Ghana: BOST Is Being Fixed- Says Marlick AdjeiSpeaking at the commissioning of the Tema Zonal Office on Thursday, Mr. Kwame Osei Prempeh said: “I want to assure our valued customers that GOIL will continue to protect their interest. Need I repeat here that GOIL is for Ghanaians and, therefore, any Investments by way of patronage of our products in the end benefit our citizens. I, therefore, appeal to Ghanaians to continue keeping faith with GOIL by patronising our products which are of high quality to help stabilise and make our economy strong. “Let GOIL be your OMC of choice,” Mr. Prempeh added. Board Chairman of GOIL, Mr. Kwamena Bartels noted that the company is on course to consolidate its status of being the market leader. “Our bitumen project is over 80 percent complete and work on the construction of plants for gas recirculation project, as well as that of auto gas stations, are all underway,” he said. Executive Secretary for Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, who graced the commissioning ceremony, applauded GOIL for the investments it continues to make in infrastructure and offering quality fuel to petroleum consumers in the country. Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Let GOIL Be Your OMC Of Choice-MD
Ghanaians have been urged to see leading Oil Marketing Company, GOIL, as their own and patronise the services of the company and also invest in its shares.
Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of GOIL, Mr. Kwame Osei Prempeh, who made the call, noted that unlike some of the oil marketing companies which will repatriate their profit, GOIL retains its profits and reinvests them in the country to grow the West African nation’s economy.
He mentioned that GOIL has diversified its operations and is currently building a US$35 million bitumen plant which is about 80 percent complete, invested US$23 million in the construction of an LPG bottling plant and building a 12-storey head office complex.
Apart from these investments, GOIL has supported a number of institutions including donating £70,000 worth Visugauges or internationally verified measuring cans to the Ghana Standards Authority to ensure full quantity delivery of products.
Ghana: GOIL Opens Zonal Office In Kpone
Ghana’s indigenous and leading Oil Marketing Company, GOIL, has opened a Zonal Office in Kpone near Tema, Ghana’s industrial city.
The ultra-modern Zonal Office will serve the company’s operations in the Tema business enclave, Ashaiman, Kpone, Somanya Districts, Volta and Oti Regions.
The project was awarded in 2017 but actual work began in January 2020 and completed and handed over in February 2021.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Zonal Office on Thursday, Board Chairman of GOIL, Kwamena Bartels said the opening of the office marks a key milestone in the life of GOIL.
According to him, the increasing growth in business and expansion of the Tema port influenced the company to prepare adequately to capitalise on opportunities the port expansion offers.
Although the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic affected the petroleum downstream business in 2020, Kwamena Bartels said GOIL is still positive about the future and is determined to position the company to capitalise on new opportunities as the company rebounds.
Group CEO and Managing Director of GOIL, Kwame Osei Prempeh said the company, over the last few years, has tried to modernise its infrastructure to be in tune with its modernisation and expansion drive.
He said this drive has involved in upgrading of the company’s service stations, improvement in customer service and ensuring product quantity.
He was hopeful that the Tema Zonal Office would go a long way to facilitate smooth business transactions and boost productivity and morale of staff.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
According to him, the increasing growth in business and expansion of the Tema port influenced the company to prepare adequately to capitalise on opportunities the port expansion offers.
Although the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic affected the petroleum downstream business in 2020, Kwamena Bartels said GOIL is still positive about the future and is determined to position the company to capitalise on new opportunities as the company rebounds.
Group CEO and Managing Director of GOIL, Kwame Osei Prempeh said the company, over the last few years, has tried to modernise its infrastructure to be in tune with its modernisation and expansion drive.
He said this drive has involved in upgrading of the company’s service stations, improvement in customer service and ensuring product quantity.
He was hopeful that the Tema Zonal Office would go a long way to facilitate smooth business transactions and boost productivity and morale of staff.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Global Leaders Call For Concrete Plans For Clean Energy For All By 2030 And Net-Zero Emissions By 2050
Leaders from the United Nations (UN), the private sector, national and local governments, youth and other organisations issued a joint call on Wednesday for countries, businesses, cities and civil society groups to put forward their ‘Energy Compacts’ to show how they will achieve the goal of clean energy for all by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
The UN in its press release said that the Energy Compacts would provide the clearest indication of how countries will ensure that all people have access to clean energy and move toward net-zero emissions.
The Compacts will be announced between June and the September UN High-level Dialogue on Energy. The leaders issued their call in a video released on Wednesday.
