Ghana: PURC To Compensate Electricity Consumers After Investigating Erratic Power Supply“Government is not thinking of privatising; it is thinking of ways and means that the private capital can be brought into the transmission component without giving out the ownership of Transmission Company,” Vanguard quoted Mr Malo as saying during the press briefing. Mr. Malo explained that the bureau would concession the transmission segment, “so that we can have somebody building the high tension lines, covering areas that have not been reached or to maintain the existing ones to get maximum value, to move from the radial system we have today into a mesh. “So the idea is not to privatise but to reform and make it efficient, bringing in private sector operational modalities within the transmission company.” Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: There Is No Plan To Privatise TCN-Malo
Nigeria will not privatise the country’s transmission company, TCN, a Director at the Energy Department of Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Yunana Malo has said.
Speaking at a media briefing last Monday in Abuja, Mr Malo explained that what is rather going to happen is that the bureau would put TCN on concession in order to get maximum value.
He said the transmission was the weak link in the power reform, as the generation, which was privatised, had since attracted a lot of investments, making it more efficient.
He said the generation capacity had improved, adding that 60 percent of the distribution segment had also been partially privatised and was beginning to pick up through the reforms of the Federal Government.
“The seemingly weak link in the transmission component, it is still 100 percent owned by the FG.
“The idea is to think outside the box and bring in solutions that will make the transmission component service the value chain, and make it more efficient.
Chile Government Plans Closure Of Four Coal-Fired Power Plants
Chile’s government has announced plans to close four coal-fired power plants operated by an AES Corp unit before 2025 as the South American country seeks to accelerate decarbonization.
The world’s largest copper producer has been working on decarbonizing its energy network with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Juan Carlos Jobet, the energy minister, said since agreements signed in 2019 when Chile was the host of the COP25 United Nations climate summit, officials had sought ways to speed up the timeframe.
“At that point, the plan was for the decommissioning of eight power plants by 2025,” he said in a statement.
“As it is now, by that date we will have decomissioned 18, representing 65% of Chile’s coal-fired units.”
The latest closure announcements involve coal-fired plants in the seaside community of Puchuncavi in Chile’s central zone and 80% of coal-fired energy generation in Mejillones, a city in the North, by 2025. The previous closure target was 2040.
Ghana: Nuclear Power Plant Is Needed For Reliable Electricity-Energynewsafrica.com Managing EditorThe two places are part of heavily industrialized areas known as “sacrifice zones.” These were part of an economic development drive and have suffered environmental damage and health effects. The plants to be closed are all run by U.S.-headquartered energy giant AES ‘ local subsidiary, AES Andes. To replace coal-fired power, Chile is looking to clean technology, mainly solar and wind power, aiming for 40% of its power supplied from such sources by 2030. It is also seeking to become one of the world’s biggest producers of green hydrogen, an alternative fuel source for future use in industries including steel-making, cement, fertilisers, shipping and aviation.
Africa Cannot Depend On Solar And Wind Energy To Industrialise-Wisdom Togobo
A former Director for Renewable and Alternative Energies at Ghana’s Ministry of Energy, Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo says Africa’s industrialisation drive would only be realised if the continent’s electricity generation is anchored on hydro, nuclear, natural gas or coal power as cheap baseload.
According to him, industries need regular and reliable supply of electricity for continuous production, stressing wind and solar power plants do not provide 24 hours of electricity as compared to hydro, natural gas or nuclear power.
He suggested that what Africa can do is either use hydro or nuclear power as baseload for her electricity and introduce other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar along the way.
He said it would not be prudent to push for renewable energy sources without having any baseload.
“Industries need reliable power to be able to produce. Solar is not available for 24 hours. You get it for, at most, eight hours. Wind also fluctuates. Sometimes, the wind will blow some hours and will not blow and industries can’t survive with these intermittencies. That is why you need a bigger baseload to support this intermittencies,” he explained.
“Africa cannot industrialise on the backbone of solar and wind without any baseload,” he added.
Making a presentation on behalf of Bui Power Authority (BPA) at a stakeholders’ forum organised by Association of Ghana Industries, in collaboration with Nuclear Power Ghana recently on Ghana’s nuclear efforts, Mr. Ahiataku-Togobo, who is currently Director at the Executive office of Bui Power Authority, observed that most African countries use diesel, light crude and heavy oil as fuel for electricity generating plant with only few of them using natural gas to power their plants.
