The timely intervention of personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana saved a fuel tanker from total burning.
The incident happened on Saturday morning at Anloga Junction, a suburb of Kumasi.
This incident comes barely a day after a similar incident happened at the main gate of the Presbyterian SHS at Akwapem Mampong in the Eastern Region.
Speaking to the media, AD O1 Eric Mensah from the Tech Fire Service Station, said the Fire Service received a distress call that there was an inferno opposite the police station at Anloga Junction and, quickly, they moved to the scene.
At the scene, the personnel realised that a fuel tanker was in some flames but the driver managed to disconnect the battery terminals.
This, he explained, helped to prevent the fire from escalating.
According to the officer, they detected that some loose wires in the engine touched one another, thereby, triggering the fire.
The tanker had since been towed by the National Road Safety Commission to allow flow of traffic.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta says that the Government of Ghana has spent in excess of GH¢4.7 billion to ensure stable supply of electricity in the past three and half years.
The West African nation experienced power crisis between 2012 and 2016 creating discomfort for residential consumers and also resulting in the collapse of businesses.
The five years’ power crisis which started easing in the last quarter of 2016 led to many employees being thrown out of jobs.
According to a research findings by the Institute of Statistical and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, the country lost about GH¢3 billion as result of the power crisis.
The findings which covered between 2012 and 2015 revealed the negative impact of the power crisis on small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in particular.
It was established that 885 SMEs lost GHc250m, while 55 folded up with its attendant job losses.
The previous government brought in the Ameri Power and Karpowership and signed contracts with other Independent Powers Powers in an attempt to address the power situation.
However, upon assumption of power, this government, led by President Akufo-Addo raised concerns with some of the deals accusing his predecessor of signing questionable deals.
The government claims it has been paying over 2.5 billion annually for power it does not consumer.
Presenting the 2020 mid-year budget on the floor of Ghana’s Parliament, Thursday, July 23, 2020, Ghana’s Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta said the power crisis is now a thing of the past.
“We have relegated ‘dumsor’ to the past. It is clear to our fellow Ghanaians by now that we have enjoyed three and half years of reliable and cheaper power. We have spent in excess of GH¢4.7 billion on capacity payments, not only to ensure that we keep the lights on, but also pay for power we do not use under very questionable contractual obligations we inherited,” he told Ghanaians.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Power supply and its reliability in the Volta and Oti regions of the Republic of Ghana have improved significantly following intensified maintenance works, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has said.
The power distribution company said the move was to enable people to stay at home to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the General Manager of ECG for Volta and Oti Regions, Mr Delali Oklu, the availability of electricity in the Volta Region stood at 97.52 percent.
He told Ghana News Agency that as part of efforts to improve on supply, the Company recently commissioned Special Maintenance Teams at the regional and district levels, to identify, detect and submit faults for immediate redress.
He said as a result of numerous maintenance activities, feeders at Ve-Golokwati, Asiekpe-Waya, Kpetoe and Nkwanta, which used to have frequent power cuts had seen massive improvement.
A feeder is a high tension line that sends electricity to the transformer for distribution to customers.
Mr Oklu said the exercise had also improved voltage profile of the supply system, leading to increased quality of power and reduction of outages in the catchment areas.
He urged prepaid customers to use the ECG Power App to pay bills to minimise physical contacts and congestion at the offices.
“However, prepaid customers in Ho and Hohoe districts can still visit our offices or any private vendor to purchase prepaid credit for their meters,” he added.
Mr Jones Makumator, the Regional Engineer, said the Company had replaced old and weak insulators and upgraded undersized electricity conductors (cables) for efficient power supply.
He said it also carried out many injection projects in areas like Lolito, Dzodze, Ho-Barracks Newtown, Dambai-Kwame Akura, Anyako Kpota and Apedido, at a cost of GH¢ 511,616.36, to relieve overloaded transformers for continuous power supply.
“The Company did these injection projects because now that a lot of people are home due to this pandemic, we envisaged that domestic demand for electricity was going to increase, hence the need to increase the capacity of some overloaded transformers to ensure that our customers experience stable power supply,” Mr Makumator added.
He said ECG also started replacing rusted head gears along the coastal areas from Adina to Azizadzi and from Anloga to Anyanui at GH¢153, 229.78.
