Ghana: No More Fuel Contamination Under My Watch-BOST MD
The Managing Director of Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company Limited in the Republic of Ghana, Edwin A. Provencal has stated that the issue of fuel contamination will not happen under his watch.
According to him, he has taken steps to ensure that the issue of fuel contamination becomes an issue of the past.
Edwin Provencal was appointed as the Managing Director of the West African nation’s strategic oil reserves company following the resignation of George Mensah Okley.
He is the third Managing Director of BOST within three years under the current Akufo-Addo administration.
BOST has received bad publicity in the past few years due to selfish interest groups, with one of the issues being contaminated fuel that occurred in December 2016.
Speaking during a media engagement in Accra, Friday, Mr Provencal pledged his commitment to turning around BOST and make it a profit-making entity.
He was hopeful that the company would start making profit by next year.
He said one of the things he had done was to engage with management of BOST’s depots which had been outsourced to a third party and letting them know that all costs arising out of their omission or commission will be borne solely by them.
“No more contamination…if it occurs, our depot managers will be made to bear the cost,” he stated.
He admitted that, although things might have been done wrongly in the past, BOST, under him, would be cost efficient entity.
“I’m very nationalistic and with the work I did at Vodafone and the rest, I’m confident that we will work to turn BOST around,” he assured.
He said as part of measures to cut down expenditure, where possible, foreign training for BOST technical staff will be procured locally from TOR as they have the capabilities to supply same.
“Other West African nations come for training at TOR so why not us,” he said.
Mr Provencal revealed that since he assumed office, all the parcel of fuel they have handled has made some gains.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Syria Plans To Sue U.S. Gov’t For ‘Stealing’ Its Oil
Syria’s government is considering suing the United States in an international court over what a senior advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad referred to as the ‘stealing’ of Syria’s oil.
“Syria is looking into the possibility of filing an international lawsuit against the United States, due to the fact that they steal Syrian oil,” Bouthaina Shaaban, Syrian Presidential Adviser, told Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV in an interview, carried by Iran’s Fars news agency.
After a surprise announcement of pulling the U.S. troops out of Syria in October, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States would protect Syrian oil fields from ISIS.
President Trump claimed that the U.S had taken control of the oil in the Middle East, tweeting that “The U.S. has secured the Oil, & the ISIS Fighters are double secured by Kurds & Turkey.”
The President did not elaborate on what he meant by “securing the oil,” but speculations about the President’s statement assume he was referring to the U.S. special forces that have been—and will continue to be—in control of oil and gas fields in Deir Ezzor, Syria’s oil region.
President Trump has vowed to protect Syrian oil fields from ISIS, and the United States may leave 500 troops in northeastern Syria and send in battle tanks and other equipment with the purpose to help the Kurds in the area to protect oil fields that used to be controlled by Islamic State during its so-called caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria.
In a separate interview, with NBC news, Assad’s advisor Shaaban said that the United States had no right to Syria’s oil, warning of “popular opposition and operations against the American occupiers of our oil.”
The Kurdish SDF forces control most of Syria’s oil. Before the war, Syria was producing 387,000 barrels of oil per day, of which 140,000 bpd were exported.
Ghana: Exclusive Photos From Ghana Energy Sector Annual Ball
Energynewsafrica.com brings you exclusive pictures from the 2019 Ghana Energy Sector Annual Ball (GESAB).
GESAB is a memorable end of year gala dinner that brings players in the energy sector in the Republic of Ghana under one roof to, among other things, foster and strengthen interpersonal relationships, build loyalty, and celebrate work done by all stakeholders within the year.
The maiden edition was organized last year in partnership with the Ghana Oil and Gas Service Providers Association (GOGSPA) and Blackpool Entertainment Limited at the Accra Marriott Hotel.
In 2018, dignitaries including Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Finance and Infrastructure, representatives of Petroleum Commission and representatives of local oil service companies graced the event.
Unlike 2018, event which hosted stakeholders in only the petroleum sector, this year’s event was opened to players in the Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution as well as Petroleum Upstream, Midstream and Downstream subsectors.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Aramco Welcomes New Agreement Between Saudi Arabia And Kuwait For Resumption Of Oil Production
Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Saudi Aramco, has welcomed the new agreement signed between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait regarding the Saudi-Kuwaiti Partitioned Zone, which paves the way for the resumption of oil production at two fields.
Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser commented: “Today is a remarkable day within the framework of economic and oil cooperation and integration between both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait. With the signing of this new accord, both parties have reached consensus that now is the right time to resume production in this zone. Both sides will work to ensure production resumption at the earliest opportunity.”
