The Federal High Court, in Abuja has refused to admit a document sought to be tendered in evidence by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against former Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling, held that the motion was inadmissible because the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was unable to bring to the court its certified true copy.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Counsel to EFCC, Mohammed Abubakar, had, on Nov. 5, tendered a document in which Yakubu, who is the 1st defendant witness (DW1), tendered at the Supreme Court, seeking for an order of stay of execution restraining the Federal Government from taking over the money which the anti-corruption agency took away when its operatives raided his residence.
Abubakar said that Yakubu had deposed to an affidavit at the apex court that the money was kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kano by the EFCC.
But while being cross examined before Justice Mohammed by the anti-graft lawyer in the last adjourned date and question about the whereabouts of the money was put to the former GMD, said it was from the EFCC he got to know that the confiscated money was in CBN branch in Kano State.
However, Yakubu’s Lawyer, Ahmed Raji, SAN, urged the court not to admit the document on the premised that Abubakar ought to have come with its certified true copy being a public document.
In his ruling on Monday, Justice Mohammed said though it was not in doubt that the document emanated from the Supreme Court, “subsequently, to tender the document, it ought to have been certified.”
Quoting Section 35 of the Evidence Act 2011, he said “the content of a document may be proved either by primary or secondary evidence.”
Mohammed held that the primary evidence of the motion to be tendered was the original copy which is at the custody of the Supreme Court.
He said for a motion to be tendered as secondary evidence, it must have been certified, citing previous cases to back the ruling.
The judge, therefore, held that the document sought to be tendered by the EFCC was inadmissible in the law.
“It is hereby rejected and shall be marked: tendered and rejected accordingly,” he ruled.
Justice Mohammed, who also refused to hear the EFCC’s motion, seeking an order to visit the locus in quo (i.e the CBN in Kano) because it was not fixed for the day’s proceeding, adjourned the matter until Jan. 14, 2021, to hear the anti-graft agency’s motion.
NAN recalls that the EFCC, in 2017, raided the house of the former NNPC GMD in Kaduna State and found 9, 772, 800 dollars (9.7 million dollars) and 74, 000 pounds in a safe.
Yakubu was, however, arraigned on March 16, 2017, on six counts but was ordered by the Court of Appeal to defend counts three and four which bordered on failure to make full disclosure of assets, receiving cash without going through a financial institution and intent to avoid a lawful transaction in alleged violation of Section 1(1) of the Money Laundering Act, 2011 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the Act.
The hot air that was blowing in Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is giving way for cold air following an agreement that was reached on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, between the workers and management.
The staff of TOR had been up in arms with the Francis Boateng-led management and the Board for failing to address their grievances, thus, creating tension at the refinery.
However, there was hope for the workers on Wednesday, when management finally agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), setting out roadmap to resolve their grievances.
The workers accused their management of increasing their (management) allowances since April this year but failed to increase the allowances for the workers.
The explanation by management was that the Coronavirus pandemic had impacted on the operations of the company and urged the workers to bear with them.
This did not appease the workers who insisted that management increased their allowances since they had increased theirs.
Energynewsafrica.com understands the workers drafted a proposal which gave management the option to increase the allowances while salary increment would be done by the first quarter of 2021.
According to sources, management was hesitant in signing the agreement but the workers succeeded in getting management to succumb to their demands when they stormed the Board Meeting and insisted that they signed the agreement before the meeting could proceed.
Energynewsafrica.com’s sources indicated that Mr. Daniel Appiah, General Manager for Finance, signed the MoU on behalf of management while Maame Serwah initialed for the workers, with Mr. Alhaji Fuseinu Iddrisu, General Secretary of General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union, witnessing it.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The Managing Director and Group CEO of GOIL, Ghana’s leading oil marketing company, Kwame Osei Prempeh, has been honored as the Most Respected CEO of the Year 2020 for the Oil Marketing category at the 3rd Ghana Industry CEO Awards 2020 held in Accra.
