Ghana’s seat of government, the Jubilee House, is boiling over seeming pressure by Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to President Nana Akufo-Addo, and Board Chair of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie Blay, on President Nana Akufo-Addo to appoint Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah as the next CEO of GNPC when the current CEO, Dr K.K. Sarpong’s contract ends on 22 April 2022.
Mr Opoku Danquah, who is a Deputy CEO of GNPC in charge of Technical, is a direct cousin of Nana Asante Bediatuo, Secretary to the President.
He joined GNPC in 2020.
Sources within the presidency and GNPC told energynewsafrica.com that the Board of GNPC met last Monday, April 18, 2022, and took Opoku Danquah through the handing over processes, a move many in the government have described as a deliberate attempt to sway the judgment of the President in choosing Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah as the most competent among the three deputy CEOs of GNPC.
Many at the seat of government are worried over the deliberate move by the duo because of claims by critics of President Nana Akufo-Addo that he is running a family and friends government.
According to energynewsafrica.com’s source, the attempt by the GNPC Board Chair and the President’s Secretary to get Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah appointed is purely based on their intention to remote control him to get what they want.
Sources within the government said Mr Freddie Blay has had a tough time with Dr K.K Sarpong, who appears to be ‘stubborn’ when it comes to making certain demands and, therefore, wants someone he can easily control.
Although Opoku Danquah has worked with some foreign-based entities, his experience and knowledge cannot be compared to that of Benjamin Kweku Acolatse and Joseph Dadzie, who have been in management positions between 26 and 30 years in both private and public sector institutions.
For instance, Benjamin Kweku Acolatse, who is the Deputy CEO in charge of Finance and Administration and a graduate of the University of London, Ghana School of Law and Kwame University of Science and Technology, is a lawyer, Chartered Accountant & Computer & System Analyst.
He is currently pursuing PhD in Business Administration at the Noble International Business School.
He has over 26 years of executive management experience in both private and public sector institutions including oil and gas, automobile, railway infrastructure and regulations.
Before joining the GNPC in 2020, Mr Benjamin Kweku Acolatse was a Deputy CEO at the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).
Mr Joseph Dadzie, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer with responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Gas Business, New Business & Investments, holds an MSc. Degree in General Management, an MBA in Finance and a BSc. (Hons) Degree in Chemical Engineering.
Before his current role, he was the General Manager for GNPC’s Commercial Division.
Mr Dadzie has about 30 years of wide and varied industry experience in Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Finance and Banking.
Although Mr Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah Jnr, the Deputy CEO of GNPC responsible for Technical Operations, is a product of The Fletcher University (Turfs University), Middle College and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School has worked with General Electric (GE), Houston, Texas as Director of Research, and Wood Mackenzie, as Energy & Industry Senior Analyst Houston, Texas, his expertise, according to our sources in the industry, is not up to the scratch.
President Akufo-Addo is said to be unhappy about the move by his relative.
Sources within government and GNPC indicates that the Board Chairman Mr Freddie Blay has written a Memo to management and staff of GNPC to inform them that Mr. Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah has been appointed as acting CEO of GNPC.
According to energynewsafrica.com sources, Mr Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah has planned to meet Management and staff of the Corporation next week.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Tanzanian government has reiterated its commitment to implement plan of generating 200MW from the geothermal by 2025.
The East African nation is in dire need to diversify its electricity mix similar to other countries in East Africa.
Energy Permanent Secretary Engr. Felchesmi Mramba said Tanzania has identified 52 areas that could produce geothermal power.
These sites are spread across the regions of Mbeya, Arusha, Dodoma, Iringa, Coast, Kilimanjaro, Kagera, Katavi, Shinyanga, Morogoro, Mwara, Manyara, Rukwa, Singida, Songwe and Tanga.
He made statement during his tour to inspect sources of geothermal energy at Kiejo-Mbaka and Ngozi in Mbeya region.
