Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Ghana: 7Th Ghana Renewable Energy Fair Underway In Accra (Photos)
The 7th Ghana Renewable Energy Fair is currently underway at the International Conference Centre in Accra, capital of Ghana.
The three-day programme is being organised by the Energy Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy.
It is under the theme: ‘Removing Barriers to Renewable Energy Development in Ghana’.
The programme, which began today, is expected to end on Thursday, October 14, 2021.
It has brought together officials of Ghana’s Ministry of Energy, Energy Commission, Bui Power Authority, Volta River Authority, ECG and other stakeholders in the renewable energy industry.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com Qatar Petroleum Changes Name To Reflect Strategy Focusing On Energy Transition
Qatar’s state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Petroleum has changed its name to reflect its new strategy focused on the energy transition.
The company changed its name to QatarEnergy, according to information on its social media channels.
The name is also accompanied by a slogan that says Your energy transition partner.
Qatari newspaper, The Peninsula reported that this change reflects a new strategy that will focus on energy efficiency and environment-friendly technology such as CO2 sequestration.
قطر للبترول هي الآن قطر للطاقة
— QatarEnergy (@qatar_energy) October 11, 2021
Qatar Petroleum is now QatarEnergy#قطر_للطاقة
#QatarEnergy #YourEnergyTransitionPartner#Qatar pic.twitter.com/nihiyQMQl9
Nigeria: Gov’t To Scrap Fuel, Electricity Subsidies In 2022
Nigeria has announced plans to remove subsidies on fuel and electricity in 2022.
The country’s Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed disclosed this in Abuja, last Friday while giving a full breakdown of the 2022 budget.
She explained that the removal of subsidies was part of the overall step at addressing revenue leakages.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), a total of ₦905.27 billion was spent on petrol subsidies in the last eight months.
The landing cost for refined crude in Nigeria is about ₦290 per litre; with additional charges, revenue margins for oil and gas marketers, it is expected that the price of petroleum products will reach ₦350/litre.
Investors in the Nigerian power sector are groaning over the rising cost of carrying on business due to the lack of a Cost-Reflective Tariff (CRT), rising inflation and fluctuating foreign exchange rates.
The rise in global crude oil prices will result in a crisis with the sector largely dependent on fossil fuels for electricity generation.
Ghana: Fuel Prices Increased By 12 Pesewas; A Litre Now Sells At GHS6.52“The government is in the process of fully deregulating the downstream petroleum sector which will end subsidies and free up funds for national development, including investment in renewables which will be part of the energy mix that ultimately powers our economy,” Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister for Petroleum Resources, said. Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Big Relief For Fuel Consumers As Gov’t Suspends Price Stabilization and Recovery Levy On Fuel
The Government of Ghana has suspended the Price Stabilization and Recovery levies on petrol, diesel and Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) for two months.
This brings down the taxes and levies components of petroleum price build-up from eighteen to seventeen.
A litre of fuel currently sells at GHc6.52 for both petrol and diesel.
This development has resulted in widespread complaints by petroleum consumers.
As of 9 am, Monday, October 11, 2021, the international benchmark crude Brent was trading at $84.22 while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $81.53
A statement issued by Ghana’s petroleum downstream regulator, the NPA, which announced the suspension of the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levy said: “Because the pricing of petroleum products in Ghana is deregulated, changes in prices of petroleum products on the world market have a direct impact on prices at the pumps.
“The outlook of prices on the global market show an upward trend and, therefore, there was the need to seek the government’s intervention to lower the levies to cushion consumers from feeling the full impact of these rising prices,” it said.
The statement explained that the purpose of the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy (PSRL) is to stabilise prices for consumers and pay for the subsidies on premix fuel and Residual Fuel Oil (RFO).
At this time, It is Important that the PSRL, which is currently sixteen pesewas per litre (GHp16/Lt) on petrol, fourteen pesewas per litre (GHp14/Lt) on diesel and fourteen pesewas per kilogram (GHp14/Kg) on LPG are zeroed to cushion consumers.
“The NPA will work with the Ministries of Energy and Finance to quicken the legislative processes to give immediate effect to this directive by the President,” it stated.
