Ghana’s utilities regulator, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), has launched a state of the art Database Management System (DMS) at its head office in Accra, capital of Ghana.
The US$165,000 project was fully funded by the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Trust Fund through the African Development Bank (AfDB) and developed by local IT firm, Indisys Global Ltd.
The project provides a secure, multi-tier management system for all regulatory data with role-based access and front–end capability for processing, reporting and management of the Commission’s operations.
The DMS has about 22 features such as research assessment, projects, surveys, ratings, help desk, court cases and messages.
Speaking at a virtual launch of the Database Management System under the theme: ‘Effective Power Sector Regulation Through Improved Technology’, Executive Secretary of the PURC, Mami Dufie Ofori noted that the establishment of the DMS is in line with the overall digitisation agenda of the government and aimed at boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of doing business in Ghana for accelerated socio-economic development.
She expressed optimism that the initiative would open the Commission’s services and the utility sector to stakeholders by ensuring easy access to data.
She added that it would enable the Commission to access and disseminate the appropriate information and reports for effective decision making amongst many other outcomes.
“The DBMS, being launched today, is the latest addition to our digitisation process, which began with the installation of a state of the art electricity meter testing laboratory and computerisation of the Human Resource Management System.”
The next phase in this endeavor, Mrs Dufie said is to network the utilities’ operational system to access real-time performance data to enable the Commission take appropriate and timely regulatory decisions.
She commended the staff of PURC, the African Development Bank, as well as the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund, for their support which has brought about the realisation of the initiative.
Making a statement on behalf of AfDB, Mr Callixte Kambanda, Manager for Energy, Policy, Regulation and Statistics, commended the PURC for its digitisation drive which, he said, falls in line with the Bank’s policy.
Mr Kambanda, emphasising on the importance of the Database Management System, charged the PURC to encourage the energy sector institutions to use the platform.
The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Lim Jung-taek, the guest speaker, was hopeful that the DBMS would help strengthen energy regulation in Ghana.
On her part, Minister for Communication and Digitisation, Ursula Ekuful, in a speech read for her, noted that the world is rapidly moving towards virtual activities and engagements, stating that any country that wishes to flourish in the twenty-first century must embrace technology and digitisation in its development agenda.
“The emergence of coronavirus has more than tripled the world’s digitisation rate,’’ she said.
She noted that PURC’s Database Management System would not only provide solutions for customers and increase information sharing with stakeholders, but would also vastly improve the Commission’s internal working relationships.
The Minister commended PURC and encouraged other government agencies to use information communication technology in the same way.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Government of Ghana is in talks with Russia’s oil and gas firm, Lukoil, to replace EXXONMOBIL, after the US super major relinquished its 80 percent stake in the Deepwater Cape Three Points Oil Block offshore Ghana.
According to sources, some oil and gas firms have started knocking the doors of the government, but Lukoil is likely to be the preferred company to partner GOIL and GNPC, the country’s national oil companies.
Energynewsafrica.com has contacted Lukoil for comment but the company is yet to respond to our questions.
A source at GOIL told energynewsafrica.com that the country’s leading oil marketing company was aware that the government is in talks with Lukoil.
The source said GOIL spent close to US$3 million as far as the Deepwater Cape Three Points oil block was concerned.
EXXONMOBIL signed petroleum exploration agreement with Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) on behalf of Ghana for the development of Deepwater Cape Three Points Oil Block.
EXXONMOBIL held 80 percent stake while GNPC held 15 percent stake with GOIL holding the remaining five percent in accordance with the country’s local content policy LI2022.
The work done by the US super major included processing about 2222 square km of 3D seismic data.
According to sources close to the deal, EXXONMOBIL spent close to US$60 million.
The company, according to sources, had planned to spend US$12 billion to develop their block.
Speaking at the 52nd Annual General Meeting last week, Group CEO of GOIL, Osei Kwame Prempeh assured the company’s shareholders that the investment they made towards the Deepwater Cape Three Points oil block has not gone waste.
He said many investors have started knocking on the doors of GNPC to take-over the field.
“I believe there is no way we cannot have another investor; indeed ExxonMobil is the largest deepwater explorer and they assess their risk differently. If they assess and feel not satisfied with the risk and quantity, any middle level explorer will find it suitable, so as of now, GNPC has assured that people [investors] are knocking at their doors.
