The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s second largest power generation company, Bui Power Authority (BPA), Mr. Fred Oware has eulogized the engineers in the company for their contribution which has saved it millions of dollars which would have been spent on expatriates.
Bui Power Authority was established by an Act of Parliament, BPA Act 740, 2007 with a mandate to plan, execute and manage the Bui Hydroelectric Project, now the Bui Generating Station (BGS).
Mr. Oware was the first CEO of BPA when the company was incorporated.
He left BPA after his party lost power to the current Ghana’s opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 2008 General Elections.
He was, however, reappointed when the Akufo-Addo-led administration came to power in 2017 after winning the December 2016 Presidential Election.
Mr. Oware assumed office in February 2017 and since then, he, management and staff of the authority have worked tirelessly and won several awards including personal awards.
Energynewsafrica.com understands that Mr. Fred Oware’s term of office comes to an end by June this year and will be moving to the presidency.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with energynewsafrica.com, Mr. Oware said when he got the opportunity to BPA in 2017, the Chinese contractors, who constructed the dam, left few engineers behind to manage the power plant.
He said five months after his assumption of office, their contract ended but decided not to renew it and instead allowed the Ghanaian civil and electrical engineers who have been working under the supervision of the Chinese to takeover and manage the plant.
According to him, that singular decision has saved the Authority more than US$2 million for the past four years.
Asked why he trusted in the ability of the Ghanaian engineers to handle the plant and he explained, he said: “At the time we were building the dam in 2008/2009, we combed around to see if there are engineers and technicians who had experience in dam construction. We didn’t get any. For me the answer then lied in getting a bunch of young engineers who have just finished school and without much experience and bring them so that they learn on the job. We took 13 civil engineers. In reality we didn’t need that many engineers, but the whole idea was to expose as many engineers as possible the young ones to dam construction. Then before the dam was completed I brought in a couple of mechanical engineers and the gentleman who took over from me pursue the same principles one year before the completion of the dam took about 30 technicians and engineers to VRA for them to be trained in both maintenance and operations of the dam. And by the time I got back they were quiet adapt and responsible in whatever they were doing and so I didn’t think we needed to pay extra money to keep some other people to give oversight responsibilities when we indeed have all the technical people in the country. And it’s a decision that I feel proud about.’’
Under his leadership, the Bui Power Authority managed to get Parliament to amend the Act to allow them to venture into the development of other sources of renewable energy.
Members of the BPA Board in a group photograph after inspecting the solar plant in 2020
In furtherance to this, the BPA under the leadership of Mr. Oware, commenced the construction of 250MW solar farm in phases with the first commissioned in last November and currently transmitted on the national grid.
The Authority also constructed Ghana’s first mini hydro power project on the Tsatsadu Waterfall at Abehenease in the Hohoe Constituency in the Volta Region.
The 1MW floating solar on Bui Reservoir
The Authority has also identified six sites in the four Northern Regions for some renewable energy projects.
According to Mr. Oware, if BPA would be given the necessary support, it would be able to produce 10 percent of the power transmitted to the national grid from solar.
His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cutting the tape to officially commission the 45kW Tsatsadu Micro-Hydro Power Generating Station At Alavanyo-Abehenease in the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region. With him are John-Peter Amewu (right), Togbuiga Tsedze Atakora (2nd right), Paramount Chief of Alavanyo Traditional Area and Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye (3rd left), Speaker of Parliament.
Mr. Oware praised the management, Board and staff of the Authority for their support and wished them well.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana should have been operating nuclear power plant long ago and become second country in Africa to operate nuclear power plant after South Africa, the Director General of Ghana’s Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Professor Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarko has said.
“To me, with all our hydro resources gone and with urbanization and population growth and energy demand and we want to do a lot of factories. For this to survive, I think one of the options to grow the economy is to go for nuclear power,” he said.
The West African nation’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 became a 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 baseload 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 first nuclear power plant and has successfully completed the first phase of the nuclear programme.
NPG will undertake requisite feasibility studies and activities required in the project development and construction phases of the Nuclear Power Programme. Currently, Ghana is at the second phase of the nuclear agenda.
In an exclusive interview with Prof Benjamin Jabez Botwe Nyarkop on the Nuclear Science Applications and Technology: The Role of GAEC, the GAEC D-G noted that with the support of the Commission, the Volta River Authority and Bui Power Authority, the Nuclear Power Ghana was created as an operator to spearhead the establishment of nuclear power plant in Ghana in the future.
Although he admitted that Ghana has been late as far as its nuclear power plant agenda was concerned, with the creation of Nuclear Power Ghana and its preparedness, Prof Nyarko expressed the hope that the country is nearing its vision of becoming operator of nuclear power plant.
Responding to those opposing the country’s plan to go nuclear because of the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Prof Nyarko explained that the Fukushima incident was caused by Tsunami and earthquake while the Chernobyl incident was caused by human error.
He revealed that despite the Fukushima Daiichi incident, Japan went ahead and built two nuclear power plants because they knew it was cheaper and reliable source of power.
According to him, there has been advancement in nuclear power technologies, stressing that “nobody is building the Chernobyl type of nuclear reactors anymore.”
He said because of the technology, new safety features have been introduced to make current nuclear reactors safer, stating that knowledge has evolved since the nuclear power plants incidents.
Prof Nyarko underscored the need for Ghana to remain focused and pursue the nuclear power agenda despite the risk involved.
“Anyone who fails to take risk never grows. The higher the risk, the more the production,” Prof Nyarko posited.
Clink on the link below to listen to the interviewSource: www.energynewsafrica.com
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.
Speaking 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’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
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 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’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.
He 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’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
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
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).
The Gambia has a total population of 2,476,572 people, and out of this, more that 60 percent have access to electricity.
Over 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
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 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
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.
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
The Authority also constructed Ghana’s first mini hydro power project on the Tsatsadu Waterfall at Abehenease in the Hohoe Constituency in the Volta Region.
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
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
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. 