“We are grateful to H.E. the President for granting the request to zero these levies to minimise the effect of rising prices of petroleum products on the world market on consumers in Ghana,” it concluded.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria Looks To Boost Oil Production By 310% To 4 Million Bpd
Nigeria, the largest oil producer and exporter in Africa, hopes that its newly adopted petroleum industry law will help it hike its oil production by 310 percent to 4 million barrels per day (bpd), Nigerian Petroleum Minister Timipre Sylva has said.
Nigeria currently produces just below 1.3 million bpd, as per OPEC’s latest official data.
The African OPEC member is one of the OPEC producers that have struggled in recent months to pump as much oil as their quota under the OPEC+ deal allows, due to force majeure circumstances at pipelines carrying crude to export terminals.
The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which became law in August, will help Nigeria achieve its target to pump 4 million bpd, minister Sylva said at an energy conference, as carried by local outlet Premium Times.
The new law will also allow the country to increase its crude oil reserves from 37 billion barrels to 40 billion barrels, and to extract more gas, which it sees as a key fuel in the energy transition, the minister added.
“First is the Focus on Gas. For us, this is at the heart of the energy transition and represents the first step in the journey to renewables away from oil. Already, we have declared that gas is our transition fuel, and also represents a destination fuel, as we envisage that it will be part of our energy mix by 2050, given the vast resources that can be commercialized and utilized,” Sylva said.
In the middle of August, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari signed the country’s newly passed petroleum bill into law, marking the end of 20 years of efforts at Africa’s top oil producer to overhaul its oil industry.
The new petroleum act aims to attract more foreign capital to the country’s oil sector, Nigeria says. The bill took two decades to be finalized, and hopes to overhaul the way Nigeria will share its oil resources with international oil companies as the country looks to attract new investment in oil and gas.
Source:Oilprice.com
Ghana: Disregard Calls For Suspension Of TOR IMC- GTPCWU To Gov’t
The umbrella body of oil and gas sector workers in the Republic of Ghana has called on the government to disregard calls for the suspension of the three-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) currently in place at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
According to Bernard Owusu, chairman of the General Transport Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU), the IMC should be allowed to do its work and come out with its full report.
He described the calls for the suspension of the IMC as wrong and inappropriate.
It would be recalled that the three-member Interim Management Committee, chaired by Ing. Nobert Cormla-Djamposu Aku, was constituted by the country’s Energy Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, to undertake technical and human resource audits as well as receiving and assessing viable partnerships for TOR.
This followed the dismissal of the Managing Director of TOR, Mr Francis Boateng, and his Deputy, Mr Ato Morrison, in June this year.
Energynewsafrica.com reported last Tuesday, October 6, 2021, that the ICM had interdicted fourteen top executives of the premier refinery for their roles which had caused financial losses to the company.
The IMC discovered that 18 drums of electrical cables worth and GHS10.4 million had disappeared from its Technical Storehouse, as well as the disappearance of 105, 927 litres of gas oil, which belonged to a BDC.
It also detected the disappearance of an LPG product belonging to a client between 2012 and 2015, as a result of which TOR was indebted to the client to the tune of USD4.8 million, as confirmed by an Ernst and Young audit.
It further detected the wrongful loading of 252,000 litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) instead of regular kerosene into BRV trucks at the loading gantry between 21st and 25th September 2021.
This development seemed to have ruffled feathers within the refinery and external beneficiaries of the alleged rot with calls on the government to suspend the IMC.
But speaking to energynewsafrica.com, Bernard Owusu said: “I find it weird for somebody to say that the IMC should be dissolved. Why are the products of only the BDCs disappearing? When BDCs were not using TOR storage tanks, there were no product losses,” he noted.
Mr Bernard believed the IMCs findings have exposed the cabal at TOR, who have been engaging in dubious practices and milking the refinery.
To him, the oil and gas business is full of cabals, saying “Maybe, the IMC is stepping on the toes of the cabal,” adding that “some of them are playing the game of their paymasters.”
Mr Owusu, who said one of the indicted workers is a member of the Union, said the Union is in solidarity with the indicted workers but said the Union does not condone wrongdoing.