He said South Africa is the only industrialised country in sub-Saharan Africa due to the availability of cheap coal and nuclear power.
He noted that Malaysia is industrialising at a fast rate due to availability of coal and NLG power.
“Ghana is endowed with abundant natural resources including gold, bauxite, iron ore, cocoa among others that require cheap reliable power to add value,” said Mr. Togobo.
He lamented that even though Ghana currently has excess generation capacity, Valco is unable to pay for the high cost of this excess power.
Mr. Ahiataku-Togobo explained that BPA was in support of Ghana’s nuclear power agenda because the “activity is in line with the BPA’s Amendment Act 1046 to support the development of renewable and clean energy alternative including nuclear power.”
He added that nuclear power emits no carbon dioxide yet has the potential to provide reliable baseload and adequate reserve margin for supporting the uptake of more variable renewable energies such as wind and solar.
He further stated that operational cost of nuclear power is very low and, therefore, most suitable to support industrialisation and value addition as experienced by all the countries with Nuclear power plants.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Cairn Energy Secures French Court Order To Seize 20 Indian Gov’t Properties
Britain’s Cairn Energy Plc has secured a French court order to seize about 20 Indian government properties in France to recover a part of USD 1.7 billion arbitration award, sources said on Thursday.
On June 11, the French court had ordered Cairn Energy’s take-over of Indian government properties, mostly comprising flat; and the legal process got completed on last Wednesday evening.
An arbitration panel had in December ordered the Indian government to return USD 1.2 billion plus interest and penalty to Cairn Energy after reversing a retrospective tax demand.
Ghana: Petroleum Downstream Sector Needs Cleaning Up-AkwaboahWith Indian gov’t not honouring the award, Cairn Energy has moved in multiple jurisdictions overseas to recover the amount due by seizing Indian government assets.
Brazil Plans To Be 5th-Largest Crude Exporter By 2030
Brazil’s expected oil output surge this decade will make it the world’s fifth-largest crude exporter in 2030, Brazilian Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque said in an interview with The Rio Times.
“In 2030, when we reach a production of 5.3 million barrels of oil per day, Brazil will become the fifth largest exporter in the world,” Albuquerque said, adding that Brazil’s crude and liquids production is set to jump from 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) now.
Currently, Brazil is out of the top ten of the world’s largest crude oil exporters, a ranking where Saudi Arabia is firmly in the lead.
Brazil’s prolific pre-salt offshore oilfields have been ramping up production in recent years and are the main driver of rising oil production.
Moreover, Brazil is one of the countries not part of the OPEC+ alliance that are expected to continue to contribute to non-OPEC supply this year and in the coming years, according to estimates from OPEC itself.
The main drivers for 2021 supply growth are anticipated to be Canada, Brazil, China, and Norway, OPEC said in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) in June.
Brazil’s crude oil production in April 2021 rose by 128,000 bpd from March to average 2.97 million bpd. Based on preliminary production data, and fewer outages due to lower maintenance and other unplanned outages, May crude production indicates further month over month growth of more than 50,000 bpd, OPEC has estimated.
In 2020, Brazilian crude oil production rose by 5.7 percent to average 2.9 million bpd, according to data from industry regulator ANP published last month.
The pre-salt basin with 2 million bpd output led the rise in supply.
Thanks to the higher crude oil production, Brazil’s exports hit a record level of 1.4 million bpd in 2020, up by 16.9 percent year over year, ANP said.
Source: Oilprice.com
Ghana: Energy Minister Donates Chairs To Schools In South Manhyia Constituency
The Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has donated assorted chairs to basic schools and one Senior High School (SHS) in the South Manhyia constituency in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana.
The Energy Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for the area, presented 52 hexagonal tables for kindergarten (KG), 300 chairs for another kindergarten (KG), 510 mono desks for Junior Higher School (JHS), 300 dual desks for primary schools and 400 foreign desks to the Serwaa Nyarko Girls’ SHS.
In a Facebook post sighted by energynewsafrica.com, Dr. Opoku Prempeh said: “This presentation came on the back of requests from the schools through the Metro Director of Ghana Education Service(GES).”