“Once this project is completed, it will enhance the reliability of power supply to customers along the coast,” Mr Makumator said.
He said the Company was also installing a voltage booster station at Hohoe to help improve the voltage profile and ensure uninterrupted power supply in the Municipality.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The African Development Bank has concluded its bid to co-finance the construction of Mozambique’s integrated Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant by signing a senior loan of $400 million for the transformational project.
The Mozambique LNG Area 1 Project, estimated to cost over $20 billion, is ranked Africa’s single largest foreign direct investment to date.
It comprises a global team of energy developers and operators, led by Total alongside Mitsui, Oil India, ONGC Videsh Limited, Bharat Petroleum, PTT Exploration, as well as Mozambique’s national oil and gas company, ENH.
With the signing on 15 July, the Bank joins a global syndicate of commercial banks, development finance institutions and export credit agencies to provide the requisite financing for the project. Financial close is expected later in 2020.
The project, which benefits from one of the world’s largest natural gas reserves off the coast of northern Mozambique, will be the country’s first liquefied natural gas development. It will initially consist of two LNG trains with a total capacity of around 13 million tons per annum.
As well as being transformational for the energy sector in Mozambique, the project is expected to have broader socio-economic benefits for the country.
“Signing the Mozambique LNG Area 1 agreement heralds a new age of industrialization for Mozambique,” said Abdu Mukhtar, the Director of the Bank’s Industrial & Trade Development Department. He noted that gas purchasers, such as fertilizer plants, had the potential for improving regional and global competitiveness.
The project comprises both onshore and offshore components, which will be funded by a combination of equity, pre-completion cashflows and over $14 billion in senior debt facilities. The senior debt consists of a mix of Export Credit Agency (ECA) direct loans, commercial bank loans and the facility from the Bank, the only multilateral development institution involved in the project’s first phase.
Wale Shonibare, the Bank’s Director for Energy Financial Solutions, Policy and Regulation, said the project would create a new energy model in Mozambique and help to electrify Southern Africa.” Through the availability of domestic gas, the project stands to facilitate the development of gas-fired electricity in Mozambique. This will play a key role in providing reliable and affordable energy for the country and the wider region,” said Shonibare.
The Bank played a crucial role in requiring compliance with strict environmental and social standards, in addition to working on SME and gender-development in Mozambique and promoting adherence to international best practices. The Bank’s involvement is consistent with its country strategy in Mozambique, which aims to leverage natural resource development and investment in sustainable infrastructure.
Overall, the project will improve livelihoods, spur economic growth and boost universal electricity access, in line with one of the Bank’s High 5 strategic priorities, Light Up and Power Africa, Bank officials said.
The Bank’s Acting General Counsel, Souley Amadou, commented: “This is a first in class transaction that sets a new standard for mega-projects on the African continent. The collaboration and unity of purpose between the sponsors, Government of Mozambique, the financing parties and advisors were truly remarkable.”
The world’s largest oilfield services provider, Schlumberger has reported a second straight quarterly loss on the back of a dramatic revenue slump in U.S. shale and asset impairment charges in what “has probably been the most challenging quarter in past decades.”
A statement issued by the company also announced it would get rid of 21,000 jobs as oil producers rein in spending.
Schlumberger reported on Friday a net loss of US$3.434 billion for the second quarter, after a US$ 7.376-billion loss for Q1, which was the result of a US$8.5-billion impairment charge.
As a result of the market conditions, Schlumberger recorded US$3.7 billion of pretax restructuring and asset impairment charges in the second quarter, including US$1 billion of severance costs associated with the massive workforce reduction.
Schlumberger’s total revenues slumped by 28 percent quarter on quarter and by 35 percent year on year, to US$5.356 billion.
The drop in North American revenue alone was much steeper—down by 48 percent compared to Q1 and down 58 percent compared to Q2 2019.
While Schlumberger gets more revenues from outside the American market, the company was affected by the collapse in drilling activity in the United States and the cut in spending plans outside North America of major oil and gas companies after the price crash.
“This has probably been the most challenging quarter in past decades. Schlumberger second-quarter revenue declined 28% sequentially, caused by the unprecedented fall in North America activity, and international activity drop due to downward revisions to customer budgets accentuated by COVID-19 disruptions,” chief executive Le Peuch said.