“Generally, the government intends to inject into the national grid a total of 1100MW produced from the renewable energy such as geothermal, solar and wind, before 2025,” Engr. Mramba stated.
He added that the ministry makes huge efforts in developing sources of geothermal energy because such sources of energy are sustainable.
“The inspection we have done would help the government to take proper steps in developing such sources of power,” he stated.
He said during drought water level in dams would go down, thus affecting hydropower production, but the geothermal can sustain during droughts or rains,” he argued.
TGDC is covering several geothermal sites for potential development in Tanzania, including Ngozi in Mbeya and Songwe regions, Kiejo-Mbaka in Mbeya region, Natron in Arusha region and Luhoi in the coastal region.
On his part, Acting General Manager of the Tanzania Geothermal Development Company (TGDC), a subsidiary of state-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco), Engr. Mathew Mwangomba, said the Kiejo-Mbaka site can produce 60MW of power from the geothermal.
He explained that the government had disbursed about 20bn/- for development of the Kiejo-Mbaka site, and the company has already purchased drilling machine for that purpose.
Experts from the TGDC in collaboration with development partners have done all required researches.
He added that the Ngozi site is expected to produce 70 MW from the geothermal and that the TGDC is well organized to ensure that Tanzania benefit from power generated from geothermal.
Tanzania is endowed with a huge geothermal potential which has not yet been used, and has only been explored to a limited extend.
Geothermal power is a reliable, low-cost, environmental friendly, alternative energy supply and an indigenous, renewable energy source, suitable for electricity generation.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
By: Paul Sinclair
As Europe seeks new sources of gas to ensure its energy security, can African markets fill in the Russian gap? While some countries are well poised to benefit from the potential economic windfall, others are lagging in terms of investment and infrastructure, writes Paul Sinclair, Vice President responsible for Energy at Africa Oil Week.
The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s 10-point plan to reduce the European Union’s reliance on Russian natural gas makes no mention of Africa. Within the region, it sees increased production from Azerbaijan and Norway as likely to provide some additional gas in the short-term.
However, African leaders are already moving to address European and global needs. They’ll be gathering in Cape Town from October 3rd to 7th for Africa Oil Week, the leading energy conference on the continent.
Africa is the new energy frontier, offering a wide mix of energy solutions which could provide long term relief. This reality is likely to spark increased investment and exploration in coming years.
North vs. Sub-Saharan Africa
In this changing global energy landscape, North Africa is much better positioned to increase gas supplies to Europe. Major markets such as Algeria and Egypt are already significant gas exporters to Europe and can rely both on LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) cargoes and gas pipelines to do so.
Last month Algeria announced spare capacity at the Transmed pipeline that could serve to increase supplies to Europe. However, it must choose whether it is willing to jeopardize its strong relations with Russia.
Sub-Saharan Africa is lacking the gas infrastructure required to play a major role in ramping up gas exports to Europe – at least in the short-term. The sub-continent has onshore LNG export facilities in Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and one Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) terminal in Cameroon.
Although Nigeria, Angola and Equatorial Guinea have been struggling to supply feedstock to their terminals and operate at full capacity after OPEC quotas in 2020 and years of under-investment in limited upstream gas production.
Pipelines offer an attractive solution, but not for everyone
“While pipelines across the Mediterranean have been successfully delivering gas to Europe from North Africa, it remains to be seen whether sub-Saharan African countries can replicate the same success” says Mickael Vogel, Director & Head of Research at Hawilti, the pan-African investment research firm.
“Nigeria, which holds Africa’s largest gas reserves, has long wanted to supply gas by pipelines via Morocco and Algeria. However, the time required to achieve and commission such projects, if they ever get off the ground, make them impossible contenders in the short and medium terms” he says.
LNG terminals on the rise
Increased African gas supplies to Europe are only likely to come from already-scheduled facilities and deliveries coming from projects that broke ground in recent years.