“If Exxon goes out doesn’t mean our investment is wasted but what we are hoping is that, we have already expended money on the project and if a new partner comes on board, our investment will be topped up from the five percent in Exxon. So, we believe it is not going to be difficult at all for us to get an investor very soon,” he said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Credible information available to energynewsafrica.com indicates that Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam has been made the Deputy Minister for Energy responsible for Power while Kofi Egyapa Mercer, MP for Sekondi, has been made the Deputy Minister responsible for Petroleum.
William Owuraku Aidoo, MP for South Afigya Kwabre, who was Deputy Minister responsible for Power during the first term of the Akufo-Addo-administration, has now been made Deputy Minister responsible for Finance and Infrastructure.
Dr Amin Adam has worked extensively on extractive industries and resource management as a university lecturer, advisor on resource governance and a campaigner for transparency in resource management around the globe.
He has advised governments and provided technical support to civil society and parliamentary committees on energy, mines and finance in Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, South Sudan and Kenya.
Before working at the Ministry of Energy, Amin Adam was the Founder and Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP).
He also worked as an Energy Policy Analyst at the Ministry of Energy in Ghana, Commissioner of Ghana’s Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Deputy Minister of State for the Northern Region, and Mayor of Ghana’s third city of Tamale.
He was also the Africa Coordinator of extractives industries in Ibis.
He held board positions in the Open Contracting Partnership; the Natural Resources and Community Review, the Weston Oil and Gas Fund; and Zoil Oil Waste Services, among others.
Dr Adam holds a PhD. in Petroleum Economics from CEPMLP of the University of Dundee in the UK specialising in petroleum fiscal systems, fiscal policy in resource-led economies, and resource governance.
He also holds an MPhil (Economics) and B.A. (Hons) Economics from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and is a Fellow of the Institute of Certified Economists of Ghana (ICEG).
Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer
On the other hand, Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer is a lawyer and holds Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and Bachelor of Law.
He studied at the Ghana School of Law and qualified as a lawyer in Ghana after passing his BAR examination.
Egyapa Mercer commenced his work with Messrs Acquah-Sampon and Associates, a firm of solicitors based in Accra in 2004 and joined First Atlantic Bank in Accra in 2007 as an Assistant Manager and advanced to become the head of the Legal Department.
He resigned in 2013 to set up the Mercer Company, a corporate and investment law firm based in Accra.
William Owuraku Aidoo
Regarding William Owuraku Aidoo, he is an energy consultant and a farmer.
Prior to entering politics, he was the Managing Director of Kucons Company Limited, a construction company involved in the construction and rehabilitation of dams.
He was a Senior Superintendent at the Ghana Education Service (GES) between 1991 and 1994 and a Senior Manager at the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) from 1995 until 2012.
While working at the bank, he doubled as a lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, from 2009 to 2012. As a farmer, he won the national best farmers’ award for cashew production in Ghana in 2011.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The African Development Bank, the Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Export-Import Bank of Korea have signed an agreement, under which Korea will provide $600 million in co-financing for energy projects alongside the African Development Bank.
The Korea-Africa Energy Investment Framework (KAEIF) pact follows the signing on 28 May 2021 of a General Cooperation Agreement between the Bank and the Korean government.
The KAEIF has a particular focus on renewable energy solutions in Africa, including generation, transmission, distribution, off-grid- and mini-grid, policy & regulatory reform, energy efficiency and clean cooking projects.
“The KAEIF demonstrates the close cooperation between the African Development Bank and the Republic of Korea on the development of Africa’s energy sector. KAEIF will provide much needed additional funding, to supplement the Bank’s financing, to support accelerated energy access and the continent’s just transition to clean energy,” said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth.
The Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance stressed that “similar to how the Korean Government prioritized the Green New Deal as its latest growth engine in the post COVID-19 landscape, the Facility is expected to help African countries transition to green energy while simultaneously improving access to energy.”
KAEIF funds will also support project preparation, capacity building and knowledge-sharing activities through the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation (KOAFEC) Trust Fund. Korea joined the African Development Fund and the Bank’s Capital in 1980 and 1982, respectively.