The Minister urged the heads of the beneficiary schools to ensure proper care of the items to promote effective teaching and learning.
He also used the opportunity to encourage all the schools in his constituency not to relent on their efforts but continue to be the best in the region and strive to be the best nationwide.
The presentation was witnessed by Mr David Oppong, GES Metro Director, Mr Martin Addis Fordjour, Head of Supervision GES, Kumasi, Mr Albert Asante Twum, Mr Peter Gyemfi, Head of Supply and Logistics, Nana Yeboah Asiamah- PRO, GES, Kumasi Metro, and all the heads of basic schools in the constituency.
The Assembly Members from the six electoral areas in the South Manhyia constituency, officials from the Manhyia sub-metro, and executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party in the constituency were also present.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
He also used the opportunity to encourage all the schools in his constituency not to relent on their efforts but continue to be the best in the region and strive to be the best nationwide.
The presentation was witnessed by Mr David Oppong, GES Metro Director, Mr Martin Addis Fordjour, Head of Supervision GES, Kumasi, Mr Albert Asante Twum, Mr Peter Gyemfi, Head of Supply and Logistics, Nana Yeboah Asiamah- PRO, GES, Kumasi Metro, and all the heads of basic schools in the constituency.
The Assembly Members from the six electoral areas in the South Manhyia constituency, officials from the Manhyia sub-metro, and executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party in the constituency were also present.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Four Chinese Nationals Grabbed For Stealing Electricity Cables
Security operatives in the Republic of Ghana, on Thursday at 7.30pm, arrested four Chinese nationals for allegedly stealing quantities of electricity cables.
It is unclear which company owns the cables but media reports suggested that the cables bore the seal of the country’s Ministry of Energy.
According to a report filed by Accra-based Kasapa FM, Ghana’s national security operatives in the Eastern Region arrested the suspects after the former picked intelligence that the suspects were smuggling 30 bundles of electricity cables and some unbundle cables at CK Aluminium Company Limited at Nsawam Adoagyiri to an unknown destination.
The suspects are Liu Lianwei, 38, Su Meng, 55, Tuan Xiuwei, 41, and Zhang Chenming, 55.
The suspects are currently at the Eastern Regional Police headquarters assisting in investigations.
The Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ebenezer Tetteh was quoted as saying: “Investigation is ongoing and the media will be briefed after that.”
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Singapore: Two Oil Thieves Jailed Over Six Years
A Singaporean court has sentenced an Indian national and his Malaysian colleague to over six years’ jail term for siphoning more than 300,000 tonnes of gas oil worth, at least, 200 million Singapore dollars (USD150 million approximately) in 2017-18 at the Royal Dutch Shell’s Singapore refinery.
According to media reports, the Indian, Sadagopan Premnath, 40, was jailed for six years and eight months while his Malaysian colleague, Muhammad Ashraf Hamzah, 39, received nine and a half years’ jail term for the heist that is said to be the largest in marine gas oil at Royal Dutch Shell’s Singapore refinery.
Sadagopan had earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal breach of trust, with another five charges taken into consideration for sentencing, the report said.
He was involved in the scheme between 2017 and 2018, aiding in the misappropriation of USD36 million (about 49.1 million Singaporean dollars) worth of gas oil.
He conviction is said to have received about USD 150,000 from the criminal proceeds.
The duo had followed instructions to open and close valves so that ships could receive the stolen gas oil without being detected.
According to a Singaporean newspaper, Today, two others–a Vietnamese ship captain Doan Xuan Than and another ship officer, Dang Van Hanh were also jailed for receiving between 3.5 million Singaporean dollars and 7.7 million Singapore dollars of gas oil.
In early 2015, Shell began observing significant unidentified gas oil loss at the refinery on Pulau (island) Bukom.
A 2015 review did not turn up anything suspicious. Shell then implemented various measures to improve processes but the misappropriation continued.
In early 2017, it engaged a third-party consultant to conduct a review, but the investigation did not yield a conclusive explanation for the high losses.
It soon experienced its highest hydrocarbon loss since 2015. Shell then hired a global team of analysts, who detected the misappropriation, and a police report was made.
Shell had since taken various measures to improve its systems and processes, including developing monitoring software to detect potential thefts.
So far, Shell has incurred about six million Singapore dollars in costs to manage the consequences of the misappropriation.