The historic agreement was signed in Kuwait City by HRH Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy and HE Khaled al-Fadhel, Kuwaiti Oil Minister and Minister of Electricity and Water.
Halliburton Appoints Robb Voyles As Chief Legal Officer
Oil and gas services provider, Halliburton Company, has announce the appointment of Robb Voyles as executive vice president, secretary and chief legal officer effective January 1, 2020.
“We congratulate Robb on his well-earned appointment to chief legal officer,” Jeff Miller, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Halliburton said in a press release posted on the company’s website.
“He has built an outstanding legal team who provides sound legal guidance for our entire organization, and we are very fortunate to have him leading our corporate legal strategy.”
Van Beckwith, currently chair of the Litigation Department at Baker Botts LLP and member of its Executive Committee, will join Halliburton in January and assume the role of senior vice president and general counsel, reporting to Voyles.
Beckwith has almost 30 years of experience trying large and complex cases and arbitrations across the U.S.
During his tenure, he maintained a robust, nationwide trial practice for many of Baker Botts’ key clients while also serving in a wide range of leadership roles.
South Africa: New Oil And Gas Law Proposes 20% Carried Interest
South Africa has published a long-anticipated draft of oil and gas legislation that will give the state a 20% carried interest in exploration and production rights, with the aim of increasing development of the industry.
The policy also calls for at least a 10% participating interest by black partners and the establishment of a Petroleum Agency, according to a draft published Tuesday by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in the Government Gazette.
The bill separates rules for the petroleum resources sector from laws that apply to mining exploration. Companies including Royal Dutch Shell Plc have slowed activity in recent years, citing legislative uncertainty.
Finalizing the oil law has also become more urgent since Total SA announced the first significant deep-water discovery off the coast of South Africa in February.
South Africa will have a right to a 20% carried interest that “shall not be recoverable at exploration and appraisal stage,” according to the draft.
“The holder of a production right shall recover development and production costs from the proceeds generated from production operations as prescribed.”
Interested parties have until Feb. 21 to submit comment on the draft bill.
Guyana: ExxonMobil, Partners Discover More Oil In Starbroek Block Offshore
ExxonMobil and its partners have made an oil discovery offshore Guyana at the Mako-1 well southeast of the Liza field, marking the 15th discovery on the Stabroek Block.
The discovery adds to the previously announced estimated recoverable resource of more than 6 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.
Mako-1 encountered approximately 164 feet of a high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoir. Mako-1, drilled in 5,315 feet of water, is located approximately six miles southeast of the Liza field, which began producing oil in December 2019.
“New discoveries in this world-class basin have the potential to support additional developments,” Mike Cousins, senior vice president of exploration and new ventures at ExxonMobil said. “Our proprietary full-wave seismic inversion technology continues to help us better define our discovered resource and move rapidly to the development phase.”
The Liza Phase 1 development achieved first oil on Dec. 20, 2019 and will produce up to 120,000 boepd utilizing the Liza Destiny FPSO.
The Liza Unity FPSO, which will be employed for the second phase of Liza development and will have a production capacity of 220,000 boepd, is under construction and expected to start production by mid-2022.
Pending government approvals and project sanctioning of a third development, production from the Payara field north of the Liza discoveries could start as early as 2023, reaching an estimated 220,000 boepd.
Drilling activities in Guyana continue with four drillships to further explore and appraise new resources as well as develop the resources within approved projects.
The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres.
ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is operator and holds 45% interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30% interest and CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited, holds 25% interest.
Egypt: Russian Oil Company Enters Two Blocks Offshore
Russian state-controlled oil company Zarubezhneft has entered into a production sharing agreement for two offshore blocks in Egypt.
On December 24, 2019, in Cairo, Zarubezhneft JSC, the Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources of Egypt, the Egyptian state holding oil company GANOPE, and Pacific Oil Limited, signed a production sharing agreement for the South East Ras El Ush and East Gebel El Zeit blocks.
The blocks are located in the Gulf of Suez at a distance of 10 km from each other.
Estimated geological resources at both blocks amount to more than 200 million barrels, the Russian company said.
In the South East Ras El Ush blocks, Zarubezhneft plans to drill a prospecting well with the construction of a pilot, main and sidetracks, as well as to re-process and comprehensively re-interpret previously conducted 2D and 3D seismic surveys.
Also, to work on the block, the company is considering the possibility of attracting its own production capacities.
In the East Gebel El Zeit block, Zarubezhneft plans to implement work in the exploration and production areas, including the drilling of an exploration well in 2020.