“North America revenue declined 48% sequentially with land revenue falling 60% as customers dramatically cut back spending,” the executive added.
According to Schlumberger, there are conditions for a modest increase in frac completion activity in North America in the third quarter, but if the economic recovery is slower and a second wave forces new major disruptions, they would be downside risks to its forecasts.
Earlier this week, Halliburton also booked a second quarterly loss in a row and has signaled that it will look beyond fracking completion in shale for profitability.
Source:www:energynewsafrica.com
Indian electrical equipment and electronics industry has begun mass cancellation of orders on Chinese companies in the last few days and are scouting for newer destinations for raw material sourcing.
Companies are cancelling orders mainly for power distribution and transmission gears and turning to other countries despite higher costs.
The process began in May after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vocal-for-local call.
This month, the campaign intensified with restrictions on power gear imports but industry wants to make sure that this does not create disruptions.
It also says the country needs to pools its testing facilities across sectors, as there are few in the power sector.
Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) president R K Chugh said the industry was till now importing raw material, sub-assemblies and in some cases finished goods too from China.
The association’s director general Sunil Misra said the industry is responding to its call of shifting to alternative sources as it is in their own interest to move out of Chinese supply sooner.
“In the intervening period towards 100 per cent Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we can shift to reliable and friendlier countries like Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Germany etc. Particularly software imports can be from Europe and raw material from Russia, Czech Republic or Poland. Our members have already started reaching out to other countries for MoUs,” Chugh said.
Chandigarh-based EPC company in conventional and renewable power sectors Hartek Group recently cancelled orders on a few Chinese companies for control panels and various state utilities also emphasising on shifting away from Chinese equipment.
“We back the prime minister’s vocal-for-local call,” company Chairman and Managing Director Hartek Singh told ET. “These were approved vendors but we cancelled the orders recently. This may hit 2-3 per cent of our bottomline. Hardships are bound to be there but if we don’t do it now, we will miss the bus. We need to raise our quality standards as this a big opportunity.”
The power ministry’s July 2 order has put in place an effective ban on imports from prior-reference countries like China and Pakistan, which require permission. All other imports will be tested at government- approved labs.
Cable manufacturer Ravin Cables recently cancelled a balance order on China and instead fast tracked the company’s manufacturing plant in the UAE, group chairman and managing director Vijay Karia said.
“We had imports happening for products not being manufactured here in case of specialised equipment, as customers insist on certain specifications and China has been the cheapest source of the equipment. We would have imported more than Rs 200 crore worth of equipment in last couple of years from China alone. We have now moved to Korea and European countries like Turkey and Germany. The vocal-for-local and anti-China narrative has gone out very well.”
He said India needs a long-term approach to favour local manufacturing and access to low-cost capital.
Deccan Enterprises managing director Vikas Jalan said his company has reduced offtake from China and is looking at other countries like the US, Germany, Norway, S Korea and Japan. “We are already enhancing local content in our products and have reached 70 per cent of indigenisation. We will accelerate further indigensation so that we can reach 80 per cent-85 per cent level in next six months to one year,” he said.
IEEMA has been demanding a ban on imports for many years to protect and promote local industry.
Chugh said the capacity utilisation of the electrical equipment and electronics industry was 70 per cent even before Covid-19, which has dropped to less than 50 per cent post pandemic. Of the $10 billion (Rs 71,000) imports in 2018-19, 30-35 per cent is Chinese, he said adding imposition of restrictions on imports from China is warranted on account of cyber security angle.
“Lot of software for SCADA and other Smart Grid applications also form part of these imports which is a bigger point of concern as security of our power system gets compromised. Malware and other viruses can play havoc here. While it can destroy the system from remote, it can transfer data from our systems to other countries, jeopardising our energy security and reliability,” he said.
As regards cost position, he said Chinese companies cannot be so low priced unless artificially subsidised. Indian companies have many times defeated Chinese firms in global tenders on the strength of quality, reliability and price competitiveness, he said adding “Cost is reality, pricing is political.”
Chugh said the government is working on increasing facilities for testing of equipment being imported. “If we pool our resources together with capacity available in the private sector, we can expedite testing and ensure higher levels of quality for domestic and global businesses,” he said.