He, therefore, urged all the union members to back the IMC.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Patronise Ghanaian-made Electrical Cables-Deputy Energy Minister Advises
A Deputy Minister for Energy in the Republic of Ghana, William Owuraku Aidoo, has called on Ghanaians to patronise the locally-made electrical cables and accessories to boost the country’s economy and also encourage the cable manufacturers to remain in business.
“I urge all Ghanaians to patronise Ghanaian-made electrical wiring materials,” he said.
The Deputy Minister made the call in his keynote address at the launching of ‘Syllabus and Guidelines for the electrical wiring regulations, 2011(LI 2008) and the USAID/WAEP’ sponsored electrical wiring certification scholarship scheme.
Some of the local companies into the production of cables are Tropical Cables and Conductors Ltd, Reroy Cables and Nexans Kabelmetal Ghana Ltd.
The Deputy Minister also called on Ghanaian businesses to take advantage of the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative being spearheaded by the government to establish factories to produce electrical wiring cables and accessories.
Ghana: Energy Minister Threatens ECG Workers With Dismissals If Losses Continue
BP Wins Over Greenpeace In North Sea Oil Court Case
A Scottish court handed BP (BP.L) a win over Greenpeace on Thursday after the environmental group tried to void the energy company’s licence to exploit a North Sea oilfield, saying the climate impact of the end-use of oil should not affect permits.
Greenpeace had said the emissions from the ultimate consumption of the oil – rather than just the smaller amount of emissions from the extraction process – should be the criterion for granting a licence.
It also said there had been errors in the consultation process preceding the granting of the permit.
UK regulators approved the 20,000 barrels per day Vorlich field, off the coast of Aberdeen, Scotland, in 2018 and it started producing in late 2020.
Judge Colin Sutherland of Scotland’s Court of Session in a ruling on Thursday said Greenpeace had the opportunity to engage in the process before the permit was granted.
“The question is whether the consumption of oil and gas by the end user, once the oil and gas have been extracted from the wells, transported, refined and sold to consumers, and then used by them are ‘direct or indirect significant effects of the relevant project’. The answer is that it is not,” the judge said in his decision, seen by Reuters.
“It would not be practicable, in an assessment of the environmental effects of a project for the extraction of fossil fuels, for the decision maker to conduct a wide ranging examination into the effects, local or global, of the use of that fuel by the final consumer.”
Typically permits are granted according to how emissions-efficient the extraction process itself is.
Greenpeace said it would seek an appeal before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
“We will not give up the fight for the climate,” Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven said in a statement.
BP’s emissions from operating and powering assets such as oilfields, known as Scope 1 and 2, were 54 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent last year, while those of the end-use of its products, known as Scope 3, were 328 million tonnes.
BP has pledged to become a net zero company, including its Scope 3 emissions, by 2050.
It had no immediate comment on Thursday’s ruling, which follows a series of legal actions brought by climate campaigners that are increasingly turning to the courts to try cut fossil fuel use. They have scored wins in cases against energy major Royal Dutch Shell
Source: Reuters
Nigeria: Electricity Privatization Has Brought Curse To Nigerians–Kayode Martins
A top executive of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) says the privatization of Nigeria’s electricity sector has been a curse and increased the suffering of Nigerians.
According to Comrade Kayode Martins, Chairman of the Oyo State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, privatization has benefited few, leaving the majority of Nigerians to suffer.
Speaking at a public symposium organised by the Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE), Oyo State, themed: ‘Privatization of Electricity, Curse or Blessing?’, Comrade Kayode Martins pointed out that electricity privatization would have been a greater benefit to Nigerians particularly the artisans if it were sold to the right handlers.
He lamented that some youth and artisans have become jobless due to epilepsy power supply by the Distribution Company of Nigeria (DISCO).
Mr Martins noted that those benefiting from the rot would say there is nothing wrong with the power sector because it is a blessing for them.
He said the government has failed to play its part.
“PHCN was not sold; the government still has 40% stake but it has failed to play its part. We are blessed with a lot of resources in this nation…power privatization would have been a blessing if the management were committed to the right person, but it rather had the people suffering,” he noted.