For each charge of criminal breach of trust as an employee, each man could have been jailed for up to 15 years and fined.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Court Acquits And Discharges CEO Of Reroy Cables Ltd
The Chief Executive Officer of Reroy Cables Limited, Kate Quartey-Papafio, has been acquitted and discharged by the Commercial Court 7 Division of the High Court in Accra, Republic of Ghana.
The businesswoman, together with the Managing Director of the defunct Capital Bank William Ato Essien, Tettey Nertey and Fitzgerald Odonkor, was charged with conspiracy to steal, stealing and laundering of stolen money in the case involving the collapse of Capital Bank.
According to report by Citinewsroom.com, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, who presided over the case in a ruling on a submission of no case on Thursday, July 8, 2021, described the accused person’s role in the events leading up to the collapse of Capital Bank as childish rather than criminal.
The judge reportedly said as a businesswoman, she did not exercise her business acumen in relation to her dealings.
That notwithstanding, the court observed that the law only recognised a person who acts in bad faith.
Consequently, the court ruled that the Republic had not made a sufficient case to warrant it to invite the businesswoman to answer questions.
Kate Quartey-Papafio was accordingly acquitted and discharged.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Equatorial Guinea: Don’t Attend Africa Oil Week In Dubai-Obiang Lima Tells IOCs
Equatorial Guinean Minister for Mines and Hydrocarbons, H.E Gabriel M. Obiang Lima, has criticised organisers of Africa Oil Week for deciding to host the continent’s flagship oil and gas event in Dubai instead of its usual location, South Africa.
Obiang Lima, who expressed disappointment in the organisers, was quick to state that his country is not going to participate in the event.
According to him, he would send a letter to all IOCs and service companies operating in Equatorial Guinea, strongly encouraging them not to attend the Africa Oil Week in Dubai.
He urged his fellow ministers and other industry stakeholders to cancel their participation in the Dubai initiative.
Obiang Lima stated his country’s stance at a meeting in Malabo, the nation’s capital, where he said: “This is not the time to abandon Cape Town, South Africa and Africa.”
In addition to this, the Minister looked forward to seeing Gwede Mantashe, Minister for Mineral Resources in Cape Town, to further promote the African energy agenda through development and deal-making participation.
According to H.E Gabriel Obiang, Duncan Clarke’s vision and love for Africa and its oil industry should not be forgotten.
He credited Duncan Clarke for helping so many countries showcase their resources and attract investments, and urged the African Energy Chamber to continue that legacy as it is more critical now than ever.
Minister Gabriel would engage in an aggressive investment drive over the next six months and would be in Cape Town, Houston, Doha and other cities to promote investment opportunities in Equatorial Guinea.
He pledged to work with other ministers from the CEMAC region and the African Energy Chamber on finding solutions concerning the Central Bank’s (BEAC) new currency regulations.
According to him, IOCs and Independents have to be welcomed in the region and “we must create an enabling environment.”
The African Energy Chamber thanked the Minister for his strong support for South Africa and Africa.
“Many Africans got into oil and gas because of Duncan Clarke. He opened doors for so many. That legacy must be respected and preserved,” stated Leoncio Amada Nze, President of the African Energy Chamber, CEMAC Region
“When you’re dealing with an issue like this, you don’t need everyone. You just need to be effective and we thank Minister Gabriel Obiang for his effective advocacy for Africa in times of crisis,” added Mr. Amada Nze.
“Our work to support the African oil and gas sector will lead to a lot of changes on how Africa is viewed and how we respect this continent and its people. We must be patient, whatever temporary inconvenience there may be, in the long run, it will be better for everybody,” concluded Mr. Amada Nze.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Bui Power Authority Partners Energy Commission To Unearth Talents For Renewable Energy Sector
Bui Power Authority, the second largest state power generation company in the Republic of Ghana, is partnering with Energy Commission, the country’s electricity regulator, for the 2021 edition of the High School Renewable Energy Challenge competition.
The High School Renewable Energy Challenge was introduced by the Energy Commission in 2019 as a result of the global push for transition from the use of fossil based energy generation to renewable energy sources due to the impact of climate change.
The aim of the SHS Renewable Energy Challenge is to encourage young students to generate innovative ideas and turn the ideas into renewable energy prototypes.
