Ghana: New Tariff Takes Effect Thursday-ECG
The Electricity Company of Ghana ECG says it will from Thursday commence the implementation of the PURC’s approve tariff announced recently.
The PURC on Monday 15th August 2022 announced a 27.15 % increase in electricity tariff while that of water went up by 21.55%.
In a statement ECG said it has catalogued all unit consumption and the expected cost in a Reckoner which clearly explains how the tariff is applied and billed.
This will be displayed at all ECG districts and customer service centers nationwide to guide customers on their electricity purchases.
ECG assured consumers and stakeholders that it is committed to ensuring the smooth implementation of the new tariff.
Ghana: Popular Hostel In Odorkor Grabbed For Stealing Gh¢400,000 Worth Of Electricity
A popular hostel in South Odorkor, a suburb of Accra, capital of Ghana has been caught stealing power.
The hostel named Best Crystal Hostel, according to the southern power distribution company, ECG has connected power illegally and consuming electricity freely for the past three years.
In a statement posted on the company’s Facebook page it said the power consumed by the facility illegally for the past three years amounts to Gh¢400,000
It disclosed that its field officers detected the illegality after visiting the premises of the hostel to audit its meter installations.
“The Best Crystal Hostel located in the Greater Accra Region was on Friday, August 26, 2022, disconnected from the national grid for stealing power to the tune of ¢400,000 for three years.
The illegality was detected by the ECG’s field staff who were visiting the facilities to audit meter installations as part of efforts to clamp down on power theft and other illegal activities.”
Notice of surcharge has been issued to the hostel subsequently.
“The facility has been served with a notice by the ECG to be surcharged and sanctioned,” the power distributor said in a statement.
It has also cautioned the public to refrain from such illegal activities to avoid prosecution.
“Costumers and the general public are advised to desist from all forms of illegality to avoid prosecution,” the statement concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Globeleq Partners Gov’t Of Egypt To Develop Large-Scale Green Hydrogen Project
Globeleq, the leading independent power company in Africa, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), the Sovereign Fund of Egypt for Investment and Development (TSFE), and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), to jointly develop a large-scale green hydrogen facility within the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
Globeleq, as lead developer and investor, will develop, finance, build, own and operate the green hydrogen project.
It will be developed in 3 phases, totalling 3.6 GW of electrolysers and around 9 GW of solar PV and wind power generation.
The first phase will involve a pilot project using a 100 MW electrolyser, and will initially focus on green ammonia fertilisers, while considering other end-uses of green hydrogen in the medium and longer term, including green fuels.
Globeleq intends to enter into long-term off-take agreements with leading and creditworthy Egyptian and international companies, while supporting their decarbonisation plans.
Capitalising on Egypt’s best-in-class wind and solar PV resource, well-developed infrastructures, and the Egyptian Government’s investment-friendly regulatory framework, Globeleq aims to competitively produce hydrogen for exports and the local market.
Egypt’s unique geographical location, at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, and Asia, with about 13% of the global trade flowing through the Suez Canal, puts the country in a position to become a global green energy hub.
Globeleq has been investing in Egypt since 2003 and currently owns the ARC for Renewable Energy S.A.E. 66 MWp solar PV plant located at the Benban Solar Park near Aswan.
Globeleq aims to support the country’s ambitious renewables strategy by developing new solar PV, wind, battery energy storage, seawater desalination and green hydrogen projects in Egypt.
The British Ambassador to Egypt, Gareth Bayley OBE, indicated: “Globeleq is a leading British investor, 70% owned by British International Investment and 30% Norfund, which are respectively the UK and Norway’s development finance institutions. The company has been investing in Egypt for nearly 20 years and we are delighted with the signing of this MOU, which underscores once again the strong relationship between the UK and Egypt. The project also supports both countries’ leadership and ambitions in renewable energy and combating climate change. We look forward to continue working with Globeleq and all the stakeholders involved.”