The Award recognizes the good corporate governance and achievements of identified Chief Executives Officers with eligible awardees selected from both the public and private sector corporations and institutions.
The award particularly recognized Mr. Osei Prempeh’s calm leadership qualities that has led to the steady growth of GOIL which has shown resilience as an indigenous and strong Oil Marketing Company in the face industry turbulence presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the Award, Mr Osei Prempeh dedicated the award to staff of GOIL whom he described as ‘hardworking and dedicated’, adding that ‘In the most difficult year of modern times, God has been good and the continued perseverance of all will make the team conquer all obstacles’.
Mr Osei Prempeh was recently awarded the CEO OF THE YEAR at the Ghana Energy Awards; CEO OF THE YEAR’ for the DOWNSTREAM Petroleum sector at the Oil and Gas Awards and Ghana’s Most Respected CEO’s Award For Indigenous Oil Marketing Entities.
Ghana’s President, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed optimism that the country will achieve the target of 10 percent of renewable energy sources into the country’s energy mix by 2030 given the level of progress made so far.
The West African nation is a signatory to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and has, thus, committed to increasing renewable energy sources into the energy mix by 10 percent.
Since then, Ghana has initiated a number of projects towards achieving the target. Among the renewable energy projects executed by state-owned agencies are 2.4 MW solar park in Navrongo, 6.5MW solar park (Lawra) and 13.5MW solar park (Kaleo) in Upper West by VRA and the ongoing construction of 250MW solar farm by Bui Power Authority (BPA).
Besides these projects, some private entities like BXC has 20MW solar power plant at Gomoa Onyaadze, Meinergy’s 20MW and Safisana 0.1MW at Ashaiman.
Until recently when parliament passed the Renewable Energy (Amendment) Act 2020, which included hydro power as renewable, Ghana’s renewable energy had been mainly from solar and biomass.
Speaking at the commissioning of the first phase of the 250MW solar power plant executed by the Bui Power Authority, President Akufo-Addo said the project is a demonstration of Ghana’s resolve to diversify the country’s energy generation portfolio and increase renewable energy components in the energy mix.
Nana Yaw Osafo Maafo, Senior Minister delivering President Akufo-Addo’s speech at the commissioning of the first phase of the 250MW solar plant
President Akufo-Addo, who said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Senior Minister Nana Yaw Osafo Maafo, said: “This project further demonstrates my government’s commitment to fulfill our promise.
“With Bui Power Authority’s significant addition of 250MW, VRA’s 100MW (The VRA has completed 6.4MW solar plant at Lawra, with 13MW under construction at Kaleo in the Upper West Region. There is also the 60MW Pwalugu Hydropower Multipurpose project. Additionally, it is developing 150MW wind project in Anloga and West Ada Districts of the Volta and Greater Accra Regions respectively in the short to medium term) and other small solar and hydro projects, I can assure you that Ghana will attain the 10% Renewable Energy target by 2030.”
According to him, technical and cost environment now make it possible for Ghana to encourage, as a matter of policy, the large scale development of solar projects in Ghana.
“Bui Power Authority has taken the lead in this direction and I’m pleased with this progress and wish the Board, Management and staff continue to introduce innovative ways into the Renewable Energy space,” he said.
Chairman of the Bui Power Authority Board, Ambassador Afare Apeadu Donkoh said following the successful implementation of the Tsatsadu micro hydro project by the Bui Power Authority’s engineers, the Board motivated them to implement the hydro hybrid solar project.
Ambassador Afare Apeadu Donkoh,Board Chairman of Bui Power Authority
According to him, BPA has also made giant strides by adding floating solar in the energy mix.
He said, under the current Board, the Authority has been able to secure amendment of BPA Act 207, Act 740 and commended the Ministry of Energy, Energy Commission and the Attorney General’s Department for supporting them.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Parliamentary Candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress Candidate in the Abuakwa North Constituency in the Eastern Region in the Republic of Ghana, Rev. Charles Darko Yeboah, is in hot waters for stealing electricity to the tune of GHS18, 477.87(U.S.$ 3,152.05 ).