Source: EnergyWorld.com
General Electric (GE) has announced the appointment of Nyimpini Mabunda as the Chief Executive Officer for Southern Africa.
In this role, Nyimpini will lead GE’s growth in the region and drive alignment across its Power, Healthcare, Aviation and Renewable Energy businesses.
He will also drive GE’s BBBEE roadmap and processes in South Africa.
With a career spanning 23 years, Nyimpini is an accomplished business leader with a track record of consistent performance and business transformation across FMCG, Telecoms and Financial Services having occupied senior roles in Sales, Marketing, Strategy, Digital Transformation and Innovation.
He has worked for global and leading multinational businesses such as Vodacom, Diageo, and Procter & Gamble. He has spent the last 7 years working across markets in the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya and Tanzania.
Prior to joining GE, Nyimpini was a Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group and before that, he led Vodacom’s largest division, the Consumer Business Unit as Chief Executive for about 3 years responsible for commercial strategy and execution.
He was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of ‘Gammatek’ and Non-Executive Director of ‘The Beverage Company (Bevco)’, both owned by Ethos Private Equity.
He serves as a Non-Executive Director at Octodec Investments Ltd., a property loan company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Commenting on the appointment, Farid Fezoua, President and CEO, GE Africa said, “We are excited to have Nyimpini join us with a track record of growth, transformation and operational performance.
These are key ingredients to support our businesses for growth, local talent development and risk management across Southern Africa.”
Nyimpini holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management and an MBA from the University of Cape Town.
His successes have been underpinned by his talent in people leadership, business turnaround, stakeholder management, digital disruption, execution excellence, and building strong brands.
“I am privileged and excited to take on this challenge to drive GE’s business in Southern Africa, building into its 120 plus years of impact in the continent. I’m looking forward to working across our businesses in Power, Healthcare, Renewable Energy and Aviation to create value for our countries, customers and people, as we rise to the challenge of building a world that works.” Nyimpini Mabunda said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Information reaching energynewsafrica.com indicates that a liquefied petroleum gas tanker with registration number GN7453-15 which was fully-loaded with fuel had caught fire.
According to an eyewitnesse, the gas tanker, which was travelling from Accra, the capital of Ghana, caught fire at Mampong-Akwapem in the Akwapem-North Municipality in the Eastern Region.
The incident happened in front of the Mampong Akwapem Presbyterian SHS gate.
The eyewitness account indicated that students in the school including final year students writing their exit exams, Form Two students writing their end of semester exams, teachers, as well as EC officials embarking on ongoing Voters’ Regiatration Exercise in the school, had to flee for their lives.
“As we speak, the timely intervention of the Ghana National Fire Service has brought the fire under control, and ensured that there is no loss of life and property.
“Parts of the vehicle, however, burnt,” the eyewitness said.
The Gas Tanker after fire personnel managed to bring the fire under controlSource:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Government of Ghana has hinted of plans to pay the USD$1.4 billion debt owed members of the Chamber of Independent Power Producers, Bulk Distributors and Consumers (CIPDiB) for the supply of power for electricity generation in the country.
The independent power producers in the West African nation expected the country’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to announce how the government intended to settle its indebtedness when he presented the 2020 mid-year budget but that did not happen.
However, speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Deputy Finance Minister, Charles Adu Boahen said the delays in the payments are as result of the ongoing renegotiation to beat down the high excess capacity charge as part of the government’s energy strategy.
He said the move is to make significant savings on the capacity charge in terms of how much the country would have to pay.
“We are in the process of renegotiating some of these excess capacity charges, and the idea is that we want to do it as a whole. There are some of the issues we need to address. We need to address the mechanism to ensure that the IPPs are paid in a regular graduated manner so that ECG and everybody is transparent. So the Cash Waterfall Mechanism has been implemented,” he explained.
Explaining the reason for the silence of the payment in the budget, Mr Adu-Boahen said: “In November 2019 when we presented the 2020 budget, we had in there the GHS3.6 billion to address these capacity charges which we thought we would have for the year. So, that is why it was not included in the mid-year budget because it is still in there to accommodate these excesses.”
He was optimistic the IPPs would receive the monies by the end of 2020 once the renegotiation deal is concluded.