It added that ‘Global Champion’ ministers from over 30 countries have joined the call for urgent energy action in advance of the high-level dialogue, along with senior UN officials, climate leaders including the Presidency of the COP26 conference, CEOs, Mayors and youth activists.
“This year’s dialogue is the best chance for governments, businesses and other partners to step up their commitments, if the world is to achieve clean, affordable energy for all by the 2030 deadline,” said Liu Zhenmin, UN Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the Dialogue.
Zhenmin added that Energy Compacts could also help to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, avoiding the worst consequences of climate change.
Urgent action is needed as global temperatures are already 1.2 degrees higher than they were in the late 1800s, with climate-related disasters displacing millions of people.
Energy use accounts for three-quarters of global emissions. Nearly 800 million people still lack access to electricity and nearly three billion lack clean cooking fuels, causing over a million deaths each year from indoor smoke pollution.
The UN said that the momentum is growing for Energy Compacts, which will start to be announced at Ministerial Forums from 21-25 June, in the lead-up to the September summit-level Dialogue.
“Since April, national government officials, major networks of cities and businesses, as well as civil society and youth groups, have been participating in an intensive series of planning meetings for their Energy Compact commitments. For countries, the Compacts will align with enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions and long-term climate goals under the Paris Agreement,” it added.
According to the co-chair of the high-level dialogue and administrator of UNDP, Achim Steiner, an energy transition is underway without which we won’t succeed.
“The challenge is whether we can make it happen equitably and fast enough. It is unacceptable that almost 800 million people in the world still lack access to electricity. The transition must ensure that there is universal access to clean energy,” added Steiner.
Damilola Ogunbiyi, special representative of the Secretary-General and CEO for Sustainable Energy for All and co-chair of the high-level dialogue said that this was an opportunity of a lifetime to provide universal energy access by exploiting new technologies, funding innovations that can create a cleaner and brighter economic future.
Chevron Shareholders Approve Proposal To Cut Customer Emissions
Chevron Corp investors voted in favor of a proposal on Wednesday asking the oil major to cut its customer emissions, joining shareholders around the globe in raising pressure on energy companies to reduce their carbon footprint.
Shareholders voted 61% in favor of a proposal to cut so called “Scope 3” emissions, generated by the use of its products, according to a preliminary count announced by Chevron at its annual general meeting.
Chevron’s investor vote comes as a bitter shareholder revolt at its closest rival Exxon Mobil Corp nears a conclusion.
Engine No. 1, a tiny activist fund, has proposed three of its own nominees to Exxon’s board and is arguing that the top U.S. oil producer needs a better response to growing climate concerns.
While the “Scope 3” proposal does not require Chevron to set a target of how much it needs to cut emissions or by when, the overwhelming support for it shows growing investor frustration with companies, which they believe are not doing enough to tackle climate change.
Chevron has pledged to limit the pace of growth of its carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, but has not set long-term targets to achieve net zero as many European oil companies have done.
A Dutch court on Wednesday ordered European oil major Shell to significantly deepen planned greenhouse gas emission cuts, a landmark ruling that could pave the way for legal action against energy companies around the world.
Ghana: Petroleum Downstream Sector Needs Cleaning Up-Akwaboah
Ghana’s petroleum downstream requires a cleaning up like the government did in the banking sector, the Chairman of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), Mr. Henry Akwaboah, has suggested.
According to him, the downstream sector is chocked and has become a fertile ground for some OMCs to engage in illegal practices including evading taxes due the government.
Ghana: ENI, Springfield Delay To Unitise Afina Discovery & Sankofa Field Disappointing-Says IESHe made the call in an exclusive interview that looked at the impact of Covid-19 on oil trading, illegal activities and challenges in the downstream sector. Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ECG Deploys Clou Smart Meters In Tema Region
Ghana’s southern power distribution, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Tema Region, has replaced about 82,000 existing prepaid meters with Clou smart meters in the area.
The power distribution company started piloting the meter replacement project in December 2019 and fully rolled it out in January 2020.
It forms part of the company’s drive to continuously improve convenience for customers.
The new meters have a number of benefits among which are the ability to help customers track their energy consumption and to be able to buy credit using the ECG Power App for smart phones or dial *226# for non-smart phones.
The Regional Commercial Manager, Mr. Mawudoefia Dotse Hlorlewu indicated that these meters are being installed mainly at Afienya, Nungua, Tema Township and surrounding areas.
Speaking to the press, the Commercial Manager of ECG, Tema Region, said that vending points to serve customers have been commissioned at strategic locations where the project has taken off, adding that it would be extended to other communities as the project progressed.
He also indicated that the company strives to educate customers continuously on how these new meters work.