Rev. Charles Yeboah, popularly known as Ozey, who is the proprietor of the Holy Believed Senior High School Complex at Akyem Kukurantumi, allegedly connected electricity to his school illegally and enjoyed electricity freely.
A source at the Eastern Regional branch of ECG, who confirmed the illegal act to energynewsafrica.com, said a team from the Revenue Protection Section from Koforidua embarked on a routine exercise and when they visited the school, they detected the illegality.
According to the source, the team examined the power the facility had consumed and it was estimated at GHS18,477.87(U.S.$ 3,152.05)
The source explained that Rev. Yeboah was informed about his illegal act, so he sent someone to pick the bill and expected him to start the settlement.
The source further explained that ECG did not know that Rev. Yeboah was the parliamentary candidate of the opposition NDC until the governing New Patriotic Party executives in the Abuakwa North Constituency held a press conference and blew his cover.
“This development has put us in a very bad state because looking at the timing, someone might think we are behind the release of his identity,” the source said.
Attempts by energynewsafrica.com to speak to the NDC’s PC including telephone calls and text messages, proved futile.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Managing Director of Electricity Company of Ghana( ECG), Kwame Agyeman-Duah, has won the Most Respected CEO of the Year 2020 award for the Power Supply Category at the Ghana Industry CEO Awards ceremony held last Friday.
The Ghana Industry CEOs’ Awards is an annual awards’ scheme aimed at identifying and publicly recognising the most outstanding Chief Executives in corporate Ghana across a wide range of sectors.
Eligible awardees include CEOs of both private and public sector corporations and institutions.
The awarding panel took into consideration the achievements of ECG under Mr Agyeman-Budu, which were all aimed at improving customer services.
Under the leadership of Mr. Agyeman-Budu, ECG introduced what has popularly been known as ECG Power App which was designed internally.
The App enables customers to recharge their credit card at their convenience without physically present at the ECG offices.
Additionally, the ECG, under Mr. Agyeman-Budu, introduced web portal which allows customers to access their records.
The Southern power distribution company recently introduced the deployment of drones to assist and enhance its operational efficiency across the country.
The ECG also successfully implemented the government’s reliefs of free electricity for consumers as part of Covid-19 pandemic alleviation programme.
Commenting on the award, Mr. Agyeman-Budu, who expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve the country, dedicated the award to the hard working staff of ECG, the Board of Directors, Management and ECG customers for their loyalty to the company.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
The Vice President of Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has inspected the ongoing construction of Bulk Supply Point (BSP) at Pokuase, a suburb of Accra.
The project is about 84 percent complete.
The U.S$50 million project, being executed by the Millennium Development Authority under the Ghana Power Compact II, is funded by the United States Government through its agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
When completed, it would directly benefit about 300,000 power consumers in the catchment communities including Kwabenya, Anyah, Nsawam, and Ofankor.
According to Ghana News Agency, which reported about the Veep’s visit, the entourage was briefed about the progress of work by Patrick Oppong, the BSP Project Manager.
The visit was part of the Vice President’s working tour of the Greater Accra Region.
The Pokuase BSP, the fourth Bulk Supply Point in Accra, is designated as A4BSP, and its associated 33 kilovolt and 11 kilovolt interconnecting lines intended to address power supply challenges including frequent outages and low voltages, resulting from increased power demand in Accra and the surrounding communities.
The project would also lead to a significant reduction in technical losses in the GRIDCo transmission system and the ECG power distribution, which would contribute to improve the financial viability of the utilities.
The Pokuase BSP is the first 330kV in Accra and would be the largest in the country when completed.