The Norwegian Ambassador to Egypt, Hilde Klemetsdal, added: “With Globeleq’s ambitious plans, Norway continues to strengthen our investments in green hydrogen in Egypt. This is an example of just the kind of industry solutions that are required for translating the green transition into action. We value our strong cooperation with the Government of Egypt towards the green shift and the fight against climate change.”
Mike Scholey, CEO of Globeleq, said: “Bold and rapid collective action is required to put the world on a sustainable pathway. Egypt is a key country for Globeleq, and we are excited to support the Government of Egypt’s ambitious green agenda and contribute to the fight against climate change.”
Waleid Gamal Eldien, Chairman of SCZONE, mentioned: “The new agreement with Globeleq is a continuation of our commitment to implement Egypt’s vision in the transformation for green economy. The Egyptian government has ambitious energy transition plans, in addition to hosting COP27, and active steps are being taken to make SCZONE a major hub for green hydrogen. We are pleased to partner with Globeleq, one of the major renewable energy companies in the UK and globally, and this partnership reflects the interest of the global entities specialised in investing in such projects as they choose SCZONE as a destination for investment in green fuel projects, to serve the African and international markets.”
Ayman Soliman, CEO of the Sovereign Fund of Egypt, commented: “The partnerships we are witnessing are a translation to the state’s integrated strategy to diversify energy sources and localise green hydrogen production with all its components covering upstream and downstream stages, with the aim of transforming Egypt into a regional green energy hub. Our objective is to maximize the use of Egypt’s renewable energy resources in partnership with global specialised developers, whereby the goals and strategy of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt are realised. We are glad to partner with Globeleq as one of the largest British international companies working in the field of new and renewable energy and infrastructure, with a special focus on energy projects in Africa, and has vast experience in working in Egypt.”
France Accuses Russia Of Using Gas As ‘Weapon Of War’
France accused Moscow on Tuesday of using energy supply as “a weapon of war” as Russian gas giant Gazprom reduced deliveries to one of its main utilities and prepared to halt flows along a major pipeline to Germany.
European governments are scrambling to respond to soaring energy costs for businesses and households and to find alternatives to Russian supply to store for winter.
Western nations fear that Moscow is driving up gas prices to try to weaken their resolve in opposing its invasion of Ukraine, a tactic Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday dubbed economic terrorism. Moscow denies it is doing this.
“Very clearly Russia is using gas as a weapon of war and we must prepare for the worst case scenario of a complete interruption of supplies,” France’s Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told France Inter radio.
She was speaking after French utility Engie (ENGIE.PA) said it would receive less gas from Gazprom from Tuesday because of an unspecified contractual dispute.
Europe is already on notice that supplies will be squeezed as Gazprom shuts off the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to Germany from Wednesday to Friday for maintenance.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Monday urged companies to draft energy savings plans by next month, warning they would be hit first if France is forced to ration supply of gas and electricity.
European energy ministers will hold an emergency meeting on Sept. 9 to discuss the crisis.
Germany is willing to consider a price cap on gas, several Italian newspapers reported on Tuesday, citing a text message sent by the German economy minister to energy ministers across Europe.
An Economy Ministry spokesperson said that Germany will discuss how to break the extreme spiral in gas prices at the energy ministers meeting but did not comment directly on the details of the report.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, the former European Central Bank chief, has been pushing for such a price cap, and has also called for steps to decouple the cost of electricity from the gas price.
Such a move would allow European households to get the benefits from electricity produced from cheaper sources such as renewables.
There was some respite on Tuesday when benchmark Dutch wholesale gas prices eased as Europe almost reached its target of gas stores being 80% full and traders took profits following record high prices last week.
The front-month gas contract was down 3% at 259 euros/MWh on Tuesday morning, off all-time highs hit last week, and is trading at levels more than five times those seen a year ago.
The rising cost of the crisis was illustrated when EU member Austria said that it was preparing to pump billions of euros into the electricity company that supplies much of the capital Vienna after a price surge on power markets left it unable to afford the guarantees needed to cover market transactions.
