ZEN Petroleum, a wholly owned Ghanaian petroleum downstream company has donated relief items to victims of the explosion which occurred at Appiatse, near Bogoso in the Western Region.
The gesture is part of the company’s disaster relief efforts to those who were badly affected by the incident.
The items donated comprised of 60 bags of rice, 15 cartons of 1L cooking oil, 10 boxes of canned sardines, 10 boxes of tomato paste, 17 boxes of toiletries, 84 packs of toilet paper rolls, 31 boxes of detergents, bathing and washing soaps, as well as medical supplies valued at GH¢50,000.
Speaking to the media, ZEN Operations Manager, Stanley Tweneboah said, “ZEN expresses its sympathies for the horrific losses the Appiatse community has had to endure.”
He added that, “We urge organisations to increase staff safety and education on accident mitigation to prevent incidents like this in the future.”
ZEN expressed its commitment to continually maintain the highest health and safety standards across all operations, as well as strict compliance to its key strategies emanating from Hazard Identification and Mitigation Processes, as well as Emergency Response and Recovery Processes to cover every single task performed.
ZEN’s support of the victims at Appiatse forms part of its ZEN to Community (Z2C) programs, which have included the donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction of a public library for the Perseus Mining resettlement village in Ayanfuri, as well as an ongoing partnership with educational charity Lead For Ghana, focused on the education development in communities across Ghana, amongst others.
In an article I wrote on June 17, 2020, following an increment in the BOST Margin, I urged Ghanaians, especially those who were not in favour of the increment, to rather demand that the Management of BOST put the monies they would generate from the increment to good use.
I iterated that Ghanaians would want to see the management utilizing the BOST Margin judiciously. I further stated that Ghanaians would want to see the dysfunctional pipelines repaired for the restoration of fuel transportation through pipelines and not Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs), and the rehabilitation of the BOST storage tanks that had been down for several years. These, notwithstanding, I pushed for an end to BOST being used as a cash cow to finance political party activities during elections but instead make BOST a dividend-paying entity.
It was my view that should management work hard to meet these suggestions and requests, it was going to make Ghanaians have confidence in the management and would not be too worried if there is a proposal to increase BOST Margin in the future.
For those who may not be familiar with the petroleum downstream industry and for that matter BOST Margin, permit me to explain what BOST Margin is all about.
BOST Margins is one of the components of petroleum price build-up. BOST Margin was introduced in 2011 as a form of a levy for BOST to use to cover the maintenance and expansion of pipeline infrastructure for the transportation of petroleum products to its depots. The BOST Margin was pegged at Ghc0.3 pesewas in 2011 but remained unchanged until 2020 when it was adjusted upward to Ghc 0.6 pesewas per litre on fuel.
Having explained what BOST Margin is all about, what we should ask ourselves is whether the BOST Margin has been utilized efficiently and judiciously two years after the increment was effected.
I was privileged to be among a few selected journalists who were invited by the management of BOST as part of the end of year stakeholder engagement with the media to present their performance for the year and what they intend to do in 2022 and beyond.
I must say it was refreshing to see the kind of work the management has used the funds from the BOST Margin for, for the past two years.
There were about 19 key projects that BOST Margin was being used to execute. Among the projects include Accra Plain Depot Rehabilitation works, Accra Plains Administration project, Repair of B2P3 pipeline, TAPP Refurbishment, TAPP Surveillance system, Bolgatanga Bulk Road Vehicle Park, Kumasi Depot Rehabilitation Works, Repair of 12 out of 16 Tanks at APD, Kumasi, Buipe and Bolgatanga, Remedial works on twin 18″, Repair of marine assets (barges and tugboats), Construction of BRV parking lot at APD, Tema –Kumasi petroleum pipeline-FEED, LPG FEED, supply & installation of mass flow meters, pumps & loading arms and Maintenance of offloading platform at Kumasi depot. The company budgeted GHc 260.42M and has so far expended Ghs111.53M.
These projects are verifiable for all those who want to do so. I recall that sometime in 2021, the management of BOST transported Civil Society Groups (CSOs) working in the energy sector and some journalists to visit their depots to witness the projects they were executing with funds accrued from the BOST Margin.
The CSOs testified to the transformation that was taking place at the BOST depots and praised the Managing Director and his team for working hard to get most of the company’s assets which were decaying back to life.