The contractor for the project is Elecnor S.A. of Spain with SMEC International PTY Ltd. as the Project Engineers.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Africa Oil and Power (AOP) is set to mobilize the pan-African investment community ahead of its fifth annual AOP 2021 Conference & Exhibition, which unites key stakeholders across oil, gas, power and downstream industries to ring in a new era of African energy growth.
Under the theme, “Invest Without Boundaries,” AOP 2021 represents the premier platform for accessing the entire African energy value chain and fostering dialogue on bankable investment opportunities, the energy transition, industrialization, regional business and economic transformation across the continent. As nations and investors gear up for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which will be implemented on 1 January 2021, AOP will promote investment across African and international borders and a strong post-COVID-19 economic recovery based on sustainable energy development.
Endorsed by and in partnership with the African Energy Chamber and South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, AOP 2021 tackles dynamic challenges facing the African investment community, as the continent progresses toward post-COVID-19 growth.
The three-day event also leverages strategic partnerships with the South Africa Oil & Gas Alliance (SAOGA), South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association (SACETA) and South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, putting the spotlight on opportunities in South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and the region.
“With its advanced infrastructure, diverse economy, sophisticated capital markets and developed manufacturing capacity, South Africa is the ideal location for any company wanting to reach the continental market, with greater effectiveness from a cost and logistical point of view,” said South African President H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, at the third edition of the South Africa Investment Conference 2020 on 18 November.
“South Africa has an amazing industry that is already focused on and active in Southern Africa,” said Adrian Strydom, CEO, SAOGA. “We welcome foreign partnerships and would like to encourage investment into South Africa, as this is an emerging industry with a lot of opportunities. Come and experience South Africa and its possibilities at AOP 2021, at which many of our members will attend the rich programs.”
“AOP is one of the major players in the African energy sector,” said Wenan Wang, Chair of SACETA. “AOP 2021 is important and helpful for both Chinese and international companies, particularly after COVID-19.”
For the first time, AOP 2021 will incorporate virtual formats alongside the in-person conference, as well as co-host collaborative events on the main stage – including the Africa Renewables Forum, Africa LNG Forum and Energy Finance Forum – in line with pan-African objectives to catalyze financing into natural gas exploration and monetization, as well as facilitating a clean energy transition.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
OPEC ministers were hashing out a proposal to delay January’s scheduled oil-supply increase by three months, but delegates said drawn-out discussions about conditions attached to the move meant a final decision won’t come until Tuesday, December 1, 2020.
The coalition is debating whether to maintain their supply cuts at current levels, or increase output as planned next year. Some members are concerned that global markets remain too weak to absorb more barrels while others want to sell more crude as prices surge amid hopes for virus vaccines.
Market-watchers have been expecting OPEC+ to agree on a three-month delay — and if the group doesn’t deliver prices will suffer. At stake also is the credibility of the cartel whose actions have underpinned the market since the spectacular oil crash earlier this year.
The run-up to the meeting has been marked by new cracks emerging in the relationship between the United Arab Emirates — a core part of the cartel — and other members. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman signaled his dissatisfaction with the situation on Monday by telling others he may resign as co-chair of a committee that oversees the OPEC+ deal.
A few hours into the video conference, there had been no opposition to the proposed delay, but delegates said there was still no consensus about the precise terms of the extension. Still unresolved were questions of members’ compliance with pledged cuts, and compensation from countries that have previously exceeded their supply limits.
In a speech at the meeting’s opening session, Algerian Energy Minister Abdelmadjid Attar indicated a preference for a delay. He was later quoted by Algeria’s state news agency saying there was consensus, and he was optimistic there would be an agreement to maintain the current cuts through the first quarter.
“We must be aware today that the market conditions of 2020 are likely to continue during the first quarter of 2021,” said Attar, who holds OPEC’s rotating presidency. “We must be cautious.”
Other options that have been floated are a two-month delay, and the possibility of gradually increasing output over a period of three or four months.