Before the end of the year, Italian company, Eni, will start production on its Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) project off the Mozambique coast. The 3.4 mtpa (million tons per annum) facility was successfully moored this month and is only Africa’s second FLNG unit after Cameroon.
TotalEnergies is hopeful to resume construction this year at the Mozambique LNG terminal, whose commissioning is not expected before 2026. However, most supply contracts secured from the terminal are with Asian traders and off-takers from India, Japan, China, and Indonesia. Consequently, very little capacity is expected to be reserved for the European market. This leaves the door open to other competitors, should they be able to deliver on time, which is unlikely.
One mega-project likely to benefit from the current scenario is Tanzania LNG – a multi-billion dollars venture that would monetize almost 50 trillion cubic feet of gas discovered offshore.
It is expected that Tanzania LNG could become a strong gas supplier to Europe before 2030, if construction could start by mid-2023.
Don’t Underestimate Floating LNG
The reshaping of Europe’s energy security leaves a lot of unanswered questions, chief amongst them is the long-term demand for gas in Europe in the first place. In this ever-changing global gas market, FLNG is the wild card – and one which sub-Saharan Africa would do well to put on the table.
By next year, the continent will have three floating LNG vessels in operations in Cameroon, Mozambique, and Senegal/Mauritania. If all goes well, a fourth one could even start operating in 2023 offshore the Republic of Congo – where Eni is now fast-tracking the development of a modular and flexible liquefaction project with technology from New Fortress Energy.
“Because floating LNG allows to develop smaller, or even stranded, gas reserves, it can be implemented across a wide range of assets with a shorter time-to-market. This makes it attractive in an environment where gas supplies need to be secured in record time,” says Mickael Vogel.
“FLNG projects are indeed a lot more flexible in how and where they deliver their cargoes. A major reason is that they can rely on shorter supply-contracts of less than 10 years, as opposed to bigger terminals who typically rely on long-term contracts of 13 to 20 years” he says.
As the current demand for “quick” gas supplies to Europe picks up, several likely African FLNG candidates could gain traction. However, for many countries the opportunity has been lost, at least for now.
Whether Africa has the potential to become a preferred gas supplier to Europe is not the only question. As I pointed out in a recent article, Africa needs to lift nearly half-a-billion (https://bit.ly/3DRyEVh) people out of poverty. In addition, nearly half of all African states have not experienced real economic growth in two decades.
This means Africa has little choice but to utilize both hydrocarbons and green energy to power its economies and drive social upliftment.
What will determine its ability to bring such reserves to market will now rely on increased stakeholders’ engagement and the development of meaningful, flexible, and rapid solutions.
Cape Town 2022 (https://bit.ly/3DNpEk0) will be a watershed moment as the economic realities of a new world order take hold.
About the Author:
Paul Sinclair is VP of Energy for Africa Oil Week. He has over 12 years’ experience in large scale energy and investment conferences. He is the former Commercial Director for Invest Africa Ltd and Global Africa Investment Summit which attracted over GBP 400 billion in managed funds from a selection of institutional investors, Family Offices, UHNWIs and traditional investors.
Ghana is currently reviewing proposals from strategic partners for its ailing premier Tema Oil Refinery, which energynewsafrica.com can confirm.
A committee made of officials of the Public Enterprise, State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) and Ministry of Energy vetted the proposals to select the best out of them.
The 45,000 barrels per stream refinery, established by Ghana’s first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah, is not in the position to refine crude, thereby forcing the oil-producing West African nation to rely largely on imported petroleum products.
The refinery currently rents its storage tanks to Bulk Distribution Companies for a fee.
Since 2017, the refinery has had four Managing Directors with the current being Mr Jerry Kofi Hinson who assumed the post earlier this month.
In October 2021, Ghanaians were shocked following the massive rot uncovered by a three-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) at TOR.
The IMC was constituted by the Energy Ministry after the dismissal of the Managing Director, Mr Francis Boateng, and his deputy Mr Ato Morrison.