The SHS Renewable Energy Challenge takes place in all regions of Ghana and the winning school from the regional level competes at the zonal level.
From the zonal level, the winning schools move to the grand finale which takes place at the Accra International Conference Centre.
According Myjoyonline.com, Mfantseman Girls’ School in the Central Region, on Wednesday, emerged winner for the second edition of the Senior High Schools’ Renewable Energy Challenge in the region after beating Adisadel College, St. Augustine’s College, Mankessim Secondary Technical School and Academy of Christ.
The girls reportedly presented a project on road power where speed humps could be erected on the country’s busy highways that could convert the motions or movement of the vehicles into energy to power street lights and other small power-consuming projects.
Speaking at the 2021 SHS Renewable Energy Challenge at Adisadel College in Cape Coast on Thursday, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Bui Power Authority, Dr George Tettey expressed how happy the BPA was in partnering with the Energy Commission for the 2021 SHS Renewable Energy Challenge which, in his view, would enable the students discover their hidden potentials.
“We can promise you that, this year’s challenge will be very exciting with fantastic packages for the top three winners of the competition,” he announced.
He used the occasion to inform the gathering about some of the energy projects they have executed.
He said the Authority is constructing 250MW peak solar plant, explaining that the project is being executed in phases with the first 50MW peak completed and connected to the national grid.
He added that BPA has also installed a one Megawatt floating solar on the Bui reservoir, which is the first of its kind in the West African sub-region.
Additionally, he indicated they are expanding this to a 5MW peak.
Ghana Will Achieve 10% Renewable Energy Target By 2030-President Akufo-AddoHe explained, “We also constructed the first-ever mini hydropower plant at Tsatsadu in the Volta Region, which was commissioned last year by President Akufo-Addo.” Dr Tettey went on to explain that the negative effect of greenhouse emissions is mainly due to the production of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuel (for electricity and transportation) far beyond the rate at which the green vegetation can absorb and convert to oxygen through photosynthesis. “The result is what we are experiencing today: global warming, rising sea levels, floods, change in rainfall patterns among others, which we call climate change,” he explained. According to him, the deployment of renewable energy to meet the growing energy demand of future generations was crucial and an excellent approach to help mitigate climate change. He further stressed that even though some modest efforts to deploy renewable energy technologies have been made, they (BPA) believe the bulk of the ideas to increase the share of renewable energy in the country was hidden in the students’ participation in the renewable energy contest. The Director, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change at the Energy Commission, Kofi Agyarko, on his part, said his outfit remained committed to scientific innovations through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). He said efficient energy was the key to achieving the national industrialisation drive, bridge the academia-industry gap with new crop of engineers, researchers and scientists who will usher Ghana into low carbon emissions. He said the Energy Commission was borne of the Commission’s quest to lead and drum the essence of renewable energy benefits. Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Nominations For 5th Ghana Energy Awards Opened
Energy media group, organisers of Ghana Energy Awards (GEA), has officially opened nominations for its 2021 edition of the prestigious energy event.
This year’s awards ceremony is under the theme: ‘Digitalised Energy Sector: The Key For a Resilient Economic Future’.
The 5th national Energy Awards features 19 competitive categories; Energy Personality of the Year (male and female), Chief Executive of the Year (Petroleum and Power), Energy Institution of the Year, Brand of the Year, Energy Company of the Year, Rising Star Award, Excellence in Power Generation, Emerging Energy Company of the Year, Innovation Project of the Year, Energy Reporter of the Year, Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year, Clean Energy Initiative of the Year, Off-Grid Energy Solution of the Year and Energy Consultancy Service Organisation of the Year.
The characteristic of the awards’ scheme, each year, sees the introduction of new categories that cater for the changing scenes in the industry.
This year has five new categories added, which are the Digital Impact Leadership Award, Outstanding Contribution to Digitalisation, Exceptional Digital Management Award, Digitalisation Project of the Year, and Excellence in Digital Service Delivery.
Speaking at the launching of the event, Mr Kwame Jantuah, an Energy Consultant and Chairman of the awards panel, noted that a huge fallout of the pandemic has been the global inventiveness of computerisation and digitalisation which are constantly changing how business is presently being conducted.