Lockdown Impact
Producers held informal discussions on Sunday evening, where most of them had supported maintaining the existing curbs into the first quarter. But the plan didn’t get backing from two of the coalition’s major players: the UAE and Kazakhstan, delegates said.
Tensions have emerged between the UAE and the Saudis, traditionally stalwart partners. Abu Dhabi has grown impatient to use its new production capacity, while also planning to launch a regional oil benchmark contract. The country hasn’t commented publicly on its stance, and officials said before Monday’s meeting that they hadn’t decided on a position.
Kazakhstan is ready to discuss its position, according to a person familiar with the country’s oil policy. The Kazakh Energy Ministry declined to comment.
Several delegates predicted that OPEC+ would eventually find a compromise that works for everyone, as is usually the case for the group.
“There is still a broad desire within OPEC+ to balance the market,” said Bill Farren-Price, a director at research firm Enverus. “While there are options on the table, there is no oven-ready deal.”
If that consensus can’t be achieved, the existing agreement allows members to add 1.9 million barrels a day to world markets, potentially derailing the recent rebound in crude prices. Brent futures are trading near $47 a barrel in London. Crude could fall by about $5 if OPEC+ doesn’t delay the production increase, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Uncertain Demand
OPEC+ made vast production cuts during the depths of the pandemic to offset a historic collapse in fuel demand. The alliance had planned to ease some of those curbs at the start of 2021, in anticipation of a global economic recovery. Over the past few weeks, leading figures in the alliance such as Saudi Prince Abdulaziz and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak have signaled support for delaying that supply increase.
While a breakthrough in vaccines to tackle the coronavirus propelled oil prices to an eight-month high, resurgence in infections has triggered a new wave of lockdowns and inflicted a fresh blow to fuel consumption. The cartel and the wider industry have downgraded their outlooks for 2021, with a picture that’s sharply polarized between recovery in Asia and stagnation in Europe.
Grumbling Members
Yet Abu Dhabi has so far withheld its blessing for a delay, with Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouei repeating his position that many countries still haven’t implemented the supply cuts they’ve been obligated to make for months, delegates said.
That may have been a pointed reference to the Saudis’ treatment of the UAE during the summer, when Mazrouei was summoned to Riyadh and given a public rebuke for his own overproduction. The country has since delivered the required compensatory curbs, but other laggards like Iraq and Nigeria haven’t.
The Emirates’ frustrations flared two weeks ago, when officials signaled privately that they were dissatisfied with the quota assigned to them by OPEC, and were even contemplating leaving the organization in the long term. Iraq and Nigeria have also grumbled about their output limits.
“It won’t be an easy meeting,” Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told the Shana news agency. “Some are opposed to extending the previous decision, and this makes matters more difficult.”
Source: worldoil.com
South Africa’s Minister for Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Barbara Creecy has revealed that summons was served on Eskom on November 27, 2020 notifying it of the decision by the Senior Public Prosecutor to pursue criminal prosecution in respect of air pollution by Eskom’s Kendal Power station.
This includes, amongst others, a charge of supplying false and misleading information in reports prepared by management at Kendal power station to an Air Quality Officer, which is a criminal offence listed in Section 51(1)(g) of the Air Quality Act.
The summons orders Eskom representatives to appear in the Witbank Regional Court on 28 January 2021.
This follows an internal investigation and report prepared by Eskom Audit and Forensic (A&F) into air quality compliance and reporting, initiated by Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter on 17 May 2020 following investigations and articles by EE Business Intelligence on these matters.
The Eskom investigation report finds that “allegations made by media personalities are mainly proven true”, and that Eskom Generation management should take heed of the reality of Kendal’s poor emissions performance.
Minister Creecy commented: “The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) has yet to receive the full report on Eskom’s internal investigation and findings in respect of air quality compliance and reporting at Kendal power station.”
“A thorough and detailed analysis of the full report is needed in order for the Department to understand the implications of its findings and how these may affect the action currently being taken against the power station,” she added.