The IMC discovered the disappearance of a BDC client’s 105,927 litres of gas oil on September 4, the disappearance of another 18 drums of electrical cables worth ¢10.4 million from the Technical Storehouse of TOR discovered in April 2021, the wrongful loading of 252,000 litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) instead of regular Kerosene into BRV trucks at the loading gantry between September 21 and 25, the disappearance of the product (LPG) belonging to a client between 2012 and 2015, as a result of which TOR was indebted to the client to the tune of $4.8 million, as confirmed by an Ernst and Young audit and loss of Naphtha to a BDC client.
In the process, fourteen top management executives were interdicted and are under investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO).
Speaking at a press briefing last week, Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh told Ghanaians that “as a country, we must collectively make every effort to put our refinery back to work.”
The Energy Minister, unhappy about the current state of the refinery which was refining crude between 2008 and 2012, added that “every effort must be made to ensure that TOR comes back to work.”
In his view, if TOR had been refining crude, the benefits to the Ghanaian economy would have been huge.
Apart from guaranteeing job security for the workers, the Minister said Ghana would have gotten residual products like kerosene, naphtha and bitumen from processing the crude.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Fuel prices are likely to remain largely unchanged or go down marginally in the second pricing window in April, the Institute for Energy Security (IES) has predicted.
“For the remainder of April 2022, with the 1.5 per cent-cedi depreciation against the dollar, 1.06 per cent fall in petrol price, 3.65 per cent fall in diesel price, and 3.72 per cent fall in the price of LPG per metric tonne, the IES projects relative stability in the price of fuel on the local market,” IES said in a statement.
However, it said, “Some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) may decide to reduce their prices marginally to increase their market share.”
Fuel prices saw marginal reduction during the first pricing window beginning April 2022, due to the government’s removal of 15 pesewas on both diesel and petrol, plus the relative stability of the Ghanaian cedi against the dollar.
Currently, petrol is sold between Gh¢9.20 and Gh¢9.50 per litre, whereas diesel is sold between Gh¢10.20 and Gh10.60 per litre at most Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).
Prices of finished products monitored on Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Platts platform saw a reduction in the just ended window. Petrol price fell marginally by 1.06 per cent from its initial price of $1,060.23 per metric tonne to the end date price of $1,049.02 per metric tonne.
Additionally, the price of diesel fell by 3.65 per cent, reaching $1,092.55 per metric tonne from a prior price of $1133.95 per metric tonne.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG’s) price closed the window at $872.48 per metric tonne from an earlier price of $906.18 per metric tonne on the international fuel market, falling by 3.72 per cent.
Also, data analyzed by the IES Economic Desk within the window reveals that the cedi further depreciated against the major trading currencies on the Foreign Exchange (forex) market.
The cedi depreciated further by 1.44 per cent to close at GH¢7.79 to the dollar from the earlier window’s rate of GH¢7.68 to the dollar.
As of 9am Tuesday, Brent crude was trading at $112.4 while WTI was selling at $107.3 per barrel.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation GNPC, Dr. .K.K Sarpong, will be exiting the company by Friday, April 22, 2022, energynewsafrica.com can confirm.
Dr. Sarpong’s contract expired in January this year but was renewed for him by President Akufo-Addo for three months which ends next week.
Energynewsafrica.com‘s sources within the government indicate that process has already begun to appoint one of the three deputy CEOs to replace Dr. Sarpong.
The question is who among the three deputy CEOs will the mantle fall on?
Will it be Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse, Joseph Dadzie or Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah?
Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse
Mr Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse, who is the Deputy CEO in charge of Finance and Administration, is a graduate of the University of London, Ghana School of Law and Kwame University of Science and Technology, is a lawyer, Chartered Accountant & Computer & System Analyst.
He is currently pursuing PhD in Business Administration at Noble International Business School in Accra.