“We are sitting at the table to look at their financing structure and then renegotiate the capacity charges, plus any areas or shortfalls they have in their books and see how we can re-finance it going. These discussions have started. We have engaged one or two IPPs and we are doing it in a gradual manner. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we should have cleared them all up and we should be able to move on,” he assured the IPPs.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Government of Ghana under President Akufo-Addo has announced plans to spend an additional GHS1.02 billion to give free electricity and water to Ghanaians in the next three months.
The move is part of the government’s Covid-19 alleviation programme to ease the pain brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
President Akufo-Addo, in April, announced his government’s absorption of the cost of electricity for all lifeline consumers with industries given a 50 percent rebate for their consumption in three months.
The free electricity and water ended in June.
Presenting a mid-year Budget in Parliament, Thursday, Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta said the government would extend the free electricity and water for the next three months.
“We all remember so well how the previous government, after imposing the inconvenient and income-sapping ‘dumsor’ on households and businesses for five years, and insensitively increased electricity tariffs first by 89 percent, then by 10 percent, then by 78 percent and 28 percent and finally by 59 percent between 2010 and 2015 alone. It took courage and care for President Akufo-Addo to do what no other government had been able to do before, which is a net reduction of electricity tariffs by 11 percent since 2017. Such is the higher level of care that today, after nearly four years in office, electricity prices for Ghanaians, households and businesses all included, remain cheaper in both nominal and real terms than what they were before 2017. Mr Speaker, the reason is simple. It is because we put the concerns and aspirations of the ordinary Ghanaian first. That is also why we further reduced electricity prices by half and completely provided potable water for free for everybody since March this year. And we will extend it for another three months.
It takes a caring government of the people, and with that, I mean, a government of all the people to offer cost-free water to all across the country; representing all domestic and commercial customers in Ghana for three months.
“It takes a caring government to be for the people and for business-large and small-to choose to subsidise electricity consumption by 50 percent to four million (4,086,286) households and nearly 700,000 (686,522) businesses at a cost of Gh¢1.02 billion in three months. And we will extend the coverage for lifeline customers for another three months,” the Minister elaborated.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
A High Court in Tema, in the Republic of Ghana, has granted GHS200,000 bail with one surety to Thomas Kwaku Oppong, a staff of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), who is being charged for murder.
The court presided over by His Lordship Justice Emmanuel Ankamah directed the suspect to report to the investigator in the case on every Tuesday until otherwise directed.
The suspect is in the dock for allegedly gunning down a suspected land guards’ gang leader, Kwame Huzzey, at Shai Hills near Afienya, on May 13, 2020, at about 4:30pm.
Thomas Oppong, 37 and a Mechanical Technician with TOR, was charged for murder by police in Dodowa in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region.
He first appeared before the Ashaiman District Court presided over by His Worship Charles Boateng, where he was remanded into police custody.
It would recalled that energynewsafrica.com reported that Thomas Oppong allegedly engaged in a shootout with suspected land guards at the Green House Company Limited junction near Afienya.
That was when the suspected land guards, numbering about 20, allegedly stormed Thomas Oppong’s residence and attacked him and fired gun shots apparently to kill him but he managed to escape.
He allegedly grabbed his licensed pump action gun and fired back, killing the leader in the process.
Sources within the suspect’s family told energynewsafrica.com that Thomas Oppong had been in dispute with the owner of DBS Roofing Sheet Company over the land on which the suspect’s house is situated.
The police, in a statement issued earlier and intercepted by this portal, said their preliminary investigation revealed that the Green House Ghana Ltd, where the deceased was an employee, had a land dispute with suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong for some time.
The statement continued that the deceased, on 13th May, 2020, went to the disputed land to inspect the company’s ongoing projects where he was alleged to have been shot by the suspect.
However, the police, in a statement of facts presented at the Ashaiman District Court, did not touch on the fact that there was a dispute between the suspect and DBS Roofing Sheet Company over a plot of land but rather said the deceased, which the police claimed worked with Green House Estate Company, went to deliver a message from his boss to the suspect, and without provocation, the suspect went into his room, picked up his gunned down the deceased, Kwame Huzzey.
Below is the first statement the police issued.
