IRENA’s 19th And 20th Council Meetings Conclude
The Governing body of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) convened virtually to chart the Agency’s course through challenging times
“The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic are vast, evolving, and have changed all that we were accustomed to, at all levels, across the world,” said H.E. Dr. Bachir Ismael Ouedraogo Burkina Faso Energy Minister and Chair of the 19th and 20th IRENA Council, addressing more than 361 participants from 103 countries and the European Union.
“I wish to express my solidarity with all Members and the billions of people around the world that are impacted by this global pandemic.”
During the virtual meetings on 3 and 4 November 2020, delegates expressed their appreciation of IRENA and its Members for adapting to COVID-19 and ensuring that the Agency and its governing body meetings continued their work effectively during these unprecedented times.
In his opening remarks, IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera said: “As the pandemic continues to rage with massive consequences on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people around the world– we can say with certainty that the imperative of the energy transitions has become even more apparent.
“IRENA, with its global membership and direct access to the wealth of knowledge, experience, and expertise of its Members is uniquely placed to lead this effort,” he added.
Mr. La Camera presented the Annual Report on the Implementation of the Work Programme and Budget to the Council, including data from the most recent SDG7 Tracking Report, published in May 2020, which IRENA chaired in collaboration with the IEA, World Bank, and UN Statistics. The report showed that while energy access is improving, more than 800 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity, which the Director-General underscored as a clear call to action.
The Director-General also presented findings from IRENA’s ‘Post-COVID recovery: An agenda for resilience, development, and equality’ to the membership. The report, launched in June, provides a way to link the short-term response to the pandemic to the Paris agreement’s medium- and long-term goals. The report also points out the need to invest 2 trillion USD in the energy transition within the next three years to make a green recovery possible.
Following the Director-General’s remarks, IRENA’s Directors presented their work to the Council, highlighting the Agency’s work on innovation, policy, finance and project facilitation, socio-economic analysis, and country-level support. Members welcomed IRENA’s efforts, including the effective implementation of the work programme and its continued engagement with members during the global pandemic. H.E. Ms. Perina Sila, Ambassador of Samoa to Japan and Permanent Representative to IRENA chaired the IRENA Council’s Programme and Strategy Committee and commended the Agency’s leadership in guiding the energy transition through the pandemic by aligning recovery efforts with long term sustainable development goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Delegates also highlighted the importance of the Agency’s Collaborative Frameworks and stated that they have “resulted in an effective multilateralism approach that delivers results” and considered it as another opportunity for the Agency to be more responsive to the priorities of the membership.
The Collaborative Frameworks bring countries together to identify priority areas, concrete actions and foster international collaboration on key issues such as the development of hydropower, strategies to support high shares of renewables, the future of the renewable hydrogen economy, ocean and offshore renewables and the geopolitics of the energy transformation.
The co-facilitators of the five Collaborative Frameworks reported back the outcome of the first two meetings of their respective Collaborative Framework to the Council.
Further topics discussed include IRENA’s role in the Climate Investment Platform and the Agency’s administrative and institutional matters.
Arrangements for IRENA’s 11th Assembly were also a matter of discussion, including an endorsement of the Council Chair’s proposal to establish an open-ended ‘High-Level Forum on Energy Transition’ at the Assembly.
The Council Chair welcomed the Director-General’s proposal for the opening day of the 11th Assembly to be established as World Energy Transition Day, which would take place on January 18th. The membership also agreed to establish ‘COVID-19 – Energy Transition’ as the theme of the 11th Assembly.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
How A Biden Presidency Would Transform The U.S. Energy Landscape
Democrat Joe Biden has won the November U.S. presidential election, according to several major networks. Here are some of the changes that could occur in U.S. energy policy under his administration:
International Oil Supplies
Biden has shown an interest in multilateral diplomacy similar to previous Democratic administrations. That could mean an eventual path for OPEC members Iran and Venezuela to get out from under Washington’s sanctions and start pumping again, if the right conditions are met.
In Iran, that path could include a partnered approach between Washington and Europe, similar to a deal struck under Obama’s administration.
In Venezuela, Biden appears likely to continue to favor sanctions to pressure the regime of President Nicolas Maduro, but could increase diplomatic efforts to end the impasse by negotiating a new election or power-sharing with the opposition.
Outgoing President Donald Trump’s unilateral sanctions on the two countries have taken around 3 million barrels per day of crude oil off international markets, a little more than 3% of world supply.
Biden’s campaign has not detailed how it would approach these issues.