The convener of the Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE), Oyo State, Comrade Akinbodunse Shedrak described privatization as a waste of money because the government is still pumping money into a system that is not yielding positive results.
“We were promised that every house in Nigeria will be metered within three months before the privatization. The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission is one of the problems electricity consumers are having,” Shedrak emphasised.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: IBEDC Appeals To Okeho Residents, Promises Better Days Ahead
The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc has appealed to residents in communities at Okeho (LGA) in the Oyo State in Nigeria to remain calm, assuring that their power supply situation would soon improve.
A statement by the Chief Operating Officer of the Company, Engr. John Ayodele said that 132KV-line supplies the 11 LGs from the Oyo town to Iseyin, Okeho, Otu, Paapo, Ago-Are up to Saki, and this puts a lot of pressure on the infrastructure, which is the reason for its poor performance.
In response to this challenge, the Federal Government has commenced the construction of a new 132KV-line to augment and improve the present supply.
Nigeria: Buhari’s Administration Committed To Diversification Of Energy Sector-Minister For State For Power“In addition, we are about to energize the control room at Ogan to enable effective supply arrangement by stepping down the 33KV line to 11KV to serve the communities better,” he promised the customers. Engr. Ayodele further said that Okeho is on service band E, which means that they should get an average supply of four hours daily, but currently, they get an average of five hours. Also, in line with the NERC stipulated tariff, the communities are billed monthly on a cumulative average of computerized daily supply in compliance with the capping policy. “IBEDC is a customer-centric organization, and we are working on metering our customers to put an end to the billing issues. As soon as we begin more deployment of meters under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) or any other scheme approved by NERC, we shall continue to meter our customers based on the service band categorization for ease of distribution,” Engr. Ayodele said. He, on that note, pleaded with the esteemed customers at Okeho to remain patient and embrace constructive dialogue to ensure better outcomes.
Ghana: Shutdown Of Atuabo Gas Plant Will Not Lead To Power Outages-BPA Assures
Ghana’s second-largest state owned power generation company, Bui Power Authority (BPA) says the shutdown of Atuabo Gas Processing will not lead to power outages in the West African nation.
According to the Authority, it will make available all its four units totaling 404 Megawatts to compensate for any shortfall in power supply.
Aside making the four units hydropower plant available, the Authority is operating its 50MWp solar farm, which is the largest in Ghana and West Africa.
Part of the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant operated by Ghana National Gas Company was shutdown on Monday, October 4, 2021 for routine maintenance.
This has curtailed gas supply from 250MMcfd to 120 MMcfd to power plants in the Western power exclave from . The Bui power plant which usually comes online during peak periods is therefore, coming in to save the situation.
“Bui power is coming to save the situation because we are ordered to run all our 4 turbines and solar plants 24/7,” Chief Executive Officer of BPA Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi told energynewsafrica.com.
During the first half of the year, the Bui Power Plant was doing it’s normal peaking operation due to the relatively low level of water in the Bui reservoir.
The Bui reservoir is however currently almost full due to influx of water from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso into the Black Volta which is the source of water for Bui reservoir.
At a meeting recently the BPA CEO, Mr Samuel Kofi Dzamesi assured the CEO of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Mr Ebenezer Essienyi that his outfit will make all their generating units available during the period to avoid load shedding and the need to procure liquid fuel for the thermal power plants.
During the meeting, the newly-appointed BPA’s CEO expressed his gratitude to the GRIDCo CEO and staff for the effective collaboration in managing the Bui reservoir to avoid or prevent spillage this year.
In order to ensure that GRIDCo meets the high power demand during Christmas period, BPA stressed that GRIDCo provide prior information about the usual Christmas peak load dispatch which GRIDCo agreed to send a detailed dispatch schedule to BPA.
GRIDCo indicated that most thermal power plants will shut down in the first quarter of the year for their planned maintenance activities and, therefore, BPA should ensure that the Bui generating units are available to supply power to meet the demand during the period.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Electrical Cables Worth GHS10.4 Million Missing At TOR
Ghana’s premier oil refinery, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has discovered that 18 drums of electrical cables worth and GHS10.4 million has disappeared from its Technical Storehouse.
The disappearance of the electrical cables was detected in April 2021.