In 2013, the Korean government set up KOAFEC as a conduit for contributions to multi-donor and special funds managed by the Bank.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in the Federal Republic of Nigeria has distanced itself from the sale and installation of defunct Unistar prepaid meters.
According to IBEDC, it has stopped the sale of Unistar prepaid meters to customers since 2014 in compliance with the directive of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The reaction of IBEDC follows reports of activities of unscrupulous agents operating within IBEDC’s franchise area selling and installing Unistar prepaid meters to unsuspecting customers.
In a statement, Management of IBEDC explained that it no longer sells Unistar prepaid meters, hence, any customer who purchased the Unistar meter after 2014 did not buy it from them neither do such customers pay for electricity they consume on those meters to IBEDC whenever they vend.
According to IBEDC, Unistar Hi-Tech Systems Limited, manufacturer’s of the meters recently issued a disclaimer that it has discontinued the production and the sale of such meters since 2014 in line with the NERC’s directive.
IBEDC explained that the Association of the Electrical Installer of Nigeria (AEIPON) which has continued to promote the sale and installation of the Unistar meter is not in anyway affiliated to them, nor does it represent the interest of the company.
IBEDC recalled that the same Association in 2017, took them to court, praying the court to compel the company to absorb the illegally sold and installed Unistar meters for some of IBEDC customers at Osun State. However, the court also held that because the meters were installed in IBEDC’s network illegally, it constitutes economic sabotage.
Despite the judgment of the Federal High Court, the Association of the Electrical Installer of Nigeria (AEIPON) in 2020, through a legal firm N.O. Folorunsho & CO wrote a letter, contesting IBEDC’s rights to disconnect illicit meters within its network and requested to install Unistar meters to customers.
“Our Legal Department in response to the letter, reinstated the court’s ruling in the case referenced above and declined the association’s request to install Unistar meters for customers within our franchise.
“This act largely is capable of misleading our esteemed customers and portraying the company as an organisation that does not have regards for the rule of law,” IBEDC noted.
Speaking about this development, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of IBEDC, Engr. John Ayodele said IBEDC, as a customer centric organisation, is committed to metering all its customers though the current National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) approved by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He appealed to customers to be more cautious and not fall into the hands of fraudsters who parade themselves as narketers, selling and installing illicit meters not recognised by the company or approved by NERC.
‘’From the 105,000 meters allocated to IBEDC under Phase zero of NMMP, we have metered over 69,000 of our customers while we continue to give free meters to customers within our network as the next phase of the program kicks off soon. Do not pay anyone for meter or installation’’ Engr. Ayodele explained.
He also advised customers or stakeholders that want meters to visit any IBEDC office closest to them or call our customer Care line 07001239999, for more information and clarification visit www.ibedc.com.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Power Minister R K Singh has said that as much as USD 70 billion (about Rs 5.2 lakh crore) has been invested in renewable energy across the country in the past seven years. This assumes significance in view of India’s ambitious target of having 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2022.
Singh was addressing at an event on ‘Accelerating Citizen Centric Energy Transition’ yesterday evening, organised by The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). It was conducted in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of India (PMI) to the United Nations and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW).
The virtual event was organised on the sidelines of the Ministerial Thematic Forums week (June 21-25) for the UN High Level Dialogue on Energy to be convened on September 20 this year.
India has been designated a Global Champion for Energy Transition, one of the five themes at the dialogue.
Singh said, “During the past seven years, over USD 70 billion investment has been made in renewable energy in India. India has a liberal foreign investment policy for renewables allowing 100 per cent FDI through the automatic route in sector.”
He added that ensuring ‘ease of doing business’ is the government’s utmost priority. “Our continuous focus is on maintaining sanctity of contracts and safeguarding investments.”
The minister also talked about the establishment of dedicated project development cells (PDC) and foreign direct investment (FDI) cells in all ministries for handholding and facilitating domestic and foreign investors.
Adequate measures and safeguards have also been undertaken to address the concerns of businesses and investors arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singh added.
He launched a booklet on ‘The India Story’, a compilation of Indian initiatives that are shaping India’s energy transition.
The minister said ‘The India Story’ booklet captures the essence of some of the flagship initiatives that have accelerated energy transition.