Line To OPEC
Biden lacks the chummy rapport that Trump had developed with Saudi Arabia’s defacto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That country is the biggest voice in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, meaning Biden may not engage as closely on the group’s production policy. He is also more likely to rely on quiet diplomatic channels for influencing OPEC than Trump’s Twitter-centered approach.
Biden’s campaign has not yet detailed how it would approach these issues, but any influence he would wield as president would likely be in service of the same goal – a moderate oil price. Any U.S. president needs affordable fuel for consumers. And for Biden, the price would need to be high enough to make clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels competitive in support of his ambitious climate plan.
Trump had been more engaged with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries than most of his predecessors. He has sometimes influenced OPEC policy with his tweets and phone calls, arguing for an oil price low enough for consumers but high enough for drillers.
His sanctions also weakened the influence of OPEC hawks Venezuela and Iran within the group, removing two big historical hurdles to a pro-Washington OPEC policy. That concentrated power with leading producer Saudi Arabia, along with Russia, part of the group known as OPEC+.
A Green Transition?
A Biden administration would look to re-enter the Paris Climate Agreement, an international pact negotiated during the Obama administration to fight global warming that Trump pulled away from saying it could hurt the U.S. economy.
Biden has also vowed to bring U.S. emissions down to net zero by 2050, including by bringing emissions from the power industry to net zero by 2035 – a goal that will be tricky to accomplish without a Democratic majority in Congress.
Biden’s view is that climate change is an existential threat to the planet, and that a transition from fossil fuels can be an economic opportunity if the United States moves fast enough to become a leader in the clean energy technology.
Trump’s administration had acted to weaken or eliminate emissions targets, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s softening of vehicle emissions standards, and its rescinding of former President Barack Obama’s Clean Power Plan requiring cuts from the electric power industry. Transport and electricity together make up around half the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
While European oil and gas companies like BP and Royal Dutch Shell have already begun implementing strategies for a global energy transition, U.S. majors like Exxon Mobil and Chevron have remained focused on the traditional energy business – sheltered politically by Trump’s leadership in Washington.
Federal Drilling
While Trump had sought to maximize domestic oil and gas production, Biden has promised to ban issuance of new drilling permits on federal lands and waters in order to fight global climate change.
The United States produced nearly 3 million barrels of crude oil per day from federal lands and waters in 2019, along with 13.2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, according to Interior Department data.
That amounts to about a quarter of total domestic oil output and more than an eighth of total U.S. production of gas. A federal ban on new permits would mean those numbers trend toward zero over a matter of years.
There would also be an impact on public revenue federal oil and gas production produced about $12 billion in public revenue in 2019, divided between the U.S. Treasury, states and counties, tribes, and cleanup funds.
New Mexico, for example, received $2.4 billion in disbursements last year, much of it going to its historically underfunded education system. The state’s Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham told Reuters this spring she would seek a waiver from Biden’s government to allow continued drilling if he was elected.
Biden’s camp has been mum on whether such a waiver program would exist.
Source: Energyworld.com
Ghana: NPP Are Better Managers Of The Energy Sector-Amin Adam
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Petroleum, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam says the ruling party, New Patriotic Party (NPP), manages the country’s energy sector better than the opposition political party, NDC, anytime the former is in power.
According to him, when the NDC is in power, it mismanages the energy sector, but when the NPP takes over, it manages the sector very efficiently.
Making reference to the five years’ power crisis which the West African nation experienced between 2012 and 2016 under the NDC administration, Dr. Amin Adam, who is also the governing party’s Parliamentary Candidate for Karaga Constituency, said the NDC failed to make money available for the procurement of fuel to power the power plants.
He said upon assumption of office, the current administration stemmed the financial indiscipline in the sector and ensured that money was available for procurement of fuel.
“There has been debate as to whether we ended dumsor or the NDC ended dumsor, and I’m sure they may mentioned that when they appeared before you. But this is a confession by John Jinapor, the then Deputy Minister for Power, and this was a confession by him on October 26, 2016, when he conceded that dumsor was there. The cause, according to them, was financial which NPP had been drumming home about. Even when we also came into government, the first three to six months, we also had challenges because we were not going to stop dumsor overnight; we needed to put in place some measures so we had to, first of all, address the financial challenge of finding money to buy fuel to power our plants. The Nigerian gas was erratic, and most of the time, the gas was not coming and the NDC did not plan well to put in mechanism to flow our gas from the West to the East where we have most of the generation capacity. We had to find money to buy fuel to be able to fire the power plants,” Dr Mohammed Amin said at the Energy Manifesto Town Hall meeting organised by the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) in Accra last Friday, November 7, 2020.