It is instructive to note that a few years ago, BOST was always in the news for very bad reasons. Interestingly, the narrative has changed and the once debt-ridden state enterprise is en route to being turned into a profit-making entity within two years and five months since Edwin Nii Obodai Provencal was appointed.
I recall when Mr Provencal, who was then a Technical Advisor to John-Peter Amewu, former Minister for Energy, was appointed for his position, two people at the Ministry of Energy and a Ghanaian in the USA who had met him four months before his appointment expressed doubt that he would succeed at BOST. I had no idea why they were casting doubt about Mr Provencal’s ability. Whatever might be their reasons, Mr Provencal has proved them wrong.
For him to have succeeded at BOST means he has been diligent, tactical, disciplined and strategic.
One has to be disciplined, diligent and follow the godly counsel to succeed at BOST. BOST, as we all know, is a strategic stock-keeping company, therefore, its efficiency would guarantee fuel security for all Ghanaians, therefore, we must be happy and commend the current leadership for utilizing the BOST Margin efficiently and cleaning the greater part of the mess created in the past.
The writer is the editor of energynewsafrica.com. He is an award-winning journalist, strategic communicator and a researcher
Ghana’s southern electricity distribution company, ECG, says it will cost them GH¢1 million to be able to fully restore power supply to the Appiatse township, following the explosion that destroyed all their electrical installations.
Appiatse became the topic for discussion in the Ghanaian and some International media last Thursday after mining explosives which were being transported to a mining site exploded on the way when a motorcycle allegedly hit the vehicle transporting the explosives.
The explosion resulted in the death of 13 people with over 50 people being injured while electrical installations were destroyed.
Speaking to journalists after visiting the area, the Managing Director of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr Kwame Agyeman-Budu said: “We are here this morning to solidarize with the community with our support, and we have promised them that as soon as everything is settled, we will connect them back with electricity. We are supposed to continue our work but due to security reasons, NADMO and the security have asked us to stop to ensure that everything is completely safe here. When that is done, we will work 24/7 to ensure a stable power supply.”
Touching on the steps the company took when they heard about the explosion, he said: “When we heard of the incident, we quickly mobilized people to ensure that safety prevails. This they did by isolating the network to make sure that the place is safe. After that, we reconnected those places which were affected such as Asankragwa, Enchi and Akropong to make sure they have light. With a team from the region, we were able to restore power within 48 hours.”
Mr Agyeman-Budu noted that besides the transformer that was destroyed, other ECG properties including the low and high voltage poles, conductors among others were affected but said they are currently concerned about the safety of the people.
He announced that ECG would be contributing GH¢100,000 to the community to support those displaced and who have sustained injuries.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, has described the Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemical Plant projects in the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a ‘game-changing initiative’ that will spur Africa’s development and deepen regional integration.
Dr. Adesina said this last Saturday, January 22, 2022, after touring the US$19.5 billion Nigerian Greenfield crude oil refinery and petrochemical production plant owned by Dangote Industries Limited.
In 2014, the African Development Bank’s board approved a US$300 million loan to Dangote Industries Limited to support the construction and operation of the Greenfield crude oil refinery and the Greenfield fertilizer manufacturing plant. The two facilities are expected to create 38,000 jobs during construction.
“The Dangote Group is an Africa growth accelerator…I am completely blown away by the magnitude of what I see here. This is a world-class industrial complex that will make Nigeria and Africa proud. We at the African Development Bank are proud of this project. Every African country needs to have an Aliko Dangote to help the continent industrialize.
“Dangote’s success demonstrates that governments should prioritize industrialization. We must continue to support the private sector, considering the value they bring,” Dr Adesina indicated.
Dr. Adesina said the African private sector was crucial to the execution of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He pledged that the bank would continue to work with the Dangote Group to do more for Africa.
He said the bank’s industrialization strategy included identifying and backing ‘African regional champions’ like the Dangote Group.
He added that the African Bank was willing to assist the Dangote Group in such areas as agriculture–including rice and dairy products–as well as cement expansion into other countries.
It is estimated that by 2023, Nigeria would import zero petroleum oil products–down from approximately US$50 billion current oil product imports per year.
On his part, Aliko Dangote, Group President and Chief Executive, said the refinery is the world’s largest single-train petroleum refinery with a capacity to process 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day.