“Equally, this is beginning to have a huge impact on the [energy] industry worldwide in terms of its operations with new technology, and specifically we observe in the power sector new forms of generating, recording and monitoring power, a case in point being how the renewable sector is fast overtaking the conventional generation and delivery of power,” he said, adding that advanced technologies including [Electric vehicles and AI] are contributing to such monumental change.
In Ghana, the government has focused its strength on promoting digitalisation and related technologies across all industries within the economic spectrum, consequently, putting together programmes for digitalisation of the energy sector.
The need to acknowledge how the energy industry in the country is embracing these crucial changes is why the GEA is dedicating this year’s awards to recognise digitalisation efforts in the country.
The Ghana Energy Awards is an industry-accepted initiative that recognises the innovation and excellence of institutions within the energy sector and also celebrates the hard work of players who compete under various categories of the awards.
The scheme is fully endorsed by the Ministry of Energy and the World Energy Council Ghana, with firm support from industry partners; VRA, Bui Power, Ghana Gas, Energy Commission, CBOD, Petroleum Commission, AOMC, NPA, COPEC-Ghana and validating partners Mazars.
Ing. Henry Tenior, the event organiser, at the launch, said it had been an interesting journey since the first event in 2017.
“We have come this far by the grace of the Almighty God, and on the wings of a dedicated Secretariat and Awards Panel, a transparent awards process, staunch support from the Ministry and allied agencies as well as our devoted sponsors who understand our vision and purpose.”
From now toward the closing of nominations, the Awards Secretariat would pay courtesy calls on various stakeholders in the industry for briefing on their activities for the 2020-2021 review period.
The Awards Panel would also be going round to inspect projects and innovative solutions cited by the nominees at their project sites.
This activity is to acquaint the panel with the nature of these projects and the magnitude of their impacts.
Within this period also, there would be the Energy Personalities Outreach Programme, which is a key activity of the GEA that provides the highest awardees; that is the Energy Personality of the Year (both male and female) the opportunity to interact with students of selected academic institutions to share their experiences with the younger generation.
Nominations would last from the 6th of July until the 20th of October, 2021.
Further information on the application process is available on www.ghanaenergyawards.com.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
In Ghana, the government has focused its strength on promoting digitalisation and related technologies across all industries within the economic spectrum, consequently, putting together programmes for digitalisation of the energy sector.
The need to acknowledge how the energy industry in the country is embracing these crucial changes is why the GEA is dedicating this year’s awards to recognise digitalisation efforts in the country.
The Ghana Energy Awards is an industry-accepted initiative that recognises the innovation and excellence of institutions within the energy sector and also celebrates the hard work of players who compete under various categories of the awards.
The scheme is fully endorsed by the Ministry of Energy and the World Energy Council Ghana, with firm support from industry partners; VRA, Bui Power, Ghana Gas, Energy Commission, CBOD, Petroleum Commission, AOMC, NPA, COPEC-Ghana and validating partners Mazars.
Ing. Henry Tenior, the event organiser, at the launch, said it had been an interesting journey since the first event in 2017.
“We have come this far by the grace of the Almighty God, and on the wings of a dedicated Secretariat and Awards Panel, a transparent awards process, staunch support from the Ministry and allied agencies as well as our devoted sponsors who understand our vision and purpose.”
From now toward the closing of nominations, the Awards Secretariat would pay courtesy calls on various stakeholders in the industry for briefing on their activities for the 2020-2021 review period.
The Awards Panel would also be going round to inspect projects and innovative solutions cited by the nominees at their project sites.
This activity is to acquaint the panel with the nature of these projects and the magnitude of their impacts.
Within this period also, there would be the Energy Personalities Outreach Programme, which is a key activity of the GEA that provides the highest awardees; that is the Energy Personality of the Year (both male and female) the opportunity to interact with students of selected academic institutions to share their experiences with the younger generation.
Nominations would last from the 6th of July until the 20th of October, 2021.
Further information on the application process is available on www.ghanaenergyawards.com.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Eni Makes Major Oil Discovery Offshore Ghana
Italian oil and gas firm, Eni, lead operator of the Offshore Cape Three Point (OCTP) in the Republic of Ghana has announced a significant oil discovery with the potential to produce 700 million barrels of oil equivalent (Mboe).