ALLEGED MURDER AT SHAI HILL’S
The Dodowa Divisional CID is investigating a case in which suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong is alleged to have shot and killed Kwame Huzzey on 13th May, 2020 at Shai- Hills, opposite Green House Company Ltd.
The deceased was a security guard with Green House Company Ltd a company under One District One Factory at Shai- Hills, Afenya.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the Green House Company Ltd where the deceased was working has a land dispute with suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong for some time now.
The deceased on 13th May, 2020 had gone to the disputed land to inspect the company’s ongoing projects where he is alleged to have been shot by the suspect.
The deceased was rushed to the Tema General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The body has been deposited in the hospital ‘s morgue for autopsy.
Police retrieved 1 pump action gun, 6 live cartridges 2 spent cartridges and a short gun from the crime scene.
Suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong is in Police custody assisting with investigations.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The Founder & CEO of TSAVO Oilfield Services and President for East Africa at the African Energy Chamber Eng. Elizabeth Rogo, has been appointed Non-Executive Director on the Board of Kenya Power and Lighting Plc, Kenya’s state utility company.
Kenya Power has been making steady progress towards providing safe, secure and reliable electricity to Kenyan households and industries for several years.
The company is a key pillar of the country’s Vision 2030, which aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income nation.
By handling most of Kenya’s power transmission and distribution, Kenya Power is the most crucial fighter against energy poverty in the country.
“Elizabeth is solidly pro-energy for all and for economic expansion. Elizabeth understands that having sustainable power is key for creating jobs and spreading economic prosperity across Kenya. We have no doubt that she will bring the highest ethical standards to executing her job,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.
“I am equally thankful to H.E. President Uhuru Kenyatta for his leadership in the energy industry, and to shareholders for appointing someone who has become a role model for many in our industry, especially for young women entrepreneurs. We sincerely congratulate her on this appointment,” added Ayuk.
Eng. Elizabeth Rogo’s appointment is yet another demonstration of her ability to build consensus around key energy issues in Kenya and East Africa. Elizabeth is the Founder & Chief Executive Officer of TSAVO Oilfield Services, and has over 19 years of international experience in oil & gas engineering, operations, project management, consultancy and business development. She has worked for the sector’s most renowned global companies including BJ Services, Baker Hughes and Weatherford International in Canada, the USA, Europe and Africa.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The African Energy Chamber has hailed the nomination of Gabon’s first women Prime Minister, H.E. Rose Christiane Ossouka Raponda.
According to the Chamber, the decision to appoint a female Prime Minister is a demonstration of Gabon’s intention to work on a post-Covid19 recovery based on sustainability, transparency and a sound and stable business environment.
“Gabon has always set the tone in Africa when it comes to sustainability and inclusive growth, and the appointment of a capable woman technocrat with a strong financial and economic background is another step in the right direction, the Chamber said in a press statement.
The Chamber said the reappointment of H.E. Vincent de Paul Massassa, Minister of Petroleum, Gas and Mines was a step in the right direction stating that he will continue leading the industry through its historic crisis while ensuring a swift and sustainable recovery of energy markets in Central Africa.
Since its first appointment at the end of 2019, H.E. Vincent de Paul Massassa has been working to ensure the successful closing of Gabon’s going licensing round, bringing stakeholders together around the development of a stronger gas value chain, and multiplying efforts to further diversify Gabon’s economy with the development of its mining industry.
“Prime Minister Ossouka Raponda, along with Ministre Massassa, are a winning combination for the energy industry. The oil & gas sector needs sound economic policies, an enabling business environment, and a strong vision on how to guide our industry through a historic crisis. We believe that the new government announced by President Ali Bongo Ondimba sets the tone for the recovery of Gabon’s energy sector and increased investments in the value-chain in the coming years,” declared Nj Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.
Gabon’s ongoing 12th Offshore Licensing Round was launched in November 2018 and has already been met with significant success, resulting in the signing of a record number of PSCs in sub-Saharan Africa last year.
In response to ongoing market conditions and the pandemic of Covid-19, the Ministry of Petroleum, Gas and Mines extended the submission deadline beyond April 30th, 2020. The extended round gives investors an opportunity to keep studying what is one of Africa’s hottest upstream frontier, with 35 blocks on offer.
