz declined to do so.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is seen as a key supply channel for Germany, whose gas needs are about to rise further after it closes all of its nuclear power plants and moves ahead with the retirement of its coal power plants.
This is the reason Germany is a lot more reluctant than the United States to make threats against the project or, indeed, the Russian state amid the current geopolitical tensions.
Source: Oilprice.com
Three of the crew onboard the Floating Production Storage Android Offloading (FPSO) facility, belonging to Shebah Exploration & Production Company Limited (SEPCOL) which exploded in Warri, Delta State, have been confirmed dead.
The report says three have been found alive while four crew members were still unaccounted for as of Monday, February 7, 2022.
The company had earlier indicated that one unidentified body had been noticed floating around the vessel, Trinity Spirit, located at the Ukpokiti field (OML 108).
The asset, before it exploded, could process up to 22,000 barrels of oil per day, inject up to 40,000 barrels of water per day and store two million barrels of oil.
“The management of Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd (SEPCOL) in receivership, announces further developments on the ongoing investigations into the unfortunate explosion and fire that engulfed the FPSO Trinity Spirit at the Ukpokiti Terminal in the early hours of Wednesday, 2nd of February 2022.
“Per our previous statement, the fire burnt out completely as of Thursday afternoon, 3rd of February 2022, thus, enabling closer inspection of the vessel. Working with the relevant authorities, stakeholders, and expert organisations, a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) took place on Saturday, 5th February 2022.
“We also reported that on Sunday morning, 6th February 2022, NIMASA (Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency) notified us of a dead body found floating in the vicinity of the FPSO.
“We can confirm today that two further dead bodies were discovered on the deck of the vessel in the afternoon of the same Sunday,” the Chief Executive Officer of SEPCOL, Ikemefuna Okafor stated.
The company noted that it had made incident reports to the police and relevant authorities to assist in the ongoing investigation, stressing that efforts to establish the identities of the dead bodies were underway.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the victims of this unfortunate incident, and we are on hand to provide support to them as required.
“Thus far, the potential total number of the crew members accounted for is six, including the three persons who were found alive last week. Our priority remains focused towards establishing the whereabouts, safety and security of the four crew members still missing,” the company stressed.
According to the statement, all efforts are now geared towards cleaning up the area to minimise any damage to the environment and in addition to ascertaining the exact cause of the explosion.
SEPCOL also commended all the government agencies and the communities, particularly the fishermen, who, it said helped with the initial rescue.
“Our crisis management team will continue to monitor developments in the investigations and update all stakeholders with new information accordingly.
“We appeal to members of the public to keep away from the area and contact the company with any information that may assist our investigations,” SEPCOL noted.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Vivo Energy Ghana, the exclusive marketer and distributor of Shell branded fuels and lubricants has donated stationaries, school bags and beverages to the Greater Accra Regional Education Office of the Ghana Educational Service (GES) to support the government’s ‘My First Day at School’ Programme.
The donation by Vivo Energy Ghana aligns with the company’s commitment to education and its goal of making a real and lasting impact in the communities in which it operates.
My First Day at School is an annual event by the GES at the beginning of each academic year to welcome new entrants into Kindergarten (KG), as well as those who are transitioning to the mainstream school system at Basic One, at the various District and Regional Education Directorates.
The items donated included exercise books, pencils, erasers, crayons, school bags, bottles of water, and natural fruit juice which will be distributed to over 1,800 pupils across the Region’s twenty-nine (29) Metros, Municipalities, and Districts.
“My First Day at School is a memorable experience for both pupils and parents, and as a company, we are committed to supporting this initiative by the GES. We are happy to do this for the pupils and put some smiles on their faces,” says Mr. Kader Maiga, Managing Director of Vivo Energy Ghana in a press statement copied to energynewsafrica.com.
Representatives from the GES, Mr. Charles Arhin, Head of Inspectorate Unit, and Mrs. Suzanne Kennedy, Basic and Early Childhood School Regional Coordinator who received the items on behalf of the Greater Accra Regional Director, conveyed their appreciation to Vivo Energy Ghana for supporting this programme annually and called on other cooperate bodies to support the initiative.
“We would like to express our gratitude to the management and staff of Vivo Energy Ghana for their continuous support over the years and we are confident that this donation will go a long way to support the school children especially new entrants,” they said.