He has over 26 years of executive management experience in both the private and public sector institutions across various fields; among others, oil and gas, trade and commerce, academia, and legal practice; offering invaluable knowledge and experienced leadership to increase shareholder value while enhancing the livelihoods of employees.
Before joining the GNPC in 2020, Mr Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse was a Deputy CEO at the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).
Joseph Dadzie
Mr Joseph Dadzie, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer with responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Gas Business, New Business & Investments, holds an MSc. degree in General Management, an MBA in Finance and a BSc. (Hons) Degree in Chemical Engineering
Before his current role, he was the General Manager for GNPC’s Commercial Division.
Mr Dadzie has about 30 years of wide and varied industry experience in Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Finance and Banking.
He is a Member of the Government Negotiating Team for Petroleum Agreements and represents GNPC on Joint Management and Finance Committees with operators of the various fields, among many others.
Previously, Mr Dadzie worked as the Chief Finance Officer of Woodfields Energy Resources.
He also worked with Standard Chartered Bank Ghana where he held several positions including Director of Commodity Corporates, Head of Large Local Corporates & Parastatals and Senior Manager, Financial Institutions.
He had, earlier in his career, worked with GNPC as a Market Research Analyst and Operations Officer.
Joseph Opoku Danquah
Mr Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah Jnr, the Deputy CEO of GNPC responsible for Technical Operations, is a product of The Fletcher University (Turfs University), Middle College and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
He has fifteen years experience in the energy industry.
Before joining GNPC in July 2020, Mr Opoku Danquah Jnr worked with General Electric (GE), Houston, Texas, Director of Research, Houston, Texas, Wood Mackenzie, as an Energy & Industry Senior Analyst in Houston, Texas.
Mr Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah Jnr is a product of The Fletcher University (Turfs University), Middlebury College and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
He also worked with Hart Energy Upstream/Middlestream Oil & Gas in Houston, Texas, USA, as their Director of Research.
Additionally, he worked with Schlumberger, an oil and gas services provider, as the Head of Research/Analytics and Strategy Marketing Manager.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation GNPC, Dr. .K.K Sarpong, will be exiting the company by April 22, 2022, energynewsafrica.com can confirm.
Dr. Sarpong’s contract expired in January this year but was renewed for him by President Akufo-Addo for three months which ends next week.
Energynewsafrica.com‘s sources within the government indicate that process has already begun to appoint one of the three deputy CEOs to replace Dr. Sarpong.
The question is who among the three deputy CEOs will the mantle fall on?
Will it be Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse, Joseph Dadzie or Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah?
Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse
Mr Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse, who is the Deputy CEO in charge of Finance and Administration, is a graduate of the University of London, Ghana School of Law and Kwame University of Science and Technology, is a lawyer, Chartered Accountant & Computer & System Analyst.
He is currently pursuing PhD in Business Administration at Noble International Business School in Accra.
He has over 26 years of executive management experience in both the private and public sector institutions across various fields; among others, oil and gas, trade and commerce, academia, and legal practice; offering invaluable knowledge and experienced leadership to increase shareholder value while enhancing the livelihoods of employees.
Before joining the GNPC in 2020, Mr Benjamin Kwaku Acolatse was a Deputy CEO at the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA).
Joseph Dadzie
Mr Joseph Dadzie, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer with responsibility for Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Gas Business, New Business & Investments, holds an MSc. degree in General Management, an MBA in Finance and a BSc. (Hons) Degree in Chemical Engineering
Before his current role, he was the General Manager for GNPC’s Commercial Division.
Mr Dadzie has about 30 years of wide and varied industry experience in Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, Finance and Banking.
He is a Member of the Government Negotiating Team for Petroleum Agreements and represents GNPC on Joint Management and Finance Committees with operators of the various fields, among many others.
Previously, Mr Dadzie worked as the Chief Finance Officer of Woodfields Energy Resources.