The company, in a statement, said the discovery was made on the Eban exploration prospect in Cape Three Points Block 4, offshore Ghana, and production testing data shows a well deliverability potential estimated at 5,000 barrels of oil per day, similar to the wells already in production from the Sankofa Field.
“The Eban – 1X well is located approximately 50 kilometers off the coast and about eight kilometers Northwest of Sankofa Hub, where the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO is located. It was drilled by the Saipem 10000 drilling ship in a water depth of 545 meters and reached a total depth of 4179 meters (measured depth). Eban – 1X proved a single light oil column of approximately 80m in a thick sandstone reservoir interval of Cenomanian age with hydrocarbons encountered down to 3949m (true vertical depth),” the statement said.
“The new discovery has been assessed following comprehensive analysis of extensive 3D seismic datasets and well data acquisition including pressure measurements, fluid sampling and intelligent formation testing with state-of-the-art technology. The acquired pressure and fluid data (oil density and Gas-to-Oil Ratio) and reservoir properties are consistent with the previous discovery of Akoma and nearby Sankofa field. The production testing data shows a well deliverability potential estimated at 5000 bopd, similar to the wells already in production from Sankofa Field.
“The estimated hydrocarbon in place between the Sankofa field and the Eban-Akoma complex is now in excess of 1.1 Bboe and further oil in place upside could be confirmed with an additional appraisal well.”
The statement further disclosed that due to its proximity to existing infrastructures, “the new discovery can be fast-tracked to production with a subsea tie-in to the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO, with the aim to extend its production plateau and increase production. The Eban discovery is a testimony to the success of the infrastructure-led exploration strategy that Eni is carrying out in its core assets worldwide.”
The Joint Venture of CTP Block 4 is operated by Eni (42.469 percent), on behalf of partners Vitol (33.975 percent), GNPC (10 percent), Woodfields (9.556 percent), GNPC Explorco (4.00 percent).
Eni has been in Ghana since 2009 and currently accounts for a gross production of about 80,000 barrels of oil per day.
Press Release – Eni announces a significant oil discovery in Block 4, offshore Ghana
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: PDS Heads To International Court For Arbitration Over Termination Of Concession Agreement
Embattled electricity distribution company, PDS Ghana Limited, is heading to London-based International Trade Arbitration for settlement after the Ghana-government terminated the concession agreement signed with the country’s southern electricity distribution company, ECG, energynewsafrica.com can report.
The company has almost completed its documentation and will, in the next few days, serve a notice to the London arbitration court to adjudicate the matter, sources close to PDS has hinted energynewsafrica.com.
PDS filed a suit at the commercial division of the Accra High Court to challenge revocation of their licences by the country’s electricity regulator, Energy Commission.
However, the court, on Friday, dismissed the application by Power Distribution Services (PDS), challenging the cancellation of its operation licences.
The court, presided over by Justice Akua Sarpomaa Amoah, threw out the application after dismissing all the reliefs which the applicant sought and upheld the opposition to the application by the Attorney-General (A-G), Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame.
Justice Amoah, however, did not give full reasons for her decision which, she said would be in her ruling filed at the court’s registry.
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Background
In July 2018, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), on behalf of the Government of Ghana, signed a concession agreement with Power Distribution Services Ghana Limited led by Meralco, a Philippine-based company, to take over the operations and management as well as undertake the requisite investments in the electricity distribution business of the Electricity of Company of Ghana.
The PDS was issued with a lease assignment agreement which allowed PDS to manage the assets of ECG, worth more than $3 billion and a bulk supply agreement for PDS to take over the distribution of electricity in the southern distribution zone of the country.
The Power Distribution Services, which was a consortium of Ghanaian and foreign entities, had 51 percent Ghanaian stake while the remaining 41 percent was for Meralco and its partners.
The conditions precedent of the agreements made it mandatory for PDS to secure a payment security to serve as a form of insurance for the assets of the ECG which it was managing.
The government said PDS presented a payment security in the form of demand guarantees from Al Koot Insurance, a Qatar-based insurance firm.
The government, however, started raising red flags in 2019 after accusing PDS of securing a fake demand guarantee.
According to the government, its checks revealed that Al Koot had not issued any demand guarantee for PDS.
The government, subsequently, terminated the concession agreement with PDS in October 2019.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com