The Eskom internal investigation report highlights the false and misleading classification of regular, ongoing and extended atmospheric emission contraventions above the statutory limits as “Section 30” exceedances in reports to the regulatory authorities.
A Section 30 exceedance, however, refers to a short-term exceedance that may occur in an incident or emergency situation, such as an unexpected, sudden and uncontrolled release of a hazardous substance, including from a major emission, fire or explosion.
Following extended periods of non-compliance of all six generation units at Kendal in 2018 and 2019, the DEFF finally issued a Compliance Notice to Eskom on 10 December 2019.
The notice essentially compelled Eskom to cease operation of two units, and ordered corrective measures to be undertaken, over time, in order to ensure that operations are undertaken in compliance with the Kendal’s Atmospheric Emissions License (AEL).
“However, and despite the above, some of Eskom’s units at this power station have continued to operate in non-compliance, which has resulted in the Department issuing a further warning on 17 November 2020”, said Minister Creecy.
Upon notification to Eskom and Kendal power station of the wrong classification of contraventions as Section 30 exceedances in its reports to the regulatory authorities, the reports were modified and subsequently resubmitted in March 2020.
However, the Eskom investigator found that the significant misreporting and misleading reporting identified in the original reports was perpetuated in the resubmitted reports. The investigator concluded that this was a continuation of a failure to apply a “duty of care” by Kendal.
Source: Esi Africa
Residents of Lagos, Kaduna and those in other parts of Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, have been thrown into total darkness as a result of system collapse by one of the country’s national grid.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP), which supplies power to the affected areas, twitted Sunday that it was working with Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to restore the light.
“Dear customer, The outage you’re experiencing is due to a system collapse on the National Grid.
“We are working with our TEN minutes partners to restore supply as soon as possible. Please bear with us,” the tweet said.
Ghana has joined the few African countries that have installed solar system for electricity generation on a river.
South Africa was the first country in Africa to have installed solar on a river followed by Seychelles.
Tunisia and Ivory Coast have also signed agreement for the execution of floating solar project.
In Ghana, the 1000kilowatts (1MW) facility, which is on the Bui Dam reservoir in the Bono Region, was installed by Bui Power Authority’s engineers without the involvement of any expatriates.
Chief Executive Officer of BPA has told energynewsafrica.com that his outfit intends to scale it up to about 5MW.
The project forms part of BPA’s vision to diversify its energy sources.
Ghana’s Parliament recently passed the BPA (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to allow the Authority execute renewable energy projects.
The Authority has also been made to assume the role of Renewable Energy Authority following the passage of Renewable Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 until such a time when Renewable Energy Authority is established.
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Power, William Owuraku Aidoo says the decision by the Ministry to review all the thermal and Renewable Energy Power Purchasing Agreement signed under the immediate past NDC administration has paid off.
According to him, that bold decision taken by the Ministry has resulted in the reduction of Feed -in-Tariff for solar power plant from 18 U.S cent per kilowatt hour to below 10 U.S cent per kilowatt hour.
Other steps the Ministry took which saved the power sector, the Minister explained was placing moratorium on the signing of new Power Purchasing Agreement and a directive that procurement of all energy contracts by the Government of Ghana and state-owned entities be done through competitive bidding on Take-and-Pay basis.
“These interventions have helped sanitise the power sector. The result is what we are seeing today. Whereas state-owned generation companies, ie. VRA and BPA, having gone through competitive bidding have been able to bring down the cost of solar below 10 US cents per kilowatt hour. Previously, the IPPs sold this same solar power to the distribution utilities at a Feed-in-Tariff of above 18 US cents per kilowatt hour,” he explained.
Speaking at the commissioning of the first phase of the 250MWp solar park being executed by the Bui Power Authority (BPA), Owuraku Aidoo noted that the Ministry of Energy facilitated the expeditious amendment of the Renewable Energy Act 2011 to repeal the feed-in-tariff scheme to provide the legal backing for competitive procurement of power.