Ghana: ECG, GRIDCo & NEDco Assure Of Reliable Power Supply During Festivities
Power utility companies in the Republic of Ghana have assured consumers in the West African nation of reliable power supply during the Christmas and the New Year festivities.
The three utility companies gave the assurance in a statement signed by the CEO of GRIDCo, Ing. Jonathan Amoako-Baah, Managing Director of ECG, Kwame Agyeman-Budu and CEO of NEDco Osmani A. Ayuba.
“As companies responsible for the transmission and distribution of power in Ghana, we recognise our critical importance to the sustenance of the country’s socio-economic development. We have, therefore, put in place a comprehensive business continuity plan and programme to ensure our engineers are on call to attend to emergencies when they occur across the country,” the statement said.
“We take our mandate to our key stakeholders seriously and resolve to execute it to the best of our ability. We wish our customers and the general public a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year,” it added.
Algeria: Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation Supports Development Of Algeria’s Energy Sector With US$250 Million Loan Facility
The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP), a multilateral development financial institution, has approved two loan facilities worth a combined USD 250 million for Sonatrach Petroleum Investment Corporation (SPIC), a subsidiary of Sonatrach International Holding Corporation owned by Sonatrach, the Algerian state-owned national oil company.
The first loan, a USD 100 million bilateral pre-financing facility, will be used to fund the maintenance of the Sonatrach Raffineria Italiana complex in Sicily, Italy, which Sonatrach acquired from ExxonMobil in December 2018.
The second loan, a USD 150 million unfunded and syndicated letter of credit, is for the purchase Saudi Aramco crude oil by Sonatrach Raffineria Italiana.
“APICORP is committed to supporting and financing Sonatrach in its first overseas acquisition. This is part of our mission to continue playing an active role in the development of our member countries’ broader energy sector and contribute to diversification and geographic expansion. As a trusted financial partner to the region’s energy sector, we remain steadfast in our mission to continue exploring opportunities in Algeria and other member states and provide solutions that drive innovation and bolster the sustainability of this vital industry,” Dr. Ahmed Ali Attiga, CEO of APICORP, said.
On his part, Nordine Bouteldja, Managing Director of SPIC commented, “Our strategic investment in international refining through Sonatrach Raffinera Italiana will contribute to meeting local energy demand and address imbalances in petroleum supplies. This is of key importance to our efforts to diversify our energy assets and secure reliable supplies of crude oil, as part of our drive to meet local energy demand and address imbalances in petroleum supplies to the domestic market.”
Located in Augusta, Sicily, Sonatrach Raffineria Italiana is Sonatrach’s first overseas acquisition. The integrated refinery complex, which has access to the major global shipping routes through the Mediterranean Sea, boasts a conversion rate of 200,000 bpd and can produce a wide range of downstream products, including gasoline, distillates, fuel oils, lubricants, asphalts and chemicals.
Earlier this year, Sonatrach designated APICORP as one of a select group of financial institutions to provide advisory on project management and financing-related matters.
Sudan: AfDB Approves $21.783Million Grant For Roll Out Of Solar-powered Irrigation
The African Development Bank’s Board of Directors has approved a grant to the government of Sudan to accelerate the adoption of solar-powered irrigation pumps in the country’s West Kordofan and North Kordofan states.
The project will enable farmers’ adoption of renewable energy technology through the installation of 1,170 photovoltaic (PV) irrigation pumps, the establishment of maintenance and repair workshops for the pumps, and the supply of equipment for a pump testing laboratory to provide certification and training.
Agriculture is an important economic sector in Sudan. In 2016, nearly 40% of the country’s GDP came from farming. For the sector, and for the wider economy, the project offers significant and numerous knock-on benefits.
As a result of the expected phasing out of diesel-fueled pumps, participating farmers will realise cost savings from no longer needing to purchase diesel, which is scarce in rural areas. Productivity also would increase: diesel generators require time consuming maintenance and repair.
Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, the country’s largest contributor, would fall.
Mr. Paul Baldeh, the Bank’s Director for Power Systems Development, noted that “by extending farmers a grant covering 75% of installation costs, the government, with Bank support, will overcome the most significant hurdle of adopting clean PV technology: high upfront costs.”
The remaining 25% will be payable in installments over three years. He added that the project will conduct a ground water survey and sustainability assessment that will inform the development of subsequent projects in Sudan.
The project meets the Sudanese government’s renewable energy and poverty reduction objectives as well as the Bank’s High Five and Energy Sector Policy. Moreover, the project has strong potential to be replicated and scaled up in other parts of the country.