Every year, Vivo Energy Ghana supports the Ghana Education Service with school supplies as part of the company’s commitment to promoting Sustainable Development Goal 4, of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Management and staff of the company attended this year’s event, which was held at the Vivo Energy Ghana head office in Cantonments.
Vivo Energy operates and markets its products in countries across North, West, East and Southern Africa. The Group has a network of over 2,400 service stations in 23 countries operating under the Shell and Engen brands and exports lubricants to a number of other African countries.
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid is touring petroleum installations sites in the northern part of Ghana.
The CEO and his entourage including the directors of the Authority, on Monday, February 7, 2022, made the first stop at the Bolgatanga depot of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transporation Company (BOST).
The team was conducted around the facility by Mr Josiah Kwamina Atta, General Manager in charge of Terminal and Transmission at BOST.
The NPA delegation will also visit the BOST depot in Buipe on Tuesday and make stops at the authority’s regional offices in Upper East, Northern, Upper West, and Bono Regions.
The NPA would complete the three-day tour at the BOST Kumasi depot on Friday.
The five-day visit will allow the CEO and his team to engage some stakeholders including security agencies in the aforementioned regions.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Chamber of Independent Power Producers, Ghana, has congratulated the newly appointed Acting Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
In a statement signed by Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, CEO of the chamber, it said Dr Ackah’s appointment has come at a time when participants in the electricity market are gradually losing confidence in independence and objectivity of the economic regulator.
The chamber said: “We are counting on his level of professionalism, industry exposure and wealth of knowledge to restore trust and confidence in the Independent of the PURC.”
The chamber pledged its absolute support and cooperation with him to succeed and to ensure restoration drive.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc has made an oil discovery in Namibia, an area where previous explorers have largely failed to find commercial resources.
Searching for oil and gas in the waters of the southwest African nation has been compared to the early days of the North Sea, where a number of wells were drilled before any significant discoveries were made. To date, there have been 15 exploratory wells drilled offshore, according to Namibia’s Ministry of Mines and Energy.
“Results from our exploration well are encouraging, establishing the presence of a working petroleum system with light oil. We’ll continue evaluating the data and conduct further exploration activity to determine the extent of the system and how much of the hydrocarbons can be recovered,” a Shell spokesperson said.
The discovery comes at a time when views on fossil fuels are becoming more polarized throughout the continent. While oil producers argue Africa has been a relatively small emitter of greenhouse gas, and that countries deserve to benefit from selling their natural resources, some environmental and community groups have taken action to block new developments.
TotalEnergies SE is also drilling a well nearby in Namibian waters. Exploration activity offshore Africa dropped to a single rig in 2020 as the global pandemic took hold. It’s partially recovered, though still around half of what it was before coronavirus spread, according to Baker Hughes data.
Shell has a 45% interest in Block 2913A, with Qatar Petroleum holding 45% and the National Petroleum Co. of Namibia with 10%.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The acting Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr Ishmael Ackah has assumed the post, energynewsafrica.com confirmed.
He assumed the post on Monday, February 7, 2022.
Dr Ishmael Ackah replaces Mrs Mami Dufie Ofori who served as the Executive Secretary of PURC from 2017.
Before his appointment, Dr Ishmael Ackah, who is an Energy Economist with more than 10 years of experience that spans public service, civil society, private sector and academia, was the regulatory and electricity market expert of the USAID West Africa Energy Programme in Ghana.
He is a fellow of the Institute for Economic Affairs Ghana.
He previously worked as the head of the Policy Unit at the Africa Centre for Energy Policy.
Click on the link below to visit PURC’s websitehttps://www.purc.com.gh/news-det/145678302
Dr Ackah served as the technical advisor on energy and petroleum policies to Ghana’s Minister for Planning for two years.
He was the first coordinator of the Local Content Secretariat at the Ghana Energy Commission.
He has provided research consultancies for the United Nations University, the African Development Bank, IHS Markit, GOGIG/OPM, Ghana’s National Accreditation Board, the Natural Resource Governance Institute, SNV Ghana among others.