Additionally, the company discovered that on 4th September 2021, 105, 927 litres of gas oil, which belongs to a BDC client, disappeared.
It also detected the disappearance of an LPG product belonging to a client between 2012 and 2015, as a result of which TOR was indebted to the client to the tune of USD4.8 million, as confirmed by an Ernst and Young audit.
It further detected the wrongful loading of 252,000 litres of Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK) instead of regular kerosene into BRV trucks at the loading gantry between 21st and 25th September 2021.
These revelations were contained in a statement issued on Monday, October 5, 2021, by TOR’s Interim Management Committee (IMC).
The statement also cited the issuance of an unauthorized letter admitting debt liability to TOR with attendant computation of interest without the approval of the IMC and loss of Naphtha to a BDC client.
The three IMC chaired by Ing. Norbert Anku was constituted in June 2021 after the dismissal of the Managing Director of TOR Mr Francis Boateng and his deputy Mr Herbert Ato Morrison.
The statement confirmed the interdiction of some staff of the refinery for their roles in causing financial loss to the company as earlier reported by energynewsafrica.com.
“The Interim Management Committee (IMC) at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) Ltd. has, as part of its ongoing mandate to conduct Technical and HR audits, and also access viable business partnerships for the Refinery have concluded that consistent product and financial losses need to be eradicated if the Refinery is to meet its vast potential.
Hence the IMC has committed to establishing a ‘zero-tolerance culture for unacceptable product losses’, commenced investigations into several product storages and transfer losses recorded in the company over some time.
“Consequently, several workers who hold various positions of responsibility and accountability concerning the transfer of products have been queried and interdicted pending the outcome of investigations.
“The IMC, however, wishes to reiterate that the investigations will be carried out with due consideration to a fair process. We implore everyone to be patient and not jump to any conclusions until investigations have been completed.
“Individuals who are found not responsible nor accountable for the financial and product losses would be fully restored while those found responsible and accountable in the chain of command (concerning product losses during storage, movement and transfer will be dealt with accordingly.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Fuel Shortages Ease Off In London – UK Retailers
Gasoline and diesel shortages have eased in London and southeast England and the situation in the rest of Britain has improved further, according to an industry group representing independent fuel vendors.
The Petrol Retailers Association said 15% of forecourts in and around the capital were dry, down from 22% on Sunday, but 21% still had only one grade of fuel.
Britain deployed military tanker drivers on Monday to help deliver fuel after a chaotic week of panic-buying.
“Whilst there has been a significant reduction in dry sites, these areas are still lagging behind in having both grades of fuel available compared to the rest of the UK,” said Gordon Balmer, the PRA’s executive director.
Ghana: NPA Explains Variations In Fuel PricesAcross the rest of the country, 86% of sites reported having both grades of fuel while 3% had only one grade and 11% were dry, the PRA said. Source :Reuters
Ghana: Arrest And Prosecute Tamale Youth Who Vandalized Our Offices-NEDCo Charges Police
The Management of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) is demanding the arrest and prosecution of the youth of Tamale who went on a rampage at the company, vandalizing some of their offices.
Speaking exclusively to Energynewsafrica.com, the Corporate Communications Manager of NEDCo, Maxwell Kotoka was of the view that arresting the culprits and allowing the laws of Ghana to deal with them would serve as a deterrent.
He explained that the management of the company had met with Yaa-Naa to help fashion out strategies to ensure peace to enable their staff to resume work safely.
“Management wished that we had not reached or didn’t get to this far, but that is where we find ourselves. But as I have told you, we are in talks and negotiating with our staff and urging them to come back to work,” he noted.
According to him, the workers would have loved to go out to work but human lives are worth more than the revenue.
Mr Kotoka observed that the company was doing in-rolls until the setback but expressed the hope that a swift solution would be found for the challenges.
For the workers to resume work, he called for their safety, stressing that though the security agencies were protecting their offices, offering the same kind of service to workers would go a long way to help heal the process.
Meanwhile, the Overlord of the Dagbon State, Nidan Ya-Na Abubakar II, has advised the youth to desist from any action that would further disturb the peace of the Tamale metropolis.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com