“We appreciate the support of the Nigerian government, our lenders and development finance institutions like the African Development Bank, without whom we would not have come this far. We have enjoyed a good working relationship with the bank and this visit further encourages us,” Dangote said.
Dr Adesina and Dangote discussed the potential of collaboration between AfDB and Dangote Industries Limited to expand the business to other African countries.
The successful completion of the refinery project is expected to have a significant impact on Nigeria’s foreign exchange through import substitution and substantial savings in earnings.
The refinery is expected to be commissioned by the end of the year.
Accompanying Dr Adesina on the visit were African Development Bank’s Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization, Solomon Adegbie-Quaynor the Bank’s Director-General for its Nigeria country office, Lamin Barrow, and the Special Adviser to the President on industrialization, Professor Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka.
Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola (link is external) also attended the meeting.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
President Nicolás Maduro of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela paid glowing tribute to OPEC Secretary General, H.E Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, for a very successful two-term tenure which comes to an end in August 2022.
The President was addressing the nation’s Parliament during the State of the Nation address in Caracas on Wednesday, 19 January 2022.
The President made reference to the outstanding achievements of Secretary General, H.E Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, during the two most eventful terms at OPEC and wished him every success in his future endeavors.
The President also congratulated the incoming Secretary General from the State of Kuwait, Mr Haitham Al-Ghais, and wished him a successful tenure.
President Nicolás Maduro stated, “Bolivarian peace diplomacy has achieved a splendid year for the OPEC and OPEC + countries. We have come out to defend the oil market, the stability of the world economy and the need for a fair price for world oil.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Former Deputy Minister for Power under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration has recounted how his mobile phone was seized by the Akufo-Addo administration and sent to the United Kingdom for a third party analysis when the current administration began investigations into the procurement of African and Middle East Resources International Group (AMERI) Power Plant.
According to John Abdullai Jinapor, upon assumption of office of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), his personality and that of his other colleagues came under attack in connection with the AMERI power deal.
In his view, the NPP believed there was some kind of irregularities in the power deal and so decided to investigate and possibly renegotiate it.
In doing so, Hon Jinapor narrated that in the early morning of 28 Jul 2017, before he left home for Parliamentary duties, three gun-wielding police personnel with AK47s, under the ‘instruction from above’ phrase, met him at his gate and requested to search his house and retrieve documents in connection with the AMERI deal.
“Whilst the leader of the team was calm and sober, the other two were very harsh and abrasive. Their message was straight: ‘You are under investigation,'” he narrated.
In the presence of his wife and children, the police personnel, he said, however, failed to produce a court order when he, Mr Jinapor, requested one.
“They only replied that they were carrying out a directive from above.”
The former minister said upon the advice of his wife, he obliged and after a thorough search of his house, the police requested his phones, laptop and other documents they thought could help in their investigations.
After the infamous raid, Mr Jinapor said he was instructed to report to the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) the next morning, which he did but had to wait for several hours before his statement was taken.
The Yapei-Kusawgu Member of Parliament disclosed that days or a week after his electronic gadgets had been confiscated for forensic analysis, the police called and requested the password to his iPhone.
He initially requested to come to the police CID to unlock it with his fingerprint but only to be told that the phones had been sent to the United Kingdom for a third party analysis adding, “Without hesitation and believing in our collective innocence, I provided the password to my phone.”
According to him, he and his colleagues, whose homes were also searched, were vilified and branded as criminals and had to inform the police anytime he travelled outside the country.
He said a committee was subsequently set up under the then Minister for Energy, Boakye Agyarko, to investigate the transaction and renegotiate the deal but could not find anything wrong with it after numerous travels to Dubai to probe the deal.
He further stated that the outcome of the so-called negotiations by the NPP government turned out to be a big scandal with bloated and padded figures which resulted in public outrage and subsequent dismissal of Mr Agyarko.
Six years after the President John Dramani Mahama administration had procured the AMERI Plant and the related events thereof, ownership of the plant has finally been transferred to the Government of Ghana as envisaged, making Ghana take full ownership of the 250-megawatts (MW) power production plant from AMERI Energy.
The 10-unit barge, with the capacity to generate 25MW each, totalling 250MW, which is a dual fuel plant and can run on both light crude and natural gas, is expected to be moved to Anwomaso in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to bolster system reliability, reduce transmission losses and improve power supply.