He has published about 40 peer-reviewed papers in high impact journals such as the Energy Research and Social Science Journal, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, Energy Efficiency Journal, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, the Extractive and Society Journal, etc. Ishmael holds a PhD in Energy Economics and Policy from the University of Portsmouth, UK and an MSc in Energy Economics and Policy from, University of Surrey, UK.
He had his undergraduate studies at the University of Professional Studies in Accra, Ghana.
https://web.facebook.com/purcgh/posts/246479011002464Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria has been urged to create Energy Theft Register as part of efforts in dealing with the rampant power theft in the country.
The Executive Director of PowerUp Nigeria, Adetayo Adegbemle, who made the proposal, believes the initiative would help to minimise electricity theft in Africa’s most populous country.
In an opinion piece he shared with energynewafrica.com, Mr Adetayo Adegbemle said the Energy Theft Register should capture the names of offenders, mode/type of energy theft and actions that were taken.
“Energy theft is a pandemic to the power sector, with millions in losses recorded every year.
“The interesting part of it all is the fact that culprits can be found in every facet and cadres of the society,” he said.
Click on the link below to watch a documentary by National Petroleum Authorityhttps://fb.watch/b0JuxPKQC8/
He said the initiative would bring benefit to the power sector, explaining that “An Energy Theft Registry easily points out repeated offender and determines the weight of discipline/fine they receive on repeated offence.”
He added that the Energy Theft Registry would limit offenders to some social services and benefits from the community.
He said: “For instance, you may not be allowed to hold some position of responsibility in the society, or even contest for elections.”
He continued that the stigma of being on an Energy Theft Registry may deter thievery.
The Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN) has blamed the load shedding in the Lagos axis on the fire incident that occurred at the Egbin Power Station last Wednesday.
In a statement signed by the General of Public Affairs, Mrs Ndidi Mbah, for TCN, it said the fire incident necessitated the shutdown of all the power generating units in the power station.
The company noted that a total of 630MW was removed from the grid as a result of the shutdown and for that, TCN had to strive to ensure that it achieved generation load balance to maintain the stability of the grid.
This it did by reducing bulk electricity to Lagos to avoid overloading the 330kV lines within the state, while the third unit at the Shiroro Station was tied.
The statement further said those moves were necessary to avoid the collapse of the nation’s grid.
“Meanwhile, Egbin Power Station is working assiduously to ensure a full restoration of its generating units to the grid,” the statement said.
TCN assured its consumers that it would continue to do all it can to keep the grid stable, adding that it would continue the evacuation of generated power from the Egbin Power Station as soon as the station resumes power generation.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s leading indigenous Oil Marketing Company GOIL Company Limited has re-opened the newly furbished service station at Kwabenya, a surbub of Accra.
Situated at the Atomic road Kwabenya roundabout, the GOIL modern service station is equipped with an ultra-modern GoCafe, Auto center, Lube bay, a Pharmacy and a Restaurant.
Click on the link below to watch a documentary by National Petroleum Authorityhttps://fb.watch/b0JuxPKQC8/
Commissioning the station, the Group CEO/Managing Director of GOIL Company Limited, Hon. Kwame Osei Prempeh said GOIL is committed to giving quality fuels to its numerous customers.
He appealed to Ghanaians to continue patronizing GOIL products, which of course, gives value for money.
He affirmed that GOIL would soon establish even more ultra-modern stations nationwide, to ensure every Ghanaian enjoy the quality fuels GOIL is offering to the Ghanaian market.
In agreement, the Chief Operating Officer of GOIL, Mr. Alex Adzew added that the company aims at providing quality products yet at affordable prices for its customers satisfaction, citing GOIL XP RON 95 additive as distinct but same price.
Mr. Alex Adzew, COO of GOIL (right) presenting freebies to customers who purchase GOIL products at the newly refurbished Kwabenya service station
Present at the ceremony were the Dealer of the station, Oheneba Frimpong, Zonal Manager-South, Helen Kyeremateng, Chief Inspector Broni of Dome Kwabenya Police Station, District Crime Officer, DSP Maxwell Kwaku Sarpong, Chief Inspector Priscilla Ofori, Mr. C.K. Amoh of the Ghana National Fire Service, NADMO Director-Ga East, Mr. Seth Kisi, Assemblyman of Atomic Electoral Area, Hon. Cornelius Addo, Atomic Taxi Chairman, Francis Adu, among other dealers from various service stations in the Southern Zone.