Mr. Hlorlewu further said that the uniqueness of the Clou prepayment system lies in the use of a keypad operator rather than a card which requires customers to insert or swipe to load credits.
He indicated that the meters are GPRS compliant so purchases are remotely credited to the meter either from the point of sale or through the ECG Power App.
Commenting, Ing. Emmanuel Appoe, the Regional Engineer, explained that the meters are individually linked to a separate user interface unit installed on the customer’s premises which can be used to manually operate the meter.
Ing. Appoe intimated that in the event where purchases are not remotely credited to the meter due to network challenges, the user interface can be used by customers to manually conclude the transaction using the token number on the purchase receipt generated at the vending point or via the ECG Power app.
Further touching on the technical qualities, Ing. Appoe mentioned that “these meters have the ability to cut off power whenever there are challenges with unstable voltages in the system…be it high or low.”
He added that should any customer try to tamper with the meter, it would cut off and ECG officials would immediately know that the meter had been tampered with.
On his part, the General Manager for ECG in the Tema Region, Ing. Emmanuel Akinie indicated that the Clou metering project would be extended to other parts of the region.
“We are going to systematically increase the penetration of Clou meters in the region but in phases,” he said, and added that collaboration would be mutually beneficial to the communities and the company.
He expressed delight at the successful take off of the project and thanked the traditional leadership and people in the communities for their support.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
$150 Billion In Stolen Oil Money Smuggled Out Of Iraq
Some $150 billion in oil revenues has been stolen and smuggled out of Iran since the fall of Saddam Hussain in 2003, the president of Iraq said, as quoted by media, at the introduction of a new law aimed at fighting corruption.
“Of the close to a trillion dollars made from oil since 2003, an estimated $150 billion of stolen money has been smuggled out of Iraq,” President Barham Saleh said, as quoted by The New Arab, as he urged the Iraqi parliament to “adopt this crucial piece of legislation, in order to curb this pervasive practice that has plagued our great nation”.
The draft law that Saleh presented to parliament envisages close scrutiny on transactions of sums over $500,000 as well as bank accounts, with a special focus on accounts with $1 million or more in them.
Unfortunately, the law may never pass parliament, The New Arab reports, citing a local security and politics expert.
It’s certainly one of the best pieces of legislation proposed by the executive branch since 2003. But will it be adopted? I doubt it,” Fadel Abo Ragheef told the AFP.
The political parties the lawmakers belong to will act to sabotage it, so it doesn’t pass. In public they will support it, but behind the scenes, they will do everything to prevent its adoption, because many of the politicians are involved in this racket”.
CNN quoted the Iraqi president as saying that the proposed legislation will also seek to recover those $150 billion in stolen funds through cooperation with other governments and international organizations.
“Here I reiterate Iraq’s call, which we have previously issued at the United Nations General Assembly, for the formation of an international coalition to fight corruption along the lines of the international coalition against ISIS,” President Saleh said.
Iraq is currently making some $5 billion in crude oil export revenues. Over the first quarter, the country’s oil revenues totaled $15.53 billion, up 40 percent from last year’s fourth quarter and up by $1.5 billion from the first quarter of 2020.
Source:Oilprice.com
Gambia Targets 100 Percent Electricity Access By 2025
The Gambian Government says efforts are being made to ensure that every Gambian has access to quality and affordable energy by 2025.
“This is a year of working as more and more contracts are being signed and implemented,” Hon. Fafa Sanyang, Minister for Petroleum and Energy for The Gambia, said during the signing ceremony of contract for the construction of 30kV line with Distribution Network and Secondary subtractions for Sami & Sandu District villages.
Upon completion of the project, over 46 communities will, for the first time, have access to electricity, according to Mr. Nani Juwara, MD of National Water & Electricity Company (NAWEC).
Ghana: Parts Of Accra To Experience 16 Days Of Power OutagesThe Gambia has a total population of 2,476,572 people, and out of this, more that 60 percent have access to electricity.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.comOver 46 communities to access to electricity for the first time say Mr Nani Juwara MD NAWEC as NAWEC signs a contract with MBH Power Ltd for the construction of a 30KV line with Distribution Network and Secondary subtractions for Sami & Sandu Districts Villages pic.twitter.com/qzMqV5n9ZU
— Ministry of Petroleum and Energy The Gambia (@MoPEGambia) May 24, 2021
Ghana: Toddler, Two Others Burnt In Tanker Explosion( Photos)
Three persons including a toddler have been burnt following a tanker explosion on Monday in the Republic of Ghana.