He said the NDC left huge legacy debts in the country’s sector including GHc2 billion debt at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
According to him, that debt had l been cleared by the current administration and also injected an amount of GHc4 billion into the operations of the ECG.
Ghana: Sunon Asogli Power Wins Excellence In Power Generation AwardApart from the power sector, Dr. Amin said the current administration has managed the downstream petroleum sector very well and ensured that there is availability of fuel products. “We have also ensured that there is constant supply of petroleum products on the market and we have not had long queues that we experienced under the NDC at fuel stations. We have further improved on the quality of fuel supply and NPA has stood the test of time as afar as regulations are concerned,” he said. Dr. Amin pledged the support of the governing party to ensure that there is constant supply of electricity when the NPP secures a second term in office in order for businesses to thrive in the post Covid-19 pandemic. Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: VRA Seeks To Become Electric Vehicle Leaders In Future
Ghana’s largest state power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA), is seeking to use digitisation to drive the next chapter of its growth.
It also wants to be the leader in the country’s electric vehicles space.
The state-owned power generator and supplier of electricity will mark its 60th anniversary in April next year, and it believes that the ever-changing landscape requires it to be digitally efficient and diversified to stay competitive.
“We recognise that digitisation will compel us to drive down our costs and therefore remain competitive. So, we will fully embrace it,” CEO Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa said at the 60th anniversary launch in Accra, on the theme: ‘Celebrating 60 years in the power business: Our legacy; our future’.
He added: “We also see a future in the electric vehicles space; we intend to be the leader in that space in Ghana. We will, therefore, collaborate with GRIDCo on continuing the development of a smart grid in Ghana to serve as the backbone of this digitisation effort.”
Ghana: Let’s Revisit Energy Conservation and Efficiency Perspective-VRA BossAmong other things, the Authority is looking to vary its operations and generation sources and sees clean, cost-efficient, diversified sources of energy like solar, wind and biomass as the future in the energy space. All these diversification and expansion efforts are to be achieved through technology, Ing. Darkwa said, adding: “Digitisation will facilitate the integration of these variable sources of power generation for effective operations. More importantly, technology will enable us to better monitor and maintain our generation assets.” It also plans to convert the Akosombo Township into a smart city, and by so doing, make it the technology hub of the country; as well as harnessing the full potential of the 60MW Pwalugu Multi-purpose dam, which comes with an additional 50MW solar component. Construction of the 17MW Kaleo/Lawra solar plants in the Upper West Region and similar ones at Ada, in the Greater Accra Region, and Anloga, in the Volta Region, among others, are also being pursued to support future growth and expansion of the VRA, Ing. Darkwa added. Ultimately, he said it is the Authority’s goal to move beyond aid from government and become financially sufficient. This, he said, would be actualised through prudent management in line with its financial recovery plan introduced in 2017. “While we are focused on our long-term plans, we also recognise that we are duty-bound to ensure there is adequate, competitively-priced electricity to support industrial and social development today,” he assured. Commenting on the company’s relevance in the advent of digitisation and competition, he explained that they would resource their employees with new skill sets so they could be nimble and tech-savvy. He stressed that VRA’s focus is to build a corps of human capital that is fit for the digital age. Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Africa’s Post Pandemic Recovery Plan Switched On By Smart Power Projects
Across Africa, access to power is hampered by the lack of access to competitive funding, the dire state of the continent’s utilities infrastructure and the need for energy policy and legislation to be adapted so that it can boost investment in the sector. Post COVID-19, new solutions are urgently needed to address Africa’s power crisis and switch on a continent-wide strategy for its recovery and renewal.
Such solutions must take into account the energy transition and in particular, the utilisation of renewable energy, the focus on smart power technologies and cost effective solutions, as well as the global drive towards a decentralised, decarbonised and secure energy supply that addresses climate change and stimulates economic growth.
To address urgent energy needs across Africa, the African Union (AU) Commission and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) agreed in May 2020 to work together to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 and ensure that Africa is able to meet its development goals.
According to the AU, the focus of this agreement was on supporting the development and adoption of innovative renewable energy technologies, improving access to energy, building more resilient energy systems, mobilising international support including the private sector, developing larger and more robust power markets, and encouraging cross-border trade of renewable power.
Africa has a role to play in innovating smart power solutions for a post-COVID-19 world and ensuring a sustainable and diversified energy mix. Within developing economies, there are growing opportunities to implement new technologies and localised energy generation systems that lead to innovation that will change how the world generates, stores and distributes power.