“These will continue to power our ambitious renewable energy programmes, with the end goal of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, while always keeping the citizen at the center of this transition,” he added.
He also launched a website (www.energytransition.in), which will act as a repository of energy transition related knowledge resources from around the world.
Singh further said a Renewable Energy Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board (REIPFB) portal has also been developed to provide a one-stop assistance and facilitation to the industry and investors for development of projects and bringing new investment to the renewable energy sector in India.
He lauded the commitment shown by the Indian industry to India’s energy transition plans.
Several members from the industry have voluntarily declared RE goals and committed to the carbon disclosure project (CDP), renewable 100 per cent and science-based targets (SBTs).
Many of them are also preparing substantive energy compacts for the September Dialogue.
By: Yusuff Wale, Managing Director, Wärtsilä Marine & Power Services Nigeria Ltd
On 28 May 2021, Nigeria’s national power generation dropped to 3,059 MW and for the subsequent seven days remained below 4,000 MW, six per cent below average production. Low pressure on the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS) left several gas turbine power plants with insufficient gas supply, leading to plant shutdowns and widespread power blackouts.
Unlike gas turbine power plants, gas engine power plants have the flexibility to function during low gas pressure events. This flexibility significantly lowers power production risk, a supreme advantage in context of gas supply disruptions and systemic power shortages.
Power cuts in Nigeria are a regular occurrence. Data from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) shows that from 2013 to 2020, the national grid system failed 84 times and partially collapsed 43 times. The World Bank data on countries with the most electricity outages in Africa showed that in 2019, Nigeria suffered outages for 191 days out of 365. The economic cost of power shortages in the country is estimated at around $28 billion annually – equivalent to two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product.
Power plants suffer from disrupted gas supply
Gas is used to fuel more than 80% of power generation capacity, in Nigeria that has the largest gas reserves in Africa. Despite major progress achieved over the past years, gas infrastructures development and maintenance remain insufficient, and this situation combined with infrastructure sabotage results in the country suffering from insufficient pipeline capacity and a lack of pipeline connections. The condition of the gas transmission and distribution system is a major constraint as domestic supply shortages and insufficient pressure severely affect the reliability of the power supply.
What does this mean in practice?
Trunk pipelines like the ELPS require sufficient volumes of natural gas to be fed into the system within a specified pressure range to ensure that gas is delivered to all consumers along the pipeline as per the contracted quality and quantity. A drop in the volumes leads to a drop in the pressure leading to disruptions between the ELPS and end consumers. In such a scenario, high pressure off-takers such as gas turbine power plants can no longer operate and drop out as consumers, thus freeing up the remaining gas volumes for low pressure off-takers such as reciprocating gas engine power plants which can continue to operate at full rated capacity.
Workable solutions adapted to fluctuating fuel supply and load
The flexible power plants, made up of multiple engine modules which can be turned-down or fired-up instantaneously, offer a large range in power supply availability. In addition to being robust and versatile to manage the current generation and transmission side disturbances, they are also the perfect ally of renewable energies since they can adjust output in response to the intermittent nature of the weather.
Engine-based technologies also provide the best response times to effectively adapt to sudden excess or shortfall in electricity production. Furthermore, their modular format means that they can be sized to meet specific requirements, for a city, for manufacturing industries, or for local micro-grids. This makes them easier and faster to install than larger gas turbine plants and facilitates expansion as energy requirements increase.
Gas turbine power plants on the other hand involve a continuous combustion process. They require a constant energy supply to generate consistent output. They are not adapted to operate on a stop-start basis, nor are they designed to cope with the intermittent nature of renewables. To maintain a balanced system, flexible forms of electricity must be available to ramp up output at the same rate that wind or solar output fluctuates. Using small, modular, combustion engines to provide load flexibility enables larger combined cycle plants to provide a stable base load taking advantage of high efficiencies when operating at full capacity and reducing overall energy costs.
Unlocking the full potential of Nigeria’s power sector
The reality today is that Nigeria’s power system faces several challenges, including blackouts, fuel shortages, financing, maintenance, demanding operating conditions and reduced cooling water availability. The size of the gap between the country’s energy needs and its current provision is daunting but not impossible to close.