Wien Energie, owned by the City of Vienna, asked the federal government for help at the weekend and the city has identified an “acute financing need” of 6 billion euros.
The Hague in the Netherlands, home to EU law enforcement agency Europol, last week said it would ask for a temporary exemption of EU sanctions against Russia, as it struggles to find a replacement for its contract with Gazprom.
Sanctions order governments and other public bodies to end existing contracts with Russian companies by October 10.
Source :Reuters
ExxonMobil Posts $17.9bn Profit In Q2 Due To Rising Energy Prices
US oil and gas supermajor, ExxonMobil has posted a net income of $17.9bn for the second quarter of 2022, against $4.69bn in the same quarter a year ago, due to soaring oil and gas prices.
ExxonMobil’s total revenues soared to $115.68bn from $67.7bn in the corresponding quarter of 2021.
The firm reported a cash flow from operating activities of $20bn versus $9.65bn in the previous year, benefiting from higher realisations and margins, increased production, and tight cost control.
In a statement issued on Monday, August 29,2022, it said its capital and exploration expenditures were $4.6bn for the second quarter and, $9.5bn in this year.
ExxonMobil Chairman and CEO Darren Woods said: “Earnings and cash flow increased production, higher realizations, and tight cost control.”
“Strong second-quarter results reflect our focus on the fundamentals and the investments we put in motion several years ago and sustained through the depths of the pandemic.
“Key to our success is continued investment in our advantaged portfolio, including Guyana, the Permian, global LNG, and in our high-value performance products, along with efforts to reduce structural costs and improve efficiency,” he added.
Exxon announced shareholder distributions of $7.6bn for the second quarter.
This includes dividends of $3.7bn.
Woods added: “We’re also helping meet increased demand by expanding our refining capacity by about 250,000 barrels per day in the first quarter of 2023, representing the industry’s largest single capacity addition in the US since 2012.
“At the same time, we’re supporting the transition to a lower-emission future, growing our portfolio of opportunities in carbon capture and storage, biofuels, and hydrogen.”
Last month, ExxonMobil announced that it had made two new oil discoveries in the Seabob-1 and Kiru-Kiru-1 wells.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: NPA Charges Shell To Fix Cars Damaged By Fuel Mixed With Water
Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, National Petroleum Authority has commenced investigations into the sale of fuel laced with water by Shell’s Service Station at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region.
According to the regulator, a sample of the fuel from the station has been sent to its head office laboratory for investigations while other segments are going to the Ghana Standards Authority.
This is contained in a statement issued by the NPA after a video shared by a customer of the station on social media went viral.
The Customer is heard saying that he filled his car tank with fuel from the station and tried to turn on the engine, but the ignition failed to start.
Curious to find out the cause of the problem, the customer brought an empty bottle and asked the attendant to fill the bottle only for them to discover that the petrol is laced with water.
In the video, the man claimed that while he was there and wondering about the issue a lady also came to the station to lodge a complaint that her car has stopped after buying fuel from the same station few minutes ago.
Shell on Sunday shut down the station after the incident came to the attention of Management.
In a statement on Monday, Shell said it has commenced investigations into the incident adding that all necessary remedial steps will be taken before the station is reopen.
“We remain committed to providing best quality fuels to our customers,” it said.
Meanwhile, NPA is demanding that Shell fixes the affected vehicles and compensate customers.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
In a statement on Monday, Shell said it has commenced investigations into the incident adding that all necessary remedial steps will be taken before the station is reopen.
“We remain committed to providing best quality fuels to our customers,” it said.
Meanwhile, NPA is demanding that Shell fixes the affected vehicles and compensate customers.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Nigeria: Japan, Israel Partner Nigeria To Produce Electric Motorcycle
Nigeria has entered into a partnership agreement with Israel and Japan to begin manufacturing of electric motorcycles.
This is the West African nation’s first step toward creating an eco-friendly environment by reducing carbon emissions in the transport industry.