The Ghana National Gas Company has presented a cheque of GH¢2 million to the victims of the Appiatse explosion incident in the Republic of Ghana.
The amount is to help the victims with their needs while they recover from the explosion.
The Chief Executive Officer, Dr Benjamin K.D Asante, who presented the cheque, assured the victims that the company would provide further support if the need arises.
“This was and is a very tragic incident…so we are here basically to lend our support both emotionally and financially. Today, we are donating seed money of two million Ghana Cedis to help alleviate some of the problems that the municipality is facing. We also pledge that we will be here to support the recovery efforts in terms of medical expenses and emotional trials that have come and even also support with infrastructure.”
He added: “Today, we are here because we find ourselves as a corporate citizen on this corridor. One of our transmission lines is not too far from here. It passes through Prestea to Kumasi and so we are very much part of this community.”
Dr. Asante was accompanied by the General Manager-Human Resource, Madam Alma-Leigh Mensah, General Manager-Technical Services, Mr. Robert Asmah, Head of Government Relations, Madam Augustina Osei Asare, Head of Community Relations, Mr. Stephen Donkor and some senior staff of Ghana Gas.
Receiving the cheque, the Prestea Bogoso Municipal Chief Executive, Dr Isaac Dsmani pledged that all donations, both material and money, would be used strictly on the victims.
“We want to thank the CEO of Ghana Gas for giving us this GH¢2 million. On behalf of the chiefs and people, we are grateful.”
He revealed that “we are putting ourselves together to ensure that we open a disaster account hopefully tomorrow Monday, January 24, 2022. We are opening our MUSEC to include pastors, reverend ministers and opinion leaders within the community so that any money that comes in here, we will sit down with them and disburse it to the benefit of Appiatse.”
Dr Isaac Dsamani disclosed that arrangements are being made to relocate the victims from the St Michael’s Parish Hall– Shelter House–to a more secured and convenient location tomorrow Monday, January 24, 2022, while rebuilding efforts of the Appiatse community start.
About 13 were killed and over 50 were injured last Thursday when a vehicle carrying a mining explosive was hit by a motorcycle, sparking a fire and explosion.
The explosion led to the destruction of the entire Appiatse Township.
Over 40 top management staff of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company AEDC) have been sacked, multiple sources have confirmed.
Those sacked include General and Regional Managers.
The action follows the takeover of AEDC by an interim management put in place by United Bank for Africa (UBA) which provided finance to KANN Utility, the core investor of 60 per cent stake in AEDC in 2013, invoked its receivership clause over the incomplete settlement of the loans.
The former board and management of KANN has since been removed and a new UBA-led board and management, headed by the chairman, Victor Osadolor, and the Interim Managing Director, Bada Akinwumi, have been driving the operations of the company since then.
As of December 2021, the new helmsmen announced that the entitlements of the protesting staff had been cleared and tasked them to be more dedicated to their services.
According to unnamed sources in a report by Daily Trust, the removal of the GMs and the restriction of some other top officials of the DisCo appointed by the previous management was a move by the interim management to ensure there is sanity while working with staff they believe could be loyal to them.
“Since they came on board, they have been careful in their communication approach and they fear that the majority of the top officials of AEDC are still loyal to the ousted board and management driven by KANN Utility,” said an official.
Another official noted that the interim management was to operate until UBA had recovered its outstanding loan while helping to reposition the company.
“For now, it is not a permanent thing; once they recover their loans, they will hand over to KANN but for the meantime, some staff may suffer especially those they perceive are loyal to KANN.
“Some of the expatriates were redeployed from their respective departments to the IMD’s office and later, he asked them to work from home, which in itself, signifies that they want to keep them away from the core of daily operations.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
A fuel tanker carrying 40,000 litres of petrol was on Friday gutted by fire and exploded in Kaase , a suburb of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, destroying several make shift structures in the area.
The incident reportedly occurred when some people were engaging in fuel siphoning.
Eyewitnesses say while some individuals were using gallons to engage in the illegal act, a tricycle whose engine was running nearby, emitted sparks which caused the explosion.
Reports suggested that the affected area is a hideout for individuals engaged in illegal fuel siphoning activities.
Ashanti Regional Fire Commander, Rashid Nisawu, said the persons engaged in the siphoning of fuel failed in their attempt to douse the fire, which later spread to other parts of the area.