As the largest economy in Africa, with huge gas reserves and high solar energy potential, Nigeria has all the natural resources necessary to meet the country’s power needs. To realise the full benefits of this potential, flexible engine technology offers a superior solution over gas turbine technology. Increasing access to electricity ranks as one of the major drivers for business growth. Improving power sector performance, particularly for manufacturing and services, will be central to unlocking Nigeria’s economic growth post COVID-19.
The Managing Director of MODEC Production Services Ghana, Theo Ahwireng, has led a delegation to visit Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
The purpose of the visit was to formally brief the Minister, who took office barely four months ago, about their role in Ghana’s petroleum upstream sector.
MODEC Production Services Ghana is a subsidiary of Japanese MODEC Inc and has been operating in Ghana since 2010.
The company provides operations and maintenance services on two Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) named after Ghana’s former presidents: FPSO Kwame Nkrumah (MV21 KNK) and FPSO John Evans Attah Mills (MV25 JEAM), both located offshore in the Western Basin of Ghana.
The Managing Director, in his remarks, noted that Modec Production Services Ghana (MPSG) has a total of 425 employees including 321 Ghanaians, with two of them serving as Assistant Operations Managers for both vessels and another four as Superintendents on both vessels.
The Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in his remarks, stated that localisation and local content are both very key to him.
He, therefore, called on MODEC to ensure that their activities are fair in order to ensure that capable Ghanaian companies are able to make it onto their vendor list.
“Local content in the oil and gas sector is very important in providing opportunities for Ghanaians and Ghanaian businesses to play significant roles in this sector, and I look forward to its realisation,” he said.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, has sworn into office 39 deputy ministers including three deputies for the West African nation’s Energy Ministry.
The three deputy Energy Ministers are Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, who also the MP for Karaga Constituency, William Owuraku Aidoo and MP for Afigya Kwabre South and Kofi Egyapa Mercer and MP for Secondi Constituency.
Dr Mohammed Amin served as Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Petroleum during the first term of President Akufo-Addo while William Owuraku Aidoo served as Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Power.
It is not clear whether the duo would be made to maintain their previous portfolios.
During the first term of the Akufo-Addo-administration, the Energy Ministry had three deputy ministerial portfolios namely Deputy Minister for Petroleum, Deputy Minister in charge of Power and Deputy Minister in charge of Finance and Infrastructure.
Addressing the deputy ministers after swearing them in, President Akufo-Addo reminded the deputy ministers of the impact of Covid-19 on global economy including Ghana and urged them to seize the opportunity offered them to work hard.
President Akufo-Addo cautioned them that he would not countenance any acts of disloyalty from them towards their Ministers.
“I will not countenance acts of disloyalty or subversion to your Minister, for I will take such act as disloyalty to me personally and to the state and to the party.
“I will want you to work with your Minister in all sincerity and transparency that is best guarantee of your individual success and our collective success,” he said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has appointed a new Minister of Energy & Mineral Development in a cabinet reshuffle.
The newly sworn-in Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa, replaces Mary Kitutu.
Kitutu was appointed Minister for Karamoja Affairs. President Museveni is six months into his new tenure as
President after winning a tightly contested election.
Before her appointment, Nankabirwa was a Chief Whip and a past Minister of Defence.
Sidronius Okasai has been appointed as Deputy Minister of State for Energy & Minerals.
Nankabirwa, a strong supporter of President Museveni and a Member of Parliament for Kiboga district, lost her seat in the last election.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, is expected to lead a delegation of government officials and business owners to this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Taxes, USA, from 16-19 August.
The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is where energy professionals around the world meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.
Since 1969, OTC’s flagship conference is held annually at NRG Park (formerly Reliant Park) in Houston.
In 2020, the global event, which usually took place in May, could not come on because of the outbreak of Covid-19 which led to the cancellation of several global events.
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who will be attending OTC for the time since assuming office in March this year, would deliver the keynote speech at the West Africa Session of the ‘Around the World’ series to promote FDI into Ghana’s petroleum sector.
He would also open the Ghana Delegation Pavilion at the conference as well as visit and engage private sector investors in Houston, the Energy and Petroleum capital of the world.
OTC 2021 Participation: Delegates Registration, Travel Arrangements, Hotel Accommodation, Ground Transportation, Electronic Brochures etc.