The country’s new Hydrocarbons Code, Law No. 002/2019 of July 16th, 2019 now offers a more competitive upstream fiscal regime, provides an even better enabling environment for investors, and promotes the development of marginal fields by local players.
Until the start of the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent production cuts, Gabon had also successfully managed to reverse a historic decline in domestic oil production and had made new significant offshore discoveries.
The African energy sector continues to face challenging economic times due to the coronavirus pandemic and oil price collapse.
The Chamber continues to work with governments and the oil sector to enact bold changes that create jobs that get people back to work, build infrastructure and diversify our economies. The Chamber supports Gabon and Africa’s energy sector to build on its economic strengths, attract investment and position the country for future.
While the emirate continues to look for ways to increase the value of its onshore and offshore deposits, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is also reassessing its role in a changing global economy.
The idea that some parts of the world are already experiencing a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), in which artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and big data will transform and enhance the business environment, inspired ADNOC to develop a new strategy through which to bring the industry in line with the digital era.
The Oil & Gas 4.0 programme was unveiled by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, group CEO of ADNOC, and recently appointed UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) in 2018. The following year, in his keynote address to ADIPEC 2019, Al Jaber described the changing economic and technological landscape.
“This era of disruption is just the beginning and will only gather pace over time. Yet, the oil and gas company of today can be a winner tomorrow, if it operates at a lower level of cost and a higher level of performance; if it brings digital into the core of its operations; if it embeds sustainability into its DNA; and if it rethinks how to leverage its partnerships.” In line with these objectives, ADNOC is forging partnerships with international technology companies to apply 4IR technologies to its operations.
Education Programmes
ADNOC has already taken steps to encourage creativity and innovation in its schools, which it first opened in 2008. The company operates four campuses in the emirate, which provide teaching to approximately 6000 students overall. ADNOC opened the emirate’s first vocational training establishment, known as the ADNOC Technical Academy, in 1978. The institute has trained over 5000 technicians and operators since its founding.
The company has also helped to encourage reform in the wider education sector. In October 2019 ADNOC signed an agreement to promote the Yas in Schools programme, which aims to improve the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through a series of projects with a motorsports theme. The programme, which was developed by Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, has been taken up by more than 450 schools across the UAE, for 35,000 students.
“The Yas in Schools programme is fully aligned with ADNOC’s commitment to advance the STEM education and training of the UAE’s young generation. We believe that investing in our students today will result in a more competitive workforce for tomorrow,” Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, director of the Executive Office Directorate of ADNOC, told Emirates News Agency. ADNOC was also the title sponsor for the Formula 1 in Schools World Final in 2019, an annual competition in which teams of children aged between 12 and 16 from around the world researched, designed, built and raced model Formula 1 cars.
Attracting Talent
The company has acknowledged that it has faced difficulties in attracting talented STEM graduates to pursue careers in the oil and gas industry. In March 2019 ADNOC released the results of its inaugural Workforce of the Future survey, which was based on interviews with STEM students and graduates between 15 and 35 years of age in 10 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The survey found that 44% of respondents were interested in working in the oil and gas industry; this was on a par with other sectors such as marketing and advertising (48%), hospitality (47%), transport and logistics (46%), and retail (41%). However, a significantly larger proportion of young people surveyed were attracted by careers in technology (77%), life sciences and pharmaceuticals (58%), and health care (57%). In response to these results, Al Jaber said that it is important for the oil and gas industry to highlight the opportunities that it can offer graduates with strong technology skills.
Technology
In the first year of the Oil & Gas 4.0 campaign ADNOC forged a number of partnerships aimed at leveraging new technology. In November 2018 ADNOC hosted its inaugural AI Forum, where leading experts in energy and technology met to discuss how AI can be used to boost efficiency and increase the value of hydrocarbons resources. In December 2018 ADNOC announced a partnership with IBM to develop an automated accounting system using blockchain to optimise the tracking, validation and execution of transactions among its subsidiaries. “[Blockchain] will substantially reduce our operating costs by eliminating time-consuming and labour-intensive processes, strengthen the marketing and trading of our products, and create long-term sustainable value that will ensure that ADNOC delivers on its 2030 smart growth strategy,” Abdul Nasser Al Mughairbi, digital senior vice-president at ADNOC, said in the project’s announcement.