The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman who disclosed this said the partnership would address the numerous issues impacting Nigeria’s transportation and environmental sectors.
The collaboration is expected to introduce the first car in 2023.
“The first attempt to domesticate certain technologies in this country, especially in the automobile industry, has not worked with continuous importation. NASENI has come into this now with the perfect partners, Japanese and Israeli companies whose technologies are proven and known,” a report by theelectricityhub.com quoted Prof. Mohammed Haruna, Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI saying.
Dr. Ayal Raz, a representative of the Israeli company Peramare Enterprise, observed that Nigeria is a safe place to invest.
Mr. Sasi Shilo, Chief Executive Officer, SIXAI, and Japanese Partner, stated that his business is eager to support Nigeria in developing a sustainable nation using clean and safe technology in addition to supporting the African continent as a whole.
According to Mr Madisca Haruna, Managing Director of LINKSMAN International LTD, the project aims to achieve Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, which aims to improve global cooperation and make access to sustainable energy research and technology more accessible.
British Household Energy Bills To Jump 80% To Over $4,000 A Year
British energy bills will jump 80% to an average of 3,549 pounds ($4,188) a year from October 2022, the regulator said on Friday, plunging millions of households into fuel poverty and businesses into jeopardy unless the government steps in.
Ofgem CEO Jonathan Brearley said the rise would have a massive impact on households across Britain, and another increase was likely in January as Russia’s move to throttle European supplies drives wholesale gas prices to record highs.
“This is a catastrophe,” Britain’s leading consumer rights champion Martin Lewis said, warning that people would die if they refused to cook food or heat their homes this winter.
Brearley said the government response needed to match the scale of the crisis with “urgent and decisive” action.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has less than two weeks left in office, said his successor would announce “extra cash” targeted at the most vulnerable next month.
“But what I don’t think we should be doing is trying to cap the whole thing for absolutely everybody, the richest households in the country,” he told reporters.
In May, when price forecasts were significantly lower, the government announced a 400-pound ($472) discount on consumer bills for this winter.
The opposition Labour Party said that if it were in power it would freeze prices, which could cost around 60 billion pounds a year – almost as much as the COVID pandemic furlough scheme.
The pressures are being felt across Europe but in Britain, which is particularly dependent on gas, the price rises are eye-watering.
An annual average bill of 1,277 pounds last year will hit 3,549 pounds this year and leading forecaster Cornwall Insight said prices were likely to rocket again in 2023.
It expects bills to peak in the second quarter at 6,616 pounds and households could pay around 500 pounds a month for energy in 2023, a higher sum than rent or mortgage for many.
The surge has ballooned inflation to a 40-year high and the Bank of England has warned of a lengthy recession. Despite the dismal outlook, Britain’s response has been hampered by the race to replace Johnson that runs until Sept. 5, focused on the votes of Conservative party members keen on tax and spending cuts.
The two candidates – Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former finance minister Rishi Sunak – have clashed over how to respond, with the front-runner Truss initially saying she would rather cut taxes than give “handouts”.
Both sides have acknowledged that the poorest in society will need support and the government went further on Friday in saying that households should look at how much energy they use – after previously saying people would know what to do.
The Labour party said the country could wait no longer for action. “This is a national emergency,” finance spokesperson Rachel Reeves said.
Truss and Sunak have suggested suspending environmental levies or cutting a sales tax – both ideas dismissed by analysts as far too little to blunt the big hit to household budgets.
Increases in wholesale prices are passed on to British consumers through a price cap, calculated every three months, that was designed to stop energy suppliers profiteering but is now the lowest price available for 24 million households.
Such is the volatility in the sector that almost 30 energy retailers have gone out of business and Ofgem said most domestic suppliers are not making a profit.
Supplier E.on said Britain should accelerate its move away from gas and better insulate its draughty Victorian-era housing stock, while rival Scottish Power urged the government to set up a deficit fund to keep bills down and spread the cost over a 10-15 year period.