The combination of the rise of cost-effective renewable energy, the decentralisation of energy production, and improvements in energy storage, smart metering and other digital technology have the potential to revolutionize the way power is generated and consumed.
Across Africa, new systems and networks can be designed around future environmental stressors and energy demands, without having to consider the limitations of old infrastructure. With advanced use of mobile technology in Africa and the lack of existing electricity transmission networks, these developments provide an opportunity for communities in Africa to gain access to power by leapfrogging the traditional model of centralised generation and transmission of power.
Ghana: Bui Power Authority To Commission Phase 1 Of 50MWp Solar PowerLong before COVID-19 shone a bright light on the continent’s energy crisis, investors in the energy sector in Africa were looking at opportunities to back innovative energy solutions that could address rapidly changing energy demands and environments. According to a Baker McKenzie report, the Smart Power Revolution – Opportunities and Challenges (report), more than 40% of the global energy companies surveyed said smart power was a core part of their business, and 37% had established at least one business line related to smart power. In Africa, the most noticeable trend has been the transition towards decentralised power solutions and solar home systems from being a niche sector dominated by NGOs to being considered a mainstream investment focus by the big players. To name a few, Engie, EDF, Marubeni and Mitsui, which have traditionally focused on grid scale generation, have all been investing in and buying or developing businesses in this area in Africa. Instead of lack of scale being an obstacle to getting the market going, companies have been developing models to scale up the sector themselves and build businesses or portfolios. To date, these have largely been financed on corporate balance sheets, but bankers are also taking notice and looking at how to put in place bankable business structures. There is a need to look at how to mitigate the short-term impact of COVID-19 on this sector – being consumer facing it has been much more heavily impacted than utility scale generation. It is key to ensure that a sector that is essential to Africa’s post COVID-19 recovery and renewal is not irrevocably damaged by the pandemic. It is helpful that governments across Africa have acknowledged the need to adapt their legal and regulatory frameworks and introduced programmes and incentives to boost this investment in innovative projects in the power sector. Multilateral and development finance institutions have been important allies in the development and mobilisation of funding in the renewable energy sector in Africa. Not only have they provided funding for projects, but they have structured successful programmes to address some of the political and credit risk issues that have hampered projects in many countries. For example, Zambia was the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to implement the Scaling Solar programme, with support from the World Bank Group through the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The programme facilitates the development of privately owned, utility-scale solar PV projects and enables governments and utilities to procure solar power cheaply and efficiently. Zambia’s solar PV’s success led to the extension of the programme to Senegal. The 2019 scaling solar PV tender in Senegal set a new price benchmark for the region and made solar energy Senegal’s cheapest energy source. The extension of the programme to Ethiopia encountered obstacles around currency convertibility, but the IFC is extending the programme to Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar and Togo. Similarly, the KfW-backed GET-FiT program has enabled a number of projects (in particular run of the river hydropower projects) to be developed in Uganda and Zambia to date, with extension to Mozambique and other countries under consideration. These DFI/multilateral programmes, however, take time and resources to implement and are dependent on particular structures that cannot easily be implemented without the involvement of these institutions. There remains a need for more local-led development of the sector, supported by appropriate tools and resources. One example of this would be Kenya’s National Electrification Strategy, launched by the Government of Kenya and the World Bank and which uses a geospatial tool to identify least-cost options for securing the delivery of electricity to houses and businesses in Kenya. It also outlines the important role of private sector investment in providing off-grid solutions to remote areas. If the continent can build on these initiatives, and is successfully able to address its power crisis through the widespread use of renewable energy solutions and smart power technologies, it will ensure that all who call it home can plug in to clean, sustainable and cost-effective electricity in the years to come, powering up Africa’s post-pandemic recovery in the process. Source: Kieran Whyte, Partner, Head of the Energy, Mining and Infrastructure Practice, Johannesburg, and Marc Fèvre, Partner, London, Baker McKenzie.
Ghana: Gov’t Gives ECG US$130 Million To Replace Obsolete Equipment To Boost Electricity Supply
The Government of Ghana has released US$130 million for the country’s southern power distribution, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), to replace all obsolete equipment within its line of operation.
Ghana’s Minister for Energy, John- Peter Amewu made this known when he addressed a gathering at the 8th edition of the Nation Building Updates in Accra, on Thursday, November 5, 2020, on the theme: ‘Keeping the lights on; powering our growth’.