He also worked with Standard Chartered Bank Ghana where he held several positions including Director of Commodity Corporates, Head of Large Local Corporates & Parastatals and Senior Manager, Financial Institutions.
He had, earlier in his career, worked with GNPC as a Market Research Analyst and Operations Officer.
Opoku Ahweneeh-Danquah
Mr Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah Jnr, the Deputy CEO of GNPC responsible for Technical Operations, is a product of The Fletcher University (Turfs University), Middle College and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
He has fifteen years experience in the energy industry.
Before joining GNPC in July 2020, Mr Opoku Danquah Jnr worked with General Electric (GE), Houston, Texas, Director of Research, Houston, Texas, Wood Mackenzie, as an Energy & Industry Senior Analyst in Houston, Texas.
Mr Opoku Ahweneeh Danquah Jnr is a product of The Fletcher University (Turfs University), Middlebury College and Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School.
He also worked with Hart Energy Upstream/Middlestream Oil & Gas in Houston, Texas, USA, as their Director of Research.
Additionally, he worked with Schlumberger, an oil and gas services provider, as the Head of Research/Analytics and Strategy Marketing Manager.
We will update readers next weekSource: https://energynewsafrica.com
Some armed robbers, on Monday, April 11, this year, attacked the Bance Gas filling station in Koforidua in the Eastern Regional capital of Ghana and robbed it of GHc40,000 sales, according to a report by 3news.com.
The report further said that the robbers assaulted one pump attendant and the security officer on duty at the time of the robbery.
The matter had been reported to the Koforidua Regional Police Command, who have commenced investigations into the robbery.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc has assured its customers of quality delivery of service during this Easter season.
While wishing all its customers and Nigerians a safe and memorable Easter celebration, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Engr. John Ayodele, in a message, assured customers across its network of quality service delivery during the Easter break.
“We recognise the fact that the electricity demand always increases during the festive season. We have, therefore, positioned our technical crew to ensure that the allocation we get from the national grid is equitably distributed and that faults are cleared as fast as possible so our customers enjoy an energy hitch-free holiday.”
He also used the opportunity to caution and appeal against harassment of the company’s employees on duty, noting that IBEDC has provided multiple channels and customer care centres through which customers may seek redress.
He, however, advised customers to ensure that their homes and business premises are properly wired and earthed only by licensed technicians to ensure the safety of lives and property.
“It is illegal and dangerous for anyone to trade, live or work near electricity installations or even tamper with them. Motorists are also admonished to avoid drinking under the influence of alcohol and observe traffic rules to prevent collision with electric poles and other accidents,’’ he explained.
The COO encouraged customers to take advantage of IBEDC’s hassle-free channels of payment to pay bills and vend such as Quick teller, transact, Payarena, Jumia, Watu, Buypower and ATM to avoid disconnection during the holiday period.
“Our offices will also remain open during the public holidays from 9 am-3 pm. You can also call our customer care line-0700123999 or email us at [email protected], “he added.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused European countries that continue to buy Russian oil of “earning their money in other people’s blood”.
In an interview with the BBC, President Zelensky singled out Germany and Hungary, accusing them of blocking efforts to embargo energy sales, from which Russia stands to make up to £250bn ($326bn) this year.
There has been a growing frustration among Ukraine’s leadership with Berlin, which has backed some sanctions against Russia but so far resisted calls to back tougher action on oil sales.
“Some of our friends and partners understand that it is a different time now, that it is no longer an issue of business and money,” Mr Zelensky told the BBC from his situation room in Kyiv on Thursday. “That it is an issue of survival.”
The president also reiterated calls for more weapons to be supplied to Ukraine, saying they were not getting supplies fast enough to fend off Russia’s assault.
“The United States, the United Kingdom, some European countries – they are trying to help and are helping,” he said. “But still we need it sooner, sooner and faster. The key word is now.”