Ofgem said customers who could not pay their bills would be offered affordable repayment plans by their supplier.
They would only be forced to move to prepayment meters, which charge above-average rates, as a “last resort”, it said.
The market is too unstable to forecast the next cap for January, Ofgem said, but conditions in the gas market in winter meant prices could get “significantly worse” through 2023.
Source: BBC
Ghana: Shell Shuts Down Atimpoku Station Over Fuel Mixed With Water
The Shell filling station at Atimpoku in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region of Ghana has been shutdown, energynewsafrica.com can report.
This follows a video shared by a customer of the station on social media where he is heard saying that he filled his car tank with fuel from the station and tried to turn on the engine but the ignition failed.
Curious to find out the cause of the problem, the customer brought an empty bottle and asked the attendant to fill the bottle only for them to discover that the petrol is mixed with water.
In the video, the man claimed that while he was there and wondering about the issue a lady also came to the station to lodge a complaint that her car has stopped after buying fuel from the same station few minutes ago.
Confirming the development to energynewsafrica.com, Corporate Communications Manager for Vivo Energy, Shell’s licensee, Shirley Tony Kum said the issue has come to their attention adding that the station has been shut down.
“This has come to our attention and I have been managing it since afternoon. It is a technical issue and our team will investigate the cause. In the meantime, the station has been closed down till the problem is resolved,” she explained.
According to her, alternative arrangements had been made for some affected customers to arrive at their destinations safely.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Texas To Begin Plugging 800 Orphaned Wells With $25 Million Of Federal Funding
The Department of the Interior announced that Texas has been awarded an initial grant of $25 million from the infrastructure investment and jobs to begin work to plug, cap and reclaim orphaned oil and gas wells across the state.
The state of Texas has indicated that it will utilize this funding to plug 800 documented wells, which were selected based on their higher risk as indicated by greater depth and hydrogen sulfide emissions.
Funds will be used to acquire equipment and vehicles, and hire personnel, including four administrative positions and 20 inspectors to witness contracted well plugging.
Additionally, Texas plans to use this funding to develop a methodology to measure and track methane and other gases.
Source: worldoil.com
Nigeria: Shell, Exxon, Others To Withdraw Billion-Dollar Nigerian Lawsuits
Shell Plc, ExxonMobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Equinor ASA plan to withdraw multibillion-dollar lawsuits against Nigeria’s state energy company after finalizing new terms for deepwater oil production in Africa’s largest crude oil producing nation.
In letters to two New York federal judges on Aug. 22, the oil majors said they had agreed to settle with the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. and will terminate ongoing litigation once the new arrangements take effect.
The move came 10 days after the firms renewed leases with the Nigerian government and production-sharing contracts with the NNPC for the permits at the heart of long-running disputes over the allocation of crude.
Equinor and Chevron filed a suit in the US four years ago asking a court to enforce a $1.1 billion award issued by an arbitration tribunal against the NNPC in 2015. Shell and Exxon initiated similar proceedings in New York in 2014 over a $1.8 billion arbitration award. Both penalties followed allegations by the majors that the NNPC took crude beyond its entitlement under contracts signed in 1993 that were designed to incentivize the companies to develop deep offshore blocks.
Lawyers for Equinor and Chevron asked the judge to suspend the case until the end of October “to allow sufficient time for the conditions to be satisfied and for the settlement agreement to become effective.” Once that happens, the companies “expect to withdraw this action,” the letter said. Exxon and Shell anticipate being able to do the same after 60 days, they said in a separate letter.
The extension of Equinor’s license on Aug. 12 “was an important milestone” that “secures continued production and cash flow,” a spokesman said by email. “All outstanding disputes in Nigeria have also been resolved” as part of the renewal agreement, he said. Shell and Chevron declined to comment while Exxon and the NNPC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Source:Worldoil.com
Ghana: I Never Discussed BOST Issues With President Akufo-Addo—Former Energy Ministry Chief Director Replies Kevin Taylor
A former Chief Director of the Ministry of Energy in the Republic of Ghana, Lawrence Apaalse, has denied discussing issues related to Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company Limited with President Nana Akufo-Addo when he met the latter about three months ago.