GOIL Company Limited is listed on Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE).
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Although not the first time of seeing a suspension of the price stabilization and recovery levy (PSRL), the 11th October 2021 announcement by government of same was touted by its functionaries that it is the biggest relieve government is bringing to consumers, in relation to the persistent rise in fuel prices in the country.
However, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) analysis of happenings on the local market shows that the suspension of the PSRL over the past three months have proven to be an unrealistic strategy for bringing down domestic fuel prices, thus questioning the credibility of the levy.
The strategy deployed in November 2021 and when average prices of Petrol and Diesel hit Gh¢6.52 per litre, was in direct response to mounting pressure on government by Ghanaians, to halt the frequent upward fuel price adjustments.
Three (3) months after the suspension of the levy, domestic fuel prices have risen by more than 9 percent to reflect rising international oil and fuel prices, and fall in value of the local currency. Referenced to today’s Petrol price of Gh¢7.45 per litre as offered by Total Petroleum and Shell (Vivo), the commodity’s price has moved up by roughly 14 percent since the PSRL was suspended in November 2021.
Should these two variables (international oil price, and Cedi value) maintain their traction on the foreign and local market respectively, Petrol and Diesel prices are likely to stay above Gh¢8 per litre before mid-2022.
But for some political interventions in mid-December 2021, the price of Petrol and Diesel would have crossed the Gh¢7 per litre mark before the end of year 2021. That desperate move resulted in Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) threatening to pull out of the Association of Oil Marketing (AOMC), after the latter allegedly accused the former of bowing to government’s pressure to reduce its prices, in contravention with of the petroleum downstream deregulated regime’s practices.
An elevated geopolitical risk, shrinking spare capacity and a relatively mild effect of Covid-19 infections on petroleum demand, would be counted as key factors in oil and fuel prices increases on the global market, more likely to impact negatively on domestic fuel prices.
Should there be a downward correction in international oil prices as the world heads towards the lower demand period of spring and summer, it is unlikely local fuel prices would come down given the persistent fall in the value of the Cedi against the US Dollar.
Meanwhile, rising global crude oil prices remain a constant challenge to the Ghana Cedi’s value sustenance against the greenback due to the attending growth to the country’s oil and fuel import bill.
As it has become increasingly apparent that Petrol and Diesel prices will likely finish the first-half of the year at record highs, there must be a more sustainable and pragmatic response to the exposures from international oil prices and the foreign exchange (Forex) market; one that goes beyond the PSRL.
Whereas the PSRL has proven unsustainable in its present form and substance as validated by IES’ study, the National Petroleum Authority’s incompetent application of same to the realities of the Ghanaian fuel market is a worse cause for worry.
Consumers of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) should be prepared for the worst as the price of the domestic commodity is likely to hit GHc10 per kilogramme in the next couple of months.
The Vice President of the LPG Marketers Association, Gabriel Kumi, argued that prices of LPG will continue to go up on the local market every two weeks if gas prices continue to soar on the global market.
“We should brace ourselves to pay more for LPG every two weeks. And as prices are going up, consumption will decline,” Mr Kumi told energynewsafrica.com in a telephone conversation.
Currently, a kilo of LPG is sold at between Gh¢8.50 and Gh¢8.70.
This rising cost of LPG, according to the LPG Marketers Association, has reduced the consumption of the commodity.
Mr Gabriel Kumi, in an interview on Accra- based Joy FM and monitored by energynewafrica.com, said about 60 per cent of people who live in urban areas are unable to fill their cylinders to the brim when they visit LPG stations because of hikes in prices.
He said in rural areas, the percentage of people who are unable to fill their cylinders ranges between 80 per cent and 90 per cent.
“We are going down in terms of consumption of LPG in Ghana. One would expect that as your population is growing, your consumption rate is growing too, but we’re stagnating. We are just hovering around 28,000 29,000 metric tonnes for the past 3 years,” he explained.
He blamed the development on various taxes imposed on the product.
“The average household cylinder [cost] is now about between GH¢120 to GH¢125. Ask yourself: if the ordinary Ghanaian, who is taking home GH¢500, go to the LPG outlet and fill their cylinders? How do you expect an average worker to use about 20 per cent of their monthly salary to go and buy just LPG?” he said.