The explosion which occurred at Onyina Nofo near Mankranso in the Ashanti Region also led to the burning of about 30 houses rendering the owners homeless.
The victims are the truck driver, his assistant and the toddler who is said to hail from the community.
Report suggests that some people who were closer to the scene also suffered varying degree of burns.
Eyewitnesses account indicate that the incident occurred after the fuel tanker lost balance, skidded into the village and exploded in the process.
Personnel from the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana National Fire Service were at the scene to bring the situation under control.
The Director-General of the National Disaster Management (NADMO), Eric Agyeman-Prempeh, who spoke on an Accra-based Citi FM, said other residents in the area had been rendered homeless as a result of the incident.
“This afternoon, a tanker exploded at Onyina Nofo in the Ahafo Ano South West District. I have been here with my team and many people have been rendered homeless. A lot of people’s houses have been burnt. Three people died including the driver and his mate, as well a two-year-old toddler.”
Mr. Agyeman-Prempeh said NADMO had to improvise to provide a temporary shelter for the displaced residents.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Director-General of the National Disaster Management (NADMO), Eric Agyeman-Prempeh, who spoke on an Accra-based Citi FM, said other residents in the area had been rendered homeless as a result of the incident.
“This afternoon, a tanker exploded at Onyina Nofo in the Ahafo Ano South West District. I have been here with my team and many people have been rendered homeless. A lot of people’s houses have been burnt. Three people died including the driver and his mate, as well a two-year-old toddler.”
Mr. Agyeman-Prempeh said NADMO had to improvise to provide a temporary shelter for the displaced residents.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Zambia: Lusaka To Experience Power Outage For 16 Hours On Sunday
The capital of Zambia, Lusaka, is expected to experience about 16 hours of interruptions in power supply from 05:00am to 20:00hours on Sunday.
Zambia’s electricity company, ZESCO Limited, which made the announcement in a statement, said the interruption of power supply is to facilitate the re-configuration of transmission and distribution lines which will result in more stable and consistent power supply in Lusaka.
“These works are part of the US$20 million Lusaka Transmission and Distribution Rehabilitation Project (LTDRP) funded by the World Bank and European Investment Bank,” the statement explained.
INTERRUPTION OF POWER SUPPLY IN PARTS OF LUSAKA ON SUNDAY MAY 23, DUE TO MAINTENANCE WORKS pic.twitter.com/lBv0Mm7eEx
— Zesco Limited (@ZescoL) May 20, 2021
Ghana: Assailants Set ECG’s Pylon Ablaze In Tema
The Tema Regional Police is investigating a case in which the Electricity Company of Ghana’s 33kV cable connecting a pylon near GRIDCo’s head office was set ablaze by unknown persons.
According to information available to energynewsafrica.com, a security guard at GRIDCo detected through the company’s CCTV that there was smoke emanating from the ECG’s pylon on Thursday and quickly informed the Fire Service department stationed within the company, who swiftly responded and brought the fire under control.
Police visit to the scene later revealed some severe damages to the cable connecting the pylon.
Some burnt debris of vehicle tyres were also detected at the base of the pylon, indicating that the perpetrator might have had some bad intention of burning the pylon.
The Public Relations Officer for Tema Regional ECG Madam Sakyiwaa Mensah who confirmed the incident said the case has been reported to the Tema Regional Police.
Some burnt debris of vehicle tyres were also detected at the base of the pylon, indicating that the perpetrator might have had some bad intention of burning the pylon.
The Public Relations Officer for Tema Regional ECG Madam Sakyiwaa Mensah who confirmed the incident said the case has been reported to the Tema Regional Police. G7 Countries Agree To Stop International Funding For Coal-Fired Power
The Group of Seven (G7) rich countries have agreed to stop international funding for the construction of coal-fired power stations that emit carbon, a document summarising a G7 environment ministers’ meeting showed on Friday.
“We stress that international investments in unabated coal must stop now and commit to take concrete steps towards an absolute end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by the end of 2021,” the document said.
Coal is considered unabated when it is burned for power or heat without using technology to capture the resulting emissions, a system not yet widely used in power generation.
The agreement comes in the context of aligning international financing with the goals under the Paris Agreement to combat climate change, by reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than 2050, including deep reductions this decade.
In order for the goal to be reached, power generation must give way to renewable-sourced electricity such as wind and solar.
The document said the G7 countries will review and phase out new direct government support for carbon intensive fossil energy, except in limited circumstances at the discretion of each country.
The G7 asked other major economies to adopt the commitments, raising pressure especially on China, which consumes around half of the world’s coal. Japan, which had long fallen behind peers in ditching coal, has been coming closer to the position of the other G7 members.