According to Mr. Apaalse, his visit to the Jubilee House, the seat of Government, was in June to thank President Nana Akufo-Addo on his nomination as Ghana’s candidate for election to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS).
He explained that “the discussions, on that day, centred on logistics and general government support to ensure a smooth election as one of five Africa’s representatives to the CLCS.”
Mr Apaalse’s reaction followed claims by Kevin Ekow Taylor, a US-based Ghanaian social media commentator, that during his (Apaalse’s) meeting with President Nana Akufo-Addo, he raised concerns about purported corruption at BOST and requested President’s intervention.
Kevin Taylor further alleged that Mr. Apaalse’s contract was not renewed because of the issues he had raised about BOST and sought the President’s intervention.
However, in his response, Mr. Lawrence Apaalse explained: “My post-retirement contract with the Ministry ended on 5th April 2022, and I left the Ministry the same day. So I could not have been moved out of the Ministry in April as a result of a report made in June of the same year to the President.”
“I also express shock as to how such an official visit could be turned into such public falsehood AND call for a retraction of the story,” he concluded.
Energynewsaafrica.com can also confirm that Mr. Lawrence Apaalse indeed left the Ministry in April.
During a Staff Durbar held in his honour on 5th, the country’s Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh announced that Mr Apaalse was leaving the Ministry to pursue an international carrier in the global maritime space.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Germany Approves Energy-Saving Measures For Winter
The German government has approved a set of energy-saving measures for the winter which will limit the use of lighting and heating in public buildings.
The government aims to reduce gas usage by 2% through the new rules.
Germany’s economy minister said the rules could save private households, companies and the public sector around €10.8bn (£9.1bn) over two years.
It is part of efforts to reduce the country’s dependency on Russian gas.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany got 55% of its gas from Russia but it has reduced this to 35% and vowed to end imports completely.
However, it remains a huge market for Moscow and paid almost €9bn (£7.7bn; $9.6bn) for Russian oil and gas in the first two months of the war.
Russia has also cut flows of gas through the key Nordstream 1 pipeline to Germany to 20% of capacity, raising fears it may turn off the taps this winter.
Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck told reporters that his country wanted to free itself “as quickly as possible from the grip of Russian energy imports”.
But he added: “Overall the [new] measures save energy. However, not to the extent that we can sit back and say, ‘That’ll do now.'”
Starting from September, public buildings apart from institutions like hospitals are to be heated to a maximum of 19C and the heating may be turned off completely in entrances, corridors and foyers.
Public monuments and buildings will also not be lit up for aesthetic reasons and businesses could be banned from keeping their shops illuminated at night.
Private swimming pool heating could also be banned. And the country will give coal and oil cargo priority over passenger travel on railways meaning passengers will have to wait.
“We have a shortage situation on the rails right now,” Transport Minister Volker Wissing said. “That means that if additional fuel transports are temporarily necessary we would have to prioritise them.”
Germany also plans to run publicity campaigns to tell locals how they can cut down on their own consumption.
And amid concerns about winter shortages, the country is setting up two liquefied natural gas terminals on the North Sea coast to improve storage.
Most European Union member states have committed to voluntarily reduce gas use by 15% this winter – although this will become mandatory if there are serious shortages.
Meanwhile, Spain has already brought in rules limiting use of air conditioning and heating temperatures in public and large commercial buildings, as it seeks to save energy.
On Wednesday, Switzerland’s energy minister said it would “certainly make sense” for the country to align with the EU’s plan in order to prevent an energy crisis.
Switzerland’s electricity commission has also recommended that households stock up on candles in case of blackouts caused by changes in Russian supplies.
Earlier this month Swiss energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said she would try to enact a plan to have the heating turned down in public buildings.
Source:BBC