The Renewable Energy Amendment Act 2020 also encourages small-scale self-generation and net-metering from renewables.
Furthermore, it mandates fossil fuel-based wholesale electricity suppliers, fossil fuel producers and other companies that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions to complement the global effort of climate change mitigation by investing in non-utility scale renewable energy technologies, particularly for off-grid electrification.
According to the Minister, when all the 250MW solar capacity is completed, it would be the largest Hydro-Solar-Hybrid Power Generating Plant in Africa.
He said the objective of the Hydro-Solar-Hybrid is to enable the Bui Generation Station operate solar during the day when the sun is shining and bring the hydro power on line when the solar irradiation is low especially during the night.
He applauded the CEO and Board of the Bui Power Authority for finding innovative way of executing this project without loans, as well as constructing the first-ever Floating Solar PV System of 1MW in the West African sub-region on the Bui reservoir in Ghana.
“Looking at the successes that have been achieved within this short period, you will agree with me that the Bui Power Authority has distinguished itself as Ghana’s Renewable Energy leaders and this cannot go unrecognised. Consequently, Parliament, on 6th November, 2020, amended the Bui Power Authority Act and expanded its scope beyond the Black Volta to implement renewable and other clean energy alternatives nationwide,” the Deputy Minister said.
The Hohoe Municipal Hospital and Gbi–Kodzofe CHIPS compound in the Volta Region of the Republic of Ghana has been supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE).
The two facilities received 400 pieces of overall suits, 200 pieces of disposable shoe covers, 200 pieces of protective gowns, 50 boxes of protective goggles, 1000 boxes of face shield, 160 boxes of surgical nose mask, 40 boxes of face nask and 35 gallons of sanitizers.
The items were supplied by Ghana’s Minister for Energy, John Peter-Amewu, who is also the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Hohoe Constituency and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
According to Mr. John Peter Amewu, the Directors of both facilities approached him during one of his visits and spoke about shortage of PPE for health professionals and, therefore, appealed to the Electricity Company of Ghana to help the two facilities.
“ECG, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, had sponsored a 60-bed capacity Infectious Disease Centre which was commissioned by the Chief of Staff on Tuesday, 24th November, 2020, to help in the fight against Covid-19, so I approached the Board and Management of ECG to assist the health facilities in my constituency and they heeded to this appeal,” he said.
John Peter Amewu expressed his profound gratitude to the Electricity Company of Ghana for sponsoring an infectious disease center at Pantang and assisting the health facilities in his constituency with PPE to help in the fight against Covid-19 as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
He urged other institutions to emulate this gesture by the ECG to help the country win the fight against Covid-19.
John Peter Amewu announced that the road from Hohoe to the Gbi-Kodzofe CHIPS compound has been awarded to a contractor and would be completed very soon.
The Minister for Energy also donated one motorbike to the CHIPS compound to aid the operations of the staff, following a request by residents of the area.
The Managing Director of ECG, Kwame Agyemang-Budu indicated that the donation would not be the last by the company.
He commended all frontline officers for their exceptional professionalism exhibited in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and urged health professionals to use the PPE being provided for them.
Mr Budu acknowledged the immense contribution of the Minister for Energy to the energy sector and the strides ECG has made under the leadership of John Peter Amewu. According to him, the country has enjoyed stable power supply and improved voltage profile with Mr. Amewu at the helm of affairs in the energy sector.
He added that “the Government of Ghana, with Mr John Peter Amewu, as the Minister for Energy, has paid all arrears owed ECG and supported the company with over US$100 million to undertake massive system improvement projects. These interventions by the Government of Ghana will help the company to provide quality, reliable and safe electricity services to support the economic growth and development of Ghana.”
He commended the Minister for Energy and the Government of Ghana for providing relief packages for the customers of ECG during these difficult times.
“I would like to commend Hon. John Peter Amewu and the Government of Ghana, led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for absorbing the bills of all lifeline customers and paying half of the bills of non-lifeline customers,” he said.