It took personnel of Ghana National Fire Service several minutes to bring the fire under control.
No casualty has been recorded but a number of families have been displaced.
The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has officially taken over the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
The corporation has therefore appointed Mr Kunle Ogunba San, to act as the Receiver/Manager Nominee in the receivership action.
The action follows the judgment by a Federal High Court on September 8, 2021, which granted orders in favour of AMCON as Receiver/Manager of Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing (IEDM) Limited, IBEDC’s core investor, over default in Loan Service Agreement.
The takeover was announced in a notice by Chief Operating Officer of IBEDC, Engr. John Ayodele, to staff of the firm on January 20, 2022.
Ayodele in his statement said that the Receiver/Manager was at the headquarters of IBEDC on January 20, 2022, to formally take charge of the power firm.
The statement reads, ”Further, to the judgement wherein the Federal High Court on the 8th of September 2021 granted preservative orders in favour of Asset Management Corporation AMCON, (being the Receiver/Manager of Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Limited); the court has appointed Mr Kunle Ogunba Esq.SAN to act as Receiver/ Manager Nominee in the receivership action.
”Based on the foregoing the Receiver/Manager came in today 20th January 2022 to the IBEDC Headquarters to take charge formally and subsequently met with the Management team. Therefore, I hereby wish to inform all staff that there is no cause for alarm. We are assured of job security which entails our position/ duties In the company, being entitlements to our salaries and other benefits etc.
‘’On behalf of the Management I urge us all to kindly go about the efficient discharge of our duties to ensure a speedy and mutually beneficial resolution.
‘’I wish us all the best, while I appeal that we continue to remember IBEDC In our prayers.’’
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Government of Ghana has completed the payment of the 250 Megawatts Ameri Power Plant procured from the UAE-based Africa & Middle East Resources Investment Group.
This makes the plant the bonafide property of the West African nation.
The power plant, which is on the wheel and currently in the western part of Ghana, will soon be wheeled to Anwomaso near Kumasi to stabilise the power supply in that part of the country.
The Ameri power plant was procured in 2015 by the erstwhile government when the West African nation was experiencing an erratic power supply due to a shortfall in electricity generation.
The plant cost US$510 million and it was to be managed by its owners for five years and later transferred to the Government of Ghana under the Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) agreement.
The Ameri deal was one of the numbers of power deals signed under the past administration which generated public anger with the then opposition, the New Patriotic Party, accusing the then administration of ripping the nation.
After negotiations between the government and the Ameri Group, the latter waived over US$2 million of the cost of the plant.
Officials of the country’s Ministry of Energy, led by one of its Deputy Ministers, William Owuraku, on Thursday, January 20, 2022, were in Takoradi for the official handing over of the plant.
“I am happy to announce that the government is satisfied that the rectification works recommended have effectively been carried out by Ameri and that the plant, at the end of the BOOT agreement, is fit for purpose,” William Owuraku Aidoo stated.
He said the government is committed to providing consistent power to the people of Ghana.
“President Akufo-Addo’s government remains committed to a vision of a stable, robust, affordable power supply as key to industrial growth and the exigencies of the 21st-century living standards.
“We promised to keep the lights on, and under the leadership of Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Ministry of Energy is doing exactly that despite a few challenges,” the Deputy Minister added.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Africa will, by 2030, witness an increase in the number of nuclear power plants as several countries have begun processes to join nuclear power producers in the world.
The demand for electricity across Africa is expected to grow many times by 2050.
And in a bid to meet the demand and also drive industrialisation, most countries believe nuclear power is the best option to achieve this goal.
So far, only South Africa operates nuclear power plant at Kornberg.
Last year, Egypt awarded a contract to Rosatom, a Russian nuclear power firm, to build a 4.5 Gigawatts (4500Megawatts) power plant and it is expected to begin soon.
Seven other African countries namely Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan and Kenya have advanced in processes towards establishing nuclear power plants by 2030.
An article published by energy for growth noted that seventeen other African countries have also taken steps towards becoming ready and could be potential markets by 2050.
Recently, the European Union made a proposal that recognises gas and nuclear power as green energy.
Although this proposal has divided the Union block, some industry players especially those in developing countries, have welcomed the move.
In an interview with GNA, Dr Stephen Yamoah, Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG), described the EU’s proposal as a positive development and good news for Ghana.