According to him, ECG had been operating with obsolete equipment over the past 30 years, stressing that: “If the equipment is replaced, it will add value, transform power faster, reduce losses and make power cheaper for consumers.”
He said the challenges of the energy sector were not about adding more kilowatts but ensuring efficiency and good management and maintaining what was already there.
Mr Amewu explained that part of the cause of the high cost of electricity was the obsolete equipment used in the transmission of power.
He expressed the hope that when the obsolete equipment was replaced, “the light will be brighter, power expenditure will be lower and the industry will grow.”
Mr Amewu explained that the synergy that existed among the Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo), the Volta River Authority (VRA), the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and the Ghana Gas Company Ltd accounted for the improved services Ghanaians are enjoying under the current government.
He criticised the previous government for separating the petroleum sector from the energy sector, explaining that it resulted in the lack of coordination between the two sub-sectors, which accounted for the challenges the energy sector experienced under that government.
He said under the current government, there is a high level of ministerial collaboration, “and that explains why, today, you are enjoying power at low tariffs.
“Today, the Energy Sector Reform Programme, which is led by our Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has made it possible for us to solve some of our financial difficulties.”
Mr Amewu explained that the government decided to relocate the Karpower Plant from Tema to Takoradi in the Western Region, with support from the GNPC, to be closer to the gas power plant to reduce the distance of transporting gas, “which ultimately led to the increase in tariffs for the consumer”.
He explained that with the relocation of the Karpower to Takoradi, consumers would not be slapped with tariff increases “as we saw in the past.”
He said going forward, “we will improve significantly revenue collection with the implementation of remote sensing technology, which is currently being piloted by the ECG.
“We will reduce losses, particularly in power distribution, by ensuring that the ECG and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) implement incentive-based loss reduction targets for all,” he assured Ghanaians.
Mr Amewu gave an assurance that the government would complete all ongoing rural electrification projects to ensure value for money.
“We will enforce competitive procurement of power, the least cost fuel procurement and minimising excess capacity charges,” he added.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Sunon Asogli Power Wins Excellence In Power Generation Award
Ghana’s largest Independent Power Producer, Sunon Asogli Power Ghana, has, for the second time in three years, been recognised for its ‘Excellence in Power Generation in the Republic of Ghana at the 4th Ghana Energy Awards 2020’.
Sunon Asogli beat Bui Power Authority, VRA and Karpowership to emerge winner in that category.
In a statement, the company said the award demonstrates the consistent degree of reliability and efficiency of Asogli’s power plant in Ghana’s energy sector.
“This stride has been achieved as a result of the relentless and selfless sacrifices of the Sunon Asogli family.
“Even in the midst of a pandemic, staff have put the country first by ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the Ghanaian people,” the company said.
This show of commitment is what has made Sunon Asogli Power the creme de la creme in the energy sector.
The award, which seeks to recognises the achievements, successes, efforts, innovation as well as excellence of corporate entities within the Energy sector, is fully endorsed by the Ministry of Energy and its agencies.
The 4th edition of the 2020 Ghana Energy Awards, was under the theme: ‘Excelling in Crises: The Energy sector in a Covid-19 Era’.
The colourful event, which took place at the Movenpick Ambassadorial Hotel in Accra, was under the Chairmanship of His Royal Majesty, Akwamuhene Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III.
The Minister for Energy, John-Peter Amewu, who was the Guest of Honour, was ably represented by the Deputy Minister in the sector responsible for Finance and Infrastructure, Joseph Cudjoe.
Chairman of Sunon Asogli Power, Yang Qun received the award for and on behalf of Management and staff of the power plant.
This show of commitment is what has made Sunon Asogli Power the creme de la creme in the energy sector.
The award, which seeks to recognises the achievements, successes, efforts, innovation as well as excellence of corporate entities within the Energy sector, is fully endorsed by the Ministry of Energy and its agencies.
The 4th edition of the 2020 Ghana Energy Awards, was under the theme: ‘Excelling in Crises: The Energy sector in a Covid-19 Era’.
The colourful event, which took place at the Movenpick Ambassadorial Hotel in Accra, was under the Chairmanship of His Royal Majesty, Akwamuhene Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III.
The Minister for Energy, John-Peter Amewu, who was the Guest of Honour, was ably represented by the Deputy Minister in the sector responsible for Finance and Infrastructure, Joseph Cudjoe.