Please Contact:
JUBILEE TOURS
Dr. Emelia Assiakwa
Cell: 0243636770
Email: [email protected]Ghana Delegation Pavillion
Registration, Booth Purchases & Exhibition
Please Contact:
McDAN GROUP
Leonora Appiah
Cell: 024 474 8575
Email: [email protected]
Ghana’s leading indigenous oil marketing company, GOIL, has maintained the 2019 dividend it paid to its shareholders for the year 2020 despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which caused the company’s profit to dip.
The company’s profit, after tax in 2020, was GHC90.03 million, down by 14.5 per cent, compared to that of the previous year.
Consequently, earnings per share also fell by 14.5 per cent.
Despite the fall, Chairman of the Board, Mr Kwamena Bartels said the Board has decided to pay a dividend by the same amount as that of last year which was GHC0.45 per share.
Speaking at the company’s 52nd Annual General Meeting which was held virtually, Mr Kwamena Bartels said GOIL remained committed to its shareholders, hence, the decision to maintain the dividend despite the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the company’s earnings last year.
Innovation
Mr Bartels said GOIL had put in place initiatives especially in the area of technology to boost its operations.
For instance, he said the company had leveraged on technology to improve its cash collection methods through the use of cashless system by its customers to purchase items at its service stations and other outlets.
“The company leveraged information technology to get our bank accounts credited the following day after cash collections from our stations. The intervention has also helped to reduce stock-outs at the stations because our retail dealers are directly credited with the amounts collected at the stations, right on the following day,” he said.
With regard to electronic transactions, he said GOIL had integrated all its service on GHlink, a national payment platform.
“This means that any GHlink electronic card holder can use card to buy fuel at all our 400 service stations throughout the country,” he said.
GOIL, he noted had also developed a mobile phone application that would allow customers to use QR codes for payment, a move that would eventually phase out the use of cards for payment.
“Whilst reducing physical cash handling, this would further mitigate the risk of transmitting any virus during transactions,” he said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The Chief Executive Officer of Association of Ghana Industries(AGI), Seth Twum Akwaboah, is urging stakeholders in the West Africa to open their minds to discussions on nuclear power in order for the country to explore the possibility of adding nuclear power to the energy mix.
Delivering an opening speech at a stakeholders’ forum on Ghana’s nuclear efforts in Accra, capital of Ghana, he said the challenge of striking a balance between protecting key energy service producers like GRIDCo, VRA and ECG to survive and private operators in the business to remain competitive is crucial for the nation.
Regardless of this challenge, Mr. Akwaboah was of the view that the government has to set price for energy at a lower rate to make other stakeholders in the business competitive just like it is in other parts of Africa.
“Today, I must say that Ghana’s energy cost is one of the highest in Africa. In Ethiopia, I understand it is below five percent per kilowatt. Now, we have Continental Free Trade Agreement; all these countries are competing with Ghana,” he noted.
According to the AGI boss, a recent research indicated that Ghana’s energy cost is one of the highest on the continent.
Seth Twum Akwaboah (Right)
To change the narrative, he said stakeholders must urgently embrace the nuclear discussion and explore it in time to reduce energy cost for Ghanaians.
He further observed that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement makes it even more threatening for Ghana because with the cost of electricity doing business in Ghana becomes uncompetitive as compared to countries like Morocco, Egypt and Kenya.
He advised that the sentiments and apprehensions associated with nuclear power energy should be shelved and rather explore its potentials for competitive advantage as a country.
He opined that the so-called advanced countries have taken the lead in the use of nuclear and they export their goods to Africans to buy to make them even more comfortable.
Ghana’s quest to use nuclear technology for power generation dates back in the 1960’s when the country’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah established the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission to spearhead the nuclear agenda.
Unfortunately, the idea was stillbirth and abandoned until 2008 when a Cabinet decision to include nuclear in the country’s electricity generation mix was taken to help curb the national perennial power crisis.
The government’s bid to provide a solution to the country’s 10-year cycle of power crisis, coupled with the need for an alternative base-load plant, established a nuclear energy programme implementing and coordination body known as the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO).
In accordance with the framework advocated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Nuclear Power Infrastructure Development, GNPPO developed a three-phase roadmap for Ghana’s initiative.