The Ukrainian leader (R) said his country still desperately needed weapons from the West
Russian troops have in recent weeks pulled back from around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, and other central and northern parts of the country – apparently abandoning an attempt to seize all of Ukraine by force.
But there are fears now of a bloody and protracted conflict in the east and south of the country, as Russian President Vladimir Putin refocuses his military campaign there in an effort to seize more territory.
The southern port city of Mariupol – a strategic goal for President Putin – has already been devastated by weeks of Russian artillery bombardment.
President Zelensky told the BBC he thought tens of thousands may have been killed in the city.
“We also have information that as well as those tens of thousands of dead, many have disappeared,” he said.
“We know their documents have been replaced, they were given Russian passports and taken deep into Russia – some to camps, some to other cities. No one knows what is happening to those people. No one knows how many have been killed.”
President Zelensky said 95% of buildings had been destroyed in Mariupol, one of Ukraine’s biggest cities.
Mr Zelensky said the atrocities apparently committed by Russian troops in Mariupol, and in the Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Borodyanka, had further narrowed the possibility of peace talks with the Russians.
Hundreds of dead have been found in Bucha since it was taken back by Ukrainian forces a little over a week ago, including civilians who were found shot in the head with their hands tied behind their backs, as well as widespread reports of sexual violence.
“Bucha is in the process of closing [the possibilities of peace talks],” President Zelensky said. “It’s not about me – it’s about Russia. They will not have many more chances to speak with us.”
He said he had “experienced the entire spectrum of emotions” when he visited Bucha last week, but ended the day with “nothing but hatred towards the Russian military”.
He accused President Putin and the rest of the Russian army “from top to bottom” of being “war criminals”.
Mr Zelensky defended his leadership in the run-up to the Russian invasion that began in February, when his government urged the Ukrainian people to remain calm.
He said the government had been working in the background to agree deals for weapons and supplies, as well as focusing on avoiding panic that could trigger a run on the banks and destabilise Ukraine’s economy.
“That was what Russia – and not just Russia – wanted, but we didn’t let that happen,” he said. “But we did not expect the full-scale invasion when it happened.”
Ukraine is now facing a renewed attack in the east and south as Russia attempts to carve off more territory, following its 2014 annexation of Crimea.
President Zelensky said the east now represented the “most difficult situation” for Ukraine’s armed forces, “but this is where our most powerful units are concentrated”.
“They can destroy us, but we will answer; they can kill but they will also die,” he said. “I can’t understand for what – I can’t understand why they came.”
Source:BBC
Ghana’s southern power distribution company, ECG, has recorded Gh¢ 8.99 billion ($1,186,142,507.55)cumulatively for both technical and commercial losses for a period of five years under the current administration.
Over the same period, ECG also recorded a collection losses of Gh¢4,125,100,000.
This could best be described as monies ECG collected but was unaccounted for rather than consumer thefts.
In 2017, ECG recorded system losses of 24.25 per cent of the total power distributed to consumers. This translated into Gh¢1,311,942,569.99 in monetary terms.
In 2018, it recorded 24.30 per cent system losses, which translates into Gh¢1,498,361,624.01. The trend of system losses increased from 24.30 per cent in 2018 to 24.68 per cent which translates to Gh¢1,706,179,285.33 in monetary value.
Similarly, in 2020 and 2021, ECG recorded systems losses of 26.20 per cent and 30.31 per cent. This translates to Gh¢2,041,046,339.19 and Gh¢2,438,109,470.47 respectively.
The above figures cumulatively amount to Gh¢8,995,639,288.99.
These figures were contained in a document presented by the Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, during a press briefing on Wednesday, April 13, 2021.
This trend of losses has become a source of concern to many industry players especially power generation companies.
“It has negatively affected the sector’s revenue requirement. As a result, ECG is unable to meet the agreed credit days to pay full invoices on due dates leading to debt compilation,” an industry expert told energynewsafrica.com.
Source: energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa’s power utilities company, Eskom, has begun tendering processes to lease some of its lands for the development of renewable energy projects.