Chairman of Sunon Asogli Power, Yang Qun received the award for and on behalf of Management and staff of the power plant. Ghana Struggling To Grow Electricity Access: IES Analysis
Ghana is faced with a slowdown in electricity access. A review of State documents, including the national “Budget Statements and Economic Policies”, the “Electricity Supply Plans”, and the Energy (Supply and Demand) Outlooks for Ghana, confirms the country is struggling to grow electricity access since 2016.
Driven by growth in demographic requirements, increased urbanization with an ever-increasing technological demand, and the aspiration to transform into a middle-income country, Ghana in 1989 devoted itself to a 30-year National Electrification Scheme (NES) to achieve universal access to reliable electricity supply by 2020. But 31 years after the policy was instituted, there still exist a substantial deficit in electricity access in Ghana. Current electrification rate is about 85 percent, a bit far off the target, with no improvement in sight.
https://www.clarion-events-group.com/l/339341/2020-10-15/2qssp58
Data from the Energy Commission, and Finance Ministry of Ghana showed that at end 2000 electricity access rate stood at 45 percent, with an annual average growth rate of approximately 2 percent. The decade ending 2010 revealed that the country had achieved an access rate of 67 percent; indicating an annual average growth rate of 2.2 percent from 2000. In the 6 years after 2010, the annual average growth rate as recorded by the Energy Commission was 2.7 percent. The trajectory therefore showed an incremental annual growth in electricity access.
Nevertheless, over the last 3 years the annual access growth rate has seen a substantial decline, from the 2.7 percent recorded before 2017, to a paltry 0.6 percent in the subsequent years. As of end 2019, the country had only obtained a national electricity access rate of 85 percent. Had the country maintained just the annual rate of roughly 2.7 percent, electricity access rate would have been somewhere around 94 percent today – comparable to other countries outside the sub-Saharan African and Asian band.
Under the rural electrification scheme, 1,212 communities were connected to the national grid in 2016 out of the targeted 1,500 communities, increasing the national electricity access rate from 80.5 percent to 83.24 percent.
In 2017, 289 out of a targeted 2,185 communities were connected to the national grid, with other projects said to be at various stages of completion – increasing the national electricity access rate from 83.24 percent in 2016 to 83.62 percent.
In 2018, 1,796 communities was planned to be connected to the national grid. However, just 122 out of a targeted 1,796 communities were connected to the grid, moving the access rate to 84.3 percent at end year. The other projects were also said to be at advanced stages of completion.
In 2019, 1,250 communities were expected to be connected to the national grid. Nevertheless, just 305 communities were connected to the grid, increasing the national electricity access rate from 84.32 percent in 2018 to 84.98 percent at end 2019.
Government has as a result revised its target, seeking to develop new strategies to push the boundaries to achieve the goal of universal access by year 2025, after failing at 2020. To achieve the objective by the new set year, Ghana may be required to grow annual access rate by at least 3 percent, and in tandem with growth in demographic requirements, increased urbanization, and increase in economic growth.
After growing its power generation capacity, and increasing electricity access through grid expansions, it is now time for Ghana to be religious on its policy goal of 100 percent national electrification, using more mini-grids and stand-alone renewable energy systems as catalyst. The deployment of renewable energy to achieve universal electricity access in Ghana is of course vital in the sense that a considerable proportion of the communities awaiting connection to the national electricity grid are currently difficult to access due to the fact that they are lakeside communities, with others planted on islands that require connection by sub-marine cables.
Source: Institute for Energy Security (IES)
Nevertheless, over the last 3 years the annual access growth rate has seen a substantial decline, from the 2.7 percent recorded before 2017, to a paltry 0.6 percent in the subsequent years. As of end 2019, the country had only obtained a national electricity access rate of 85 percent. Had the country maintained just the annual rate of roughly 2.7 percent, electricity access rate would have been somewhere around 94 percent today – comparable to other countries outside the sub-Saharan African and Asian band.
Under the rural electrification scheme, 1,212 communities were connected to the national grid in 2016 out of the targeted 1,500 communities, increasing the national electricity access rate from 80.5 percent to 83.24 percent.
In 2017, 289 out of a targeted 2,185 communities were connected to the national grid, with other projects said to be at various stages of completion – increasing the national electricity access rate from 83.24 percent in 2016 to 83.62 percent.
In 2018, 1,796 communities was planned to be connected to the national grid. However, just 122 out of a targeted 1,796 communities were connected to the grid, moving the access rate to 84.3 percent at end year. The other projects were also said to be at advanced stages of completion.
In 2019, 1,250 communities were expected to be connected to the national grid. Nevertheless, just 305 communities were connected to the grid, increasing the national electricity access rate from 84.32 percent in 2018 to 84.98 percent at end 2019.