Ghana: BOST, TOR Will Be Managed By A Single CEO If I Return To Power- Ex-President Mahama
Ghana’s former president, John Dramani Mahama believes a single Chief Executive Officer should manage the West African nation’s only refinery, TOR, and the strategic oil company, BOST.
The two oil companies were managed by Mr Kwame Awuah Darko during the tenure of Mr John Dramani Mahama.
The former political leader, who is seeking a come back on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said he would reverse the current situation where two persons are managing the companies if he is given the nod in Ghana’s upcoming general elections slated for December 7, 2020.
He attributed Ghana’s struggles with petroleum pricing to “a lot of inefficiencies in the distribution chain of petroleum products.
“Due to the improved efficiency between the two of them [BOST and TOR] in handling petroleum products, we were able to keep petroleum products at a much lower price than they would have been if we had left it the way it was. And so when I come as president again, I am going to appoint one chief executive to be in charge of both BOST and TOR and we will rebuild BOST’s capacity as a state-owned enterprise,” he promised.
Again, Mr Mahama said the NDC plans to, once again, turn around the fortunes of BOST and return it to its glorious days.
“We took BOST from the worst-performing state-owned enterprise and by the time we left office, BOST was the best-performing state-owned enterprise.
“We will rebuild BOST again to claim its glory and we will let it work together with the Tema Oil Refinery so that we can ensure that efficiency of distribution in the system will bring down prices and inure to the benefit our people.”
Ghana: COPEC Urges Road Users To Adhere To Road Safety Regulations To Avoid Accidents
The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC-GH), a petroleum consumer advocacy group in the Republic of Ghana, has joined calls for greater safety of all motorists, as well as other road users to observe road safety regulations in order to avert any unfortunate road accidents during the yuletide.
Arguably, road traffic fatalities and their accompanying wreckages are becoming a growing public health concern nationwide.
Records show that, the first half of 2019 recorded 6,844 road crashes which have resulted in some 1,252 fatalities. These figures are, indeed, devastating, unfortunate and alarming.
“The safety of public transport operators, private drivers and the general public with respect to the safe use of our roads is an issue of concern to us during this Christmas season. It is evident that transportation activities will be on the rise during this festive season as individuals are expected to travel across the length and breadth of the country to celebrate with family and loved ones,” COPEC noted in a statement copied to energynewsafrica.com.
COPEC entreated motorists and pedestrians to observe every necessary road safety regulation for the avoidance of road traffic fatalities.
COPEC is of the firm belief that state agencies including the Police MTTD, the National Road Safety Commission and other relevant state institutions engaged in road safety management would intensify awareness creation and preventive efforts towards reducing the risk of road accidents and unexpected carnages during this season.
The statement called on the general public to adhere to safety measures such as maintenance of their vehicles, observing appropriate speed limits, obeying road signs and avoidance of driving under duress/stress, alcoholic influences and/or other hard drug substances.
COPEC used the opportunity to wish drivers, pedestrians, business entities and the general public a Merry Christmas and an incident-free festive celebration.
Karpowership Ghana Puts Christmas Smiles On The Faces Of Inmates Of New Horizon Special School
As part of its programme of activities for the 2019 Christmas season, Karpowership Ghana, one of the independent power producers in the Republic of Ghana has extended its benevolence to New Horizon Special School in Accra, capital of the West African nation.
The company donated food items ranging from bags of rice, oil, tomatoes puree, toiletries, drinks, biscuits among others.
The donation, which is a part of the company’s corporate social responsibility activities, has become an annual tradition to support the less privileged during the Yuletide.
The Corporate Communications Specialist of Karpowership Ghana, Ms. Sandra Amarquaye explained that the purpose of the donation was to give back to society.
“For us at Karpowership we are filled with joy when we put smiles on the faces of these young ones especially around this time of the year to spread the good cheer. As we are all aware Christmas is season of giving and we hope these items donated will help bridge some needs of the children in this home”.
Ms Sandra Amarquaye added that the company’s passion is to impact lives in every area it can. ‘Our philosophy as a company is that we believe we live in one world therefore wherever we find ourselves we need to support the society.
‘We always want to impact lives and improve the well-being of the less-privileged in society through meaningful interventions such as this”
The Principal of the New Horizon Special School Mrs. Vanessa Adu-Akorsah expressed her gratitude to Karpowership and said the School was privileged to have Karpowership Ghana remember the children during this festive season.
“The children here would also have something to celebrate with during this season.
She also admonished parents and the general public to welcome and relate well with children with special needs rather than making unsavory comments about them as this negatively affects their self-worth and human dignity.