In December 2021, Eskom first announced plans to lease portions of its land in Mpumalanga to independent power producers of renewable energy.
The tenders were issued last Friday, according to report filed by news24.com.
The land is close to existing power stations in Mpumalanga and, therefore, is close to transmission lines.
This means Eskom will be able to provide a connection to the grid. The lease period is expected to be a minimum of 20 years. The land remains Eskom’s property for the duration of the lease.
During a briefing on stage ‘2’ load shedding, which has returned amid breakdowns at coal-fired power stations, Chief Executive André De Ruyter said the initiative is a “trial,” and there is scope for the initiative to be expanded.
Eskom is targeting 1000 MW of power, but ultimately it could go as high as 4000MW to 5000MW of renewable energy capacity from the country’s coal belt, where coal-fired power stations will eventually be retired, explained De Ruyter.
“This initiative is intended to allow investors accelerated access to our existing grid, and to enable investment in renewable energy next to our coal-fired power stations, to demonstrate our commitment to being part of the just energy transition,” De Ruyter said.
Eskom said that the leasing of the land would assist in providing relief to the constrained electricity system by getting additional generation capacity from independent power producers online.
Potential bidders have until 29 April at 10:00 to make submissions. Bidding documents are available, for free, on Eskom’s website.
Last week, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) launched Bid Window ‘6’ of the renewable energy independent power producer programme to add 2600MW of generation capacity to the grid.
Accessing the documents requires a fee of R25 000. Bid submissions close on 11 August.
Source: energynewsafrica.com
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it has restored power supply to Abeokuta and other communities affected by Tuesday’s tower collapse.
According to Lagos Regional General Manager of TCN, Engr. Gbenga Ajiboye, power was restored to the communities at 5:20 am today, Thursday.
He said though the collapse towers still under repair, the company was able to restore power by enroute the power through another redundant line.
Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company had earlier on Wednesday announced collapsed of three towers on the Papalanto Ojere 132kv double-circuit lines.
The incident, according to a series of tweets by the electricity firm on Wednesday, adversely affected Abeokuta transmission sub-station, Ojere and new Abeokuta transmission station at Kobape.
“All 33kv feeders from these two sub-stations will be out until the towers are reconstructed. As such, the entire city of Abeokuta and environs, Ayetoro, Imeko, Owode Egba and Mowe will be experiencing power outage. Power supply will be restored to the affected communities as soon as the towers are reconstructed”, it stated.
However, General Manager, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Engr. Gbenga Ajiboye, revealed that the towers collapsed due to heavy rain of Tuesday.
Source: energynewsafrica.com
Kenyan authorities have reportedly cancelled the work permit of a French chief executive of one of the biggest oil marketers in Kenya amid a fuel shortage crisis.
The government is said to have ordered the deportation of Christian Bergeron, the chief executive of Rubis Energy Kenya – a subsidiary of France-based Rubis Group.
The energy regulator had on Tuesday accused some oil marketers of withholding the supply of fuel to the local market and prioritising exports to neighbouring countries.
The regulator said these companies would be punished by restricting the volumes of fuel they will be allowed to import for the next three months.
Kenya fuel companies sell about 65% of their imports to the local market and the rest to neighbouring landlocked Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
There has been a major shortage of the commodity in recent weeks across the country, with long queues forming in pump stations.
Kenyan authorities say there is enough stock in the storage facilities.
There is speculation that some marketers have been hoarding fuel in anticipation of a price increase on Thursday when the regulator reviews prices for the next month.
Experts say the current crisis in Kenya has been caused by a delay in disbursing fuel subsidies owed to oil marketers.
Kenya subsidises fuel prices to cushion consumers from higher fuel pump prices.
But oil marketers have been complaining of delays by government to compensate them for the government-subsidised prices they charge consumers.
The government released some of the delayed payments last week.
Source:BBC
Source: energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com