The country has since 2018 established an Owner/Operator entity, the Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) for its 1st Nuclear Power Plant and has successfully completed the first Phase of the Nuclear Programme.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
A lawyer for Mr. Asante Berko, a former Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery, Ghana, has rejected media reports suggesting that his client was found guilty of paying bribe to Ghanaian officials to facilitate a contract for a Turkish energy company which wanted to build a power plant in Ghana.
According to the lawyer, the client never admitted or denied any wrong doing.
“Mr. Berko recently settled a case with the Securities & Exchange Commission of U.S without admitting or denying the allegations in the SEC’s complaint. Neither the SEC nor the court found Mr. Berko guilty,’’ a statement from Carl H. Loewenson, Jr, a Partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP in New York, USA, said.
Mr. Berko, a former executive of Goldman Sachs was charged by SEC in an April 2020 civil lawsuit with facilitating as much as $4.5 million in bribes to help a Turkish energy company win a contract to build a power plant in Ghana.
He subsequently resigned his position as Managing Director of TOR to contest the claim by SEC.
According to the lawyer, SEC, in their complaint, alleged that Mr Berko had received $2 million as compensation from a Turkish energy company “for arranging the bribery scheme.
“The SEC sought disgorgement of those allegedly “ill-gotten gains,” plus interest, plus a monetary penalty. Even before Mr. Berko responded to SEC’s complaint, SEC agreed to settle for disgorgement of $275,000 (plus interest), with no penalty.
“No one found Mr. Berko guilty. Mr. Berko settled with SEC and the SEC’s case is now closed,’’ the statement concluded.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The next phase in this endeavor, Mrs Dufie said is to network the utilities’ operational system to access real-time performance data to enable the Commission take appropriate and timely regulatory decisions.
She commended the staff of PURC, the African Development Bank, as well as the Korea-Africa Economic Cooperation Trust Fund, for their support which has brought about the realisation of the initiative.
Making a statement on behalf of AfDB, Mr Callixte Kambanda, Manager for Energy, Policy, Regulation and Statistics, commended the PURC for its digitisation drive which, he said, falls in line with the Bank’s policy.
Mr Kambanda, emphasising on the importance of the Database Management System, charged the PURC to encourage the energy sector institutions to use the platform.
The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Lim Jung-taek, the guest speaker, was hopeful that the DBMS would help strengthen energy regulation in Ghana.
On her part, Minister for Communication and Digitisation, Ursula Ekuful, in a speech read for her, noted that the world is rapidly moving towards virtual activities and engagements, stating that any country that wishes to flourish in the twenty-first century must embrace technology and digitisation in its development agenda.
“The emergence of coronavirus has more than tripled the world’s digitisation rate,’’ she said.
She noted that PURC’s Database Management System would not only provide solutions for customers and increase information sharing with stakeholders, but would also vastly improve the Commission’s internal working relationships.
The Minister commended PURC and encouraged other government agencies to use information communication technology in the same way.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Addressing the deputy ministers after swearing them in, President Akufo-Addo reminded the deputy ministers of the impact of Covid-19 on global economy including Ghana and urged them to seize the opportunity offered them to work hard.
President Akufo-Addo cautioned them that he would not countenance any acts of disloyalty from them towards their Ministers.
“I will not countenance acts of disloyalty or subversion to your Minister, for I will take such act as disloyalty to me personally and to the state and to the party.
“I will want you to work with your Minister in all sincerity and transparency that is best guarantee of your individual success and our collective success,” he said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Unfortunately, the idea was stillbirth and abandoned until 2008 when a Cabinet decision to include nuclear in the country’s electricity generation mix was taken to help curb the national perennial power crisis.
The government’s bid to provide a solution to the country’s 10-year cycle of power crisis, coupled with the need for an alternative base-load plant, established a nuclear energy programme implementing and coordination body known as the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO).
In accordance with the framework advocated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for Nuclear Power Infrastructure Development, GNPPO developed a three-phase roadmap for Ghana’s initiative.
The country has since 2018 established an Owner/Operator entity, the Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) for its 1st Nuclear Power Plant and has successfully completed the first Phase of the Nuclear Programme.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