The phase-out of payments includes official development aid, export finance investments and financial and trade promotion support.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday had decried new oil, gas and coal projects.
“This meeting is a hopeful start,” said the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), a professional network in the energy space, in a statement.
Source : Reuters
Nigeria’s Rig Count Drops By 67%
Nigeria’s rig count has dropped to five in April 2021, thus indicating a decrease of 67 percent compared to 16 recorded in the corresponding period of 2020, according to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
In its May 2021 Oil Market Report obtained by Energy Vanguard, OPEC, also disclosed that the nation’s rig count, a major index of measuring exploration and production in the oil and gas industry, stood at six before dropping to the current five.
This means that the nation has not been investing adequate funds in new projects, capable of increasing its reserves, which the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR puts at 37 billion barrels.
Commenting on the development, a Port Harcourt-based Energy Analyst, Dr. Bala Zaka, attributed the rig count to the inability of the nation to pass its Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB into law.
He said: “The delay in the passage of the PIB into law has not encouraged many foreign and indigenous companies to invest in new projects, which could have culminated into the making of new finds as well as commercial reserves.”
However, the report showed that the rig counts of other African countries remained much higher than Nigeria, meaning that such feats were fuelled by increased investments during the period. Specifically, Algeria and Libya led with 27 and 12 respectively, while Nigeria and Angola came third and fourth respectively during the period under review.
Nevertheless, OPEC disclosed that it was committed to promoting or encouraging investment in Nigeria and other member states.
In the upstream, it stated: “Regardless of all the challenges and uncertainties, OPEC Member Countries continue to invest in additional upstream capacities. On top of the huge capacity maintenance costs that Member Countries are faced with, they continue to invest in new projects and reinforce their commitment to the oil and gas market as well as to the security of supply for all consumers.”
Needless to say, this is only a reflection of OPEC’s well-known policy that is clearly stated in its Long-Term Strategy and its Statute. In the medium-term, about 160 projects, with an overall estimated cost of some $156 billion, are being undertaken by OPEC Member Countries.”
In the downstream, it also stated: “The upcoming projects landscape for the medium-term (2016–2021) for OPEC Member Countries’ downstream sector is affected by two factors: the lifting of international sanctions on Iran, and the return of Gabon to the Organization.
“A significant number of new investments are set to occur in OPEC Member Countries. “Almost 8 mb/d, of potential refining projects in OPEC Member Countries with a relatively new surge in capacity additions from Iran, if all projects are implemented as planned. “However, a review of viability of these projects suggests that around 2.2 mb/d of distillation units will be added to the refining sector in OPEC Member Countries in the period 2016–2021.
“This combines around 1.7 mb/d of additional crude distillation capacity and 0.44 mb/d in the form of condensate splitters.
“Condensate splitters additions are planned in Iran and Qatar and set to start falling off by 2020. The overall OPEC Member Countries’ distillation capacity (including splitters) is set to reach a level of 13.3 mb/d by 2021.
Ghana: Stop Issuing Licences To New OMCs-Akwaboah Tells NPA
Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has been urged to suspend the issuance of licences to new entrants into the oil marketing business in order to sanitise the sector.
The West African nation, currently, has 116 licensed Oil Marketing Companies with over 4,000 retail outlets.
This number, according to the Chairman of Association of Oil Marketing Companies, Mr Henry Akwaboah, is unacceptable for a country which has a land size of 238,535 km².
According to him, Ivory Coast, which has a land size (322,463 km² ) bigger than Ghana, has less than 1,000 fuel retail outlets so wondered why Ghana will have that huge number of fuel retail outlets.
In his view, the downstream industry is chocked and has become a fertile ground for some OMCs to engage in corrupt practices including evading of taxes due the state and, therefore, required a clean up like the government did in the banking sector.
Mr Akwaboah, who was speaking in an exclusive interview with energynewsafrica.com, said: “I’m proposing that, going forward, the NPA should stop issuing licenses to OMCs.
“I think the entry requirements should be more rigorous. It’s not just your ability to pay for the licence that should allow you to come. If, indeed, you want to come into the sector, demonstrate to the authority that you have about 10 service stations ready or 10 businesses or customers who are ready to buy from you. It is only then that I think NPA should issue you a provisional licence and based on your activities for the next year or two, you can get your full licence to operate,” he said.
Mr. Akwaboah, who said time has come for the NPA to stop allowing anybody at all to enter the oil marketing business, also stressed the need for Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to stop tax exemptions they give to some OMCs because they are abusing it.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com