Government has as a result revised its target, seeking to develop new strategies to push the boundaries to achieve the goal of universal access by year 2025, after failing at 2020. To achieve the objective by the new set year, Ghana may be required to grow annual access rate by at least 3 percent, and in tandem with growth in demographic requirements, increased urbanization, and increase in economic growth.
After growing its power generation capacity, and increasing electricity access through grid expansions, it is now time for Ghana to be religious on its policy goal of 100 percent national electrification, using more mini-grids and stand-alone renewable energy systems as catalyst. The deployment of renewable energy to achieve universal electricity access in Ghana is of course vital in the sense that a considerable proportion of the communities awaiting connection to the national electricity grid are currently difficult to access due to the fact that they are lakeside communities, with others planted on islands that require connection by sub-marine cables.
Source: Institute for Energy Security (IES)
India Wants OPEC To Fix Asian Oil Pricing Anomaly
India wants OPEC to review its pricing policies for the Asian market and end the premium it puts on its crude for Asia, Indian Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said at the virtual OPEC-India Dialogue meeting with OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo on Thursday.
Pradhan urged the cartel, led and dominated by Middle Eastern oil producers, to address the ‘pricing anomaly’ for its oil.
The minister urged OPEC “about the urgency and need to address the historical aberration in crude pricing for Asia by ending Asian Premium recognizing the shifting of demand for crude oil to Asia, which is further accelerated by Covid-19 pandemic,” Pradhan said on Twitter.
“We had discussions on the rapidly changing global energy landscape, overcoming energy challenges, global oil price mechanisms, measures being taken by OPEC and its partners for balancing oil markets, and on ensuring oil supply security for India,” he added.
“Both sides drew attention to the close cooperation and engagement in many projects and investments between OPEC Member Countries and India, and other topical issues were addressed, including the Asian Premium and term contracts,” OPEC said in a statement about today’s meeting.
India depends on OPEC for 78 percent of its crude oil demand, 59 percent of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) demand, and nearly 38 percent of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) demand, the Indian minister said, noting that India imported US$92.8 billion worth of oil, gas, and petroleum from OPEC members in the 2019-2020 financial year.
Earlier this year, India used the ultra-low crude oil prices to top its strategic petroleum reserves with oil at $19 a barrel, saving nearly US$700 million in the process, India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in September.
The average cost at which India bought the crude oil in April and May was $19 per barrel, compared to $60 a barrel oil price in January 2020. Thanks to the cheapest oil in years at the start of the second quarter, India saved US$685.11 million on its crude oil import bill, the ministry said.
Source: Oilprice.com
Kenya: Kenya Power, National Government Administration Officers Partner To Promote Public Electrical Safety
Kenya Power has partnered with the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) to enhance public awareness on the danger of unsafe use or accidental contact with electricity.
Through the partnership, the Company is also aiming to educate the public on how to prevent electrical accidents and inform them of the channels for reporting accidents and unsafe situations in a timely manner.
The partnership with NGAO is part of a wider Public Safety Campaign that the Company has launched to address rising cases of electrocutions.
“As an organisation, we have a legal and moral obligation to protect lives and we always aim to operate in a safe environment. To address the worrying trend in public electrocutions, we are kicking off a safety campaign to educate members of the public on the danger of unsafe use of electricity. We are confident that the partnership with NGAO and the media will enable us to adequately educate the public and consequently address the challenge of electrocutions,” said Managing Director & CEO, Bernard Ngugi.
He was speaking at a public safety sensitization workshop for Administration Officers organised by the Company that was held today at Stima Club in Nairobi.
The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, Ministry of Energy, the Multi-Sectoral Agency Consultative Committee, and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
Ghana: Ministry Of Energy To Supply 500 Solar Lanterns To Residents Of East AdaData from the Company indicates that the leading causes of electrocutions are; poor wiring at customer premises (24%), illegal connections (16%), structures and buildings near power lines (12%) and deliberate acts (9%). The ten leading counties in cases of electrocutions are Nairobi, Nakuru, Kericho, Uasin Gishu, Siaya, Busia, Nyamira, Meru, Kirinyaga and Kiambu. Nakuru County accounts for most of the electrocutions across the country at 11% followed by Kiambu at 7%. Cognisant of the danger involved in electricity, the Company aims to provide safe and reliable power supply to its customers to enable the country’s socio-economic development in a sustainable manner. “We commit to ensure that all our operations are carried out in a manner that protects life, the environment and the community in general,” said Mr. Ngugi. Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: TOR Rejects Incompetent Tag Against Its Board
The Management of Ghana’s only oil refinery, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), has rejected the assertion by the staff of the refinery that its Board of Directors are incompetent.