Dr. Pius Mensah, the Director of the Hohoe Municipal Hospital, acknowledged the immense contribution of Mr. John Peter Amewu and thanked him for his unflinching support to the health directorate of the Volta Region and the Hohoe Municipality.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The award particularly recognized Mr. Osei Prempeh’s calm leadership qualities that has led to the steady growth of GOIL which has shown resilience as an indigenous and strong Oil Marketing Company in the face industry turbulence presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the Award, Mr Osei Prempeh dedicated the award to staff of GOIL whom he described as ‘hardworking and dedicated’, adding that ‘In the most difficult year of modern times, God has been good and the continued perseverance of all will make the team conquer all obstacles’.
Speaking at the commissioning of the first phase of the 250MW solar power plant executed by the Bui Power Authority, President Akufo-Addo said the project is a demonstration of Ghana’s resolve to diversify the country’s energy generation portfolio and increase renewable energy components in the energy mix.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com 
Under the leadership of Mr. Agyeman-Budu, ECG introduced what has popularly been known as ECG Power App which was designed internally.
The App enables customers to recharge their credit card at their convenience without physically present at the ECG offices.
Additionally, the ECG, under Mr. Agyeman-Budu, introduced web portal which allows customers to access their records.
The Southern power distribution company recently introduced the deployment of drones to assist and enhance its operational efficiency across the country.
The ECG also successfully implemented the government’s reliefs of free electricity for consumers as part of Covid-19 pandemic alleviation programme.
Commenting on the award, Mr. Agyeman-Budu, who expressed gratitude to God for the opportunity to serve the country, dedicated the award to the hard working staff of ECG, the Board of Directors, Management and ECG customers for their loyalty to the company.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
“ECG, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, had sponsored a 60-bed capacity Infectious Disease Centre which was commissioned by the Chief of Staff on Tuesday, 24th November, 2020, to help in the fight against Covid-19, so I approached the Board and Management of ECG to assist the health facilities in my constituency and they heeded to this appeal,” he said.
John Peter Amewu expressed his profound gratitude to the Electricity Company of Ghana for sponsoring an infectious disease center at Pantang and assisting the health facilities in his constituency with PPE to help in the fight against Covid-19 as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
He urged other institutions to emulate this gesture by the ECG to help the country win the fight against Covid-19.
John Peter Amewu announced that the road from Hohoe to the Gbi-Kodzofe CHIPS compound has been awarded to a contractor and would be completed very soon.
The Minister for Energy also donated one motorbike to the CHIPS compound to aid the operations of the staff, following a request by residents of the area.
The Managing Director of ECG, Kwame Agyemang-Budu indicated that the donation would not be the last by the company.
He commended all frontline officers for their exceptional professionalism exhibited in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and urged health professionals to use the PPE being provided for them.
Mr Budu acknowledged the immense contribution of the Minister for Energy to the energy sector and the strides ECG has made under the leadership of John Peter Amewu. According to him, the country has enjoyed stable power supply and improved voltage profile with Mr. Amewu at the helm of affairs in the energy sector.
He added that “the Government of Ghana, with Mr John Peter Amewu, as the Minister for Energy, has paid all arrears owed ECG and supported the company with over US$100 million to undertake massive system improvement projects. These interventions by the Government of Ghana will help the company to provide quality, reliable and safe electricity services to support the economic growth and development of Ghana.”
He commended the Minister for Energy and the Government of Ghana for providing relief packages for the customers of ECG during these difficult times.
“I would like to commend Hon. John Peter Amewu and the Government of Ghana, led by His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for absorbing the bills of all lifeline customers and paying half of the bills of non-lifeline customers,” he said.
Dr. Pius Mensah, the Director of the Hohoe Municipal Hospital, acknowledged the immense contribution of Mr. John Peter Amewu and thanked him for his unflinching support to the health directorate of the Volta Region and the Hohoe Municipality.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com