The restored PSRL is 16 pesewas per litre on petrol, 14 pesewas per litre on diesel and 14 pesewas per kilogram on LPG.
Given the prices, he said they would further contribute to a decrease in the consumption of the product.
“The irony of the situation is that the government has set itself an objective to increase the consumption of the product from the current 25 per cent penetration level to 50 per cent by the end of 2030, [but] people cannot even afford the product. Now the product is being bought in tots,” he said.
He mentioned that people buy as low as GH¢5, adding that that defeats the purpose of the government’s agenda to make the product accessible to many.
“How would somebody carrying such a metal walk to an LPG station and buy GHc20 to GHc30 cedis and go back home? It’s a matter of affordability,” he said.
He warned that if urgent steps aimed at subsiding the price of the product are not taken, the country could suffer dire consequences.
He, thus, called on the government to remove all taxes imposed on LPG.
“LPG is a very sensitive product to price, so any pesewa increase in the price of LPG goes a long way to reduce the consumption of the product.
“LPG must be made tax-free so that we save our environment and Ghana,” he said.
“We appreciate the fact that the government needs money, but we’ve always said that the benefit this country stands to gain by pushing up the consumption of LPG outweighs the benefit we get from taxes,” he added.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria has started investigating an explosion on an oil production vessel capable of holding about 2 million barrels of crude.
“I’ve instructed our field operatives to move in and carry out a full-scale incident report,” Gbenga Komolafe, chief executive officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, said by phone. There will be no “speculation” from the agency while the probe is carried out, he said, without providing a timeframe for the work.
The Trinity Spirit blew up early Wednesday off the coast of Nigeria, marking yet another environmental setback for the nation’s oil industry.
It’s not clear how much crude was being stored on the ship, nor who owned the oil.
The vessel can process as much as 22,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the website of Shebah Exploration & Production Co., the independent Nigerian producer that was leasing the vessel.
The regulator will investigate the “source of the crude” onboard at the time of the explosion, Komolafe said. Data published by Nigeria’s state-owned energy company show no production from Shebah’s permit in 2020 or 2021, while the country’s oil regulator announced in mid-2019 it was revoking the license.
Shebah is in receivership and had offered the vessel — owned by a related company Allenne Ltd. — to pay down some of its debt, according to a spokesman for the Asset Management Corp. of Nigeria. That process was yet to be concluded, the spokesman for the state debt recovery agency said.
According to him, access to electricity also offers the communities development prospects to trigger rapid job creation and other infrastructural openings for the constituency.
“President Akufo-Addo continues to prioritise the needs of our people and we are grateful for his Sterling leadership,” he stressed in a post sighted by energynewsafrica.com on his Facebook wall.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
But for some political interventions in mid-December 2021, the price of Petrol and Diesel would have crossed the Gh¢7 per litre mark before the end of year 2021. That desperate move resulted in Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) threatening to pull out of the Association of Oil Marketing (AOMC), after the latter allegedly accused the former of bowing to government’s pressure to reduce its prices, in contravention with of the petroleum downstream deregulated regime’s practices.
An elevated geopolitical risk, shrinking spare capacity and a relatively mild effect of Covid-19 infections on petroleum demand, would be counted as key factors in oil and fuel prices increases on the global market, more likely to impact negatively on domestic fuel prices.
Should there be a downward correction in international oil prices as the world heads towards the lower demand period of spring and summer, it is unlikely local fuel prices would come down given the persistent fall in the value of the Cedi against the US Dollar.
Meanwhile, rising global crude oil prices remain a constant challenge to the Ghana Cedi’s value sustenance against the greenback due to the attending growth to the country’s oil and fuel import bill.
As it has become increasingly apparent that Petrol and Diesel prices will likely finish the first-half of the year at record highs, there must be a more sustainable and pragmatic response to the exposures from international oil prices and the foreign exchange (Forex) market; one that goes beyond the PSRL.
Whereas the PSRL has proven unsustainable in its present form and substance as validated by IES’ study, the National Petroleum Authority’s incompetent application of same to the realities of the Ghanaian fuel market is a worse cause for worry.