A release issued and signed by TOR’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Dr. Antwi-Boasiako, on November, 5, 2020, said the unions’ allegation was based on the Board’s decision to defer the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiation to 2021, due to the harsh economic impact of COVID-19 on TOR’s finances in 2020.
He explained that the unions and Management of TOR meet every three years to negotiate a Collective Bargaining agreement that sets out salary and benefits for the next year, which they had to defer to 2021 because of the devastating impact of Covid-19 on TOR’s operations for 2020.
Touching on progress made by the current management to dispel the incompetence tag, the management observed that efforts by the current Board has led to the payment of TOR’s outstanding GHc1 billion debts accrued between 2009 and 2016.
The payment was made by the current Nana Akufo-Addo-government as part of support to TOR.
The release noted that a further US$67 million of the debt carried over from 2009 to 2016 has also been paid by the government.
It stressed that the Board and Management of TOR continued their efforts to clear the debts that were left, adding that under the leadership of the current Board, TOR has been able to successfully carry out its long overdue shutdown maintenance, improved the efficiency and availability of the processing plants, reduce losses, improvement in product yields and financial performance.
The management said this is evidenced by the recent continuous processing of up to eight million barrels of crude oil at the refinery since September 2019.
The management also wondered why under the current Board, TOR has seen more operational days than 2009-2016, and has engaged with oil traders such as Woodfields, leading to the signing of a processing agreement for the company to process crude oil/feedstock compared to process 11 million barrels of crude oil on their behalf since September 2019 to date, yet the unions want to describe them as incompetent.
“Thus, the current management has demonstrated the capacity and also ensured that TOR has had consistent supply of crude/feedstock for processing as compared to previous years, making the unions concerns unfounded.”
The statement further affirmed that under the current Board of TOR, a new furnace has been procured to replace the exploded one.
It was of the view that the current Board has set out to immediately ensure that the auditing of financial accounts that had been neglected from 2013 to 2016 were carried out as a matter of urgency, adding, “We can report now that auditing of 2013 to 2016 financial accounts have now been completed, with 2016 being the worst performing year which recorded a loss of approximately GHS 866 million.”
Ghana: TOR Workers Call For Dissolution Of ‘Incompetent’ Board (Video)The management of TOR also said, in consultation with the union Executive, set up a taskforce to implement the recommendations from the Committee’s reports the unions referred to in their statement. The taskforce’s activities, the statement explained, are ongoing. In the light of cash flow and other financial challenges that TOR has been facing, the company commenced the development of a Profitability Improvement Plan in May 2020. Objective of the plan is to revitalize TOR by setting out a clear path that would ensure that TOR is able to operate as a viable going concern and meet its payment obligations, while effectively carrying out its core business activities. It concluded that plan focuses on three key areas: revenue generation, cost reduction and loss elimination, adding that Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the global refinery industry and TOR has not been spared either. According to the TOR’s management, for unions to allege that the Board has made no significant contribution to the company is unsubstantiated and unfortunate because, “TOR as at January 2017, the financial account had not been audited since 2013. In addition, TOR has outstanding debts of around US$345 million and also about GHc1.05 billion owed to third parties, traders and financial institutions,” the management explained. Source www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Next NDC Gov’t To Provide Energy Infrastructure For Accelerated Economic Growth
A former Ghana’s Minister for Energy and Petroleum under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC), Emmanuel Kofi Buah, has assured Ghanaians that should his party assume office in January 2021, they would undertake accelerated infrastructural development in the energy sector to ensure speedy economic growth.
Speaking during the ‘Energy Manifesto Town Hall’ organised by the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) and its partners in the energy sector, Mr. Buah said the NDC would partner the private sector and strengthen BOST to reduce the cost of fuel for consumers, ensure product availability and increase reserves on annually.
Touching on the problems of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), the former Energy Minister noted that the problem includes governmental involvement, managerial difficulties and lack of the right investments.
To resolve these, he said the NDC has practical steps to involve workers of the facility in decision making to ensure its smooth operations.
This, he stressed, would ensure efficient operation, add value and restore the facility to become a viable venture.
Commenting on how to resolve challenges in the pre-mix sector, the former Energy Minister said they would revert to the use of the Landing Beach Committees (BDC) which ensured reliable and equitable supply chain in the fishing industry.
“The story today is different