He said the development means more countries are realising the important role that nuclear plays as a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy source.
“Nuclear is certainly green and that is not debatable. Nuclear does not emit CO2 and it is one of the surest ways we are to decarbonise the environment.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Two staff of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) who worked at the Security Department of the refinery met their untimely death on Wednesday in a bizarre accident on the Accra-Tema motorway when they were on their way to work.
The deceased, Moses Anawe and Felix Agyekum, were said to have been working in the refinery for over twenty years.
They were said to be travelling from Accra in a saloon car to work when the accident occurred at about 5:30 am on Wednesday.
According to sources within the refinery, a Sino Tipper Truck with registration number GN-6708-21 , fully loaded with sand from Tema and heading to Accra on the section of the motorway, knocked a vehicle which overtook the truck and crossed the median of the road to crash the victim’s Opel Astra with registration number GW 5819-10 on the other side of the road, killing them.
The remains of the deceased are currently at the Tema General Hospital morgue.
The sad development has affected the morale of the security personnel at the refinery.
The driver of the truck is currently is in the grips of the Airport Police.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s National Oil Company (GNPC) has commenced a further 2D seismic data survey on the West African nation’s unexplored Voltaian Basin.
The company awarded a contract to a Joint Venture Chinese firm, BGPBAY in December last year to undertake the studies.
GNPC has already acquired several Regional 2D seismic data over the basin, processed and interpreted the data about a year ago.
However, the company wants another phase of 2D seismic to be undertaken because the first and second phases of 2D data covered a bigger area of the basin and were regional in nature.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of GNPC, Benjamin Kweku Acolatse told energynewsafrica.com that the company has identified two areas, in the north and southern areas of the basin and is planning to acquire a further 1655 line kilometers of closely spaced 2D seismic data within the two areas for the third phase of the study.
Mr Benjamin Kweku Acolatse, Deputy CEO of GNPC in -charge of Finance and Administration
He continued that “when the third phase of 2D seismic survey is completed, we will interpret the results, integrate this with the geochemistry information which would also help us identify more leads within the two areas.
He said the company would move a step further to undertake 3D seismic data acquisition after the successful completion of the ongoing studies.
He said the company is hoping that they should be able to start an onshore well drilling campaign in 2023 and drill some wells to test some prospects that would be identified in the area.
“After the 3D, we will open our doors for partnership with international oil companies which are interested in partnering with us to further explore the basin,” Mr Benjamin Acolatse stated.
According to him, GNPC is determined to push its operatorship agenda through the Voltaian Basin.
So far, several potential leads have been delineated in the Voltaian Basin and energynewsafrica.com can confirm that the Government will complete the demarcation of blocks for open competitive bidding in the not too distant future.
However, two blocks have been reserved for exploration by the government for the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation which aims to engage in exploration activities in collaboration with an established international oil firm to acquire the requisite expertise and experience to evolve into a major upstream operator itself over the coming years.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Dr Isaac Dsamani disclosed that arrangements are being made to relocate the victims from the St Michael’s Parish Hall– Shelter House–to a more secured and convenient location tomorrow Monday, January 24, 2022, while rebuilding efforts of the Appiatse community start.
About 13 were killed and over 50 were injured last Thursday when a vehicle carrying a mining explosive was hit by a motorcycle, sparking a fire and explosion.
The explosion led to the destruction of the entire Appiatse Township.
According to sources within the refinery, a Sino Tipper Truck with registration number GN-6708-21 , fully loaded with sand from Tema and heading to Accra on the section of the motorway, knocked a vehicle which overtook the truck and crossed the median of the road to crash the victim’s Opel Astra with registration number GW 5819-10 on the other side of the road, killing them.
The remains of the deceased are currently at the Tema General Hospital morgue.
The sad development has affected the morale of the security personnel at the refinery.
The driver of the truck is currently is in the grips of the Airport Police.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 
So far, several potential leads have been delineated in the Voltaian Basin and energynewsafrica.com can confirm that the Government will complete the demarcation of blocks for open competitive bidding in the not too distant future.
However, two blocks have been reserved for exploration by the government for the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation which aims to engage in exploration activities in collaboration with an established international oil firm to acquire the requisite expertise and experience to evolve into a major upstream operator itself over the coming years.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com