New Deals
In November 2019 ADNOC announced three new collaborations with technology providers. A joint venture was launched with local AI and cloud computing firm Group 42 (G42) to develop and commercialise AI solutions for the oil and gas industry. Under the agreement, ADNOC will share its archival data with G42 and gain access to the firm’s computing clusters, data scientists and software engineers.
At the same time, ADNOC is working with French energy giant Total to use drones and unmanned vehicles fitted with sensors to collect 3D seismic data in order to search for new oil and gas deposits. The pilot project of Total’s Multiphysics Exploration Technologies Integrated System will see thousands of sensors dropped by a fleet of aerial drones and subsequently retrieved by unmanned vehicles. The aim of the project is to develop a safer and more efficient method for conducting seismic surveys in the emirate. The pilot study will be carried out on a 36-sq-km onshore field in a desert environment, and will be able to produce both 3D and 4D subsurface data.
ADNOC also announced a 10-year partnership with US conglomerate Honeywell to utilise its forge asset monitor and predictive analytics platform at ADNOC’s Panorama Digital Command Centre. The centre collects real-time data from all ADNOC businesses, and uses AI and big data to generate operational insights that enable the company to predict and efficiently react to a range of operational scenarios. The partnership with Honeywell will enable ADNOC to monitor up to 2500 pieces of critical rotating equipment. The predictive maintenance project, which is one of the largest in the oil and gas industry, will leverage machine learning and digital twin technologies, allowing operating personnel to better identify impending issues with machinery earlier, thereby reducing unplanned maintenance and downtime. The project will help ADNOC maximise asset efficiency and ultimately enable substantial cost savings. By signalling its openness to utilise the new technologies that underpin the 4IR, ADNOC is looking to take advantage of the rise in global energy demand that is expected to accompany economic development.
Source: Oxford Business Group
He first appeared before the Ashaiman District Court presided over by His Worship Charles Boateng, where he was remanded into police custody.
It would recalled that energynewsafrica.com reported that Thomas Oppong allegedly engaged in a shootout with suspected land guards at the Green House Company Limited junction near Afienya.
That was when the suspected land guards, numbering about 20, allegedly stormed Thomas Oppong’s residence and attacked him and fired gun shots apparently to kill him but he managed to escape.
He allegedly grabbed his licensed pump action gun and fired back, killing the leader in the process.
Sources within the suspect’s family told energynewsafrica.com that Thomas Oppong had been in dispute with the owner of DBS Roofing Sheet Company over the land on which the suspect’s house is situated.
The police, in a statement issued earlier and intercepted by this portal, said their preliminary investigation revealed that the Green House Ghana Ltd, where the deceased was an employee, had a land dispute with suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong for some time.
The statement continued that the deceased, on 13th May, 2020, went to the disputed land to inspect the company’s ongoing projects where he was alleged to have been shot by the suspect.
However, the police, in a statement of facts presented at the Ashaiman District Court, did not touch on the fact that there was a dispute between the suspect and DBS Roofing Sheet Company over a plot of land but rather said the deceased, which the police claimed worked with Green House Estate Company, went to deliver a message from his boss to the suspect, and without provocation, the suspect went into his room, picked up his gunned down the deceased, Kwame Huzzey.
Below is the first statement the police issued.
ALLEGED MURDER AT SHAI HILL’S
The Dodowa Divisional CID is investigating a case in which suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong is alleged to have shot and killed Kwame Huzzey on 13th May, 2020 at Shai- Hills, opposite Green House Company Ltd.
The deceased was a security guard with Green House Company Ltd a company under One District One Factory at Shai- Hills, Afenya.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the Green House Company Ltd where the deceased was working has a land dispute with suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong for some time now.
The deceased on 13th May, 2020 had gone to the disputed land to inspect the company’s ongoing projects where he is alleged to have been shot by the suspect.
The deceased was rushed to the Tema General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The body has been deposited in the hospital ‘s morgue for autopsy.
Police retrieved 1 pump action gun, 6 live cartridges 2 spent cartridges and a short gun from the crime scene.
Suspect Thomas Kwaku Oppong is in Police custody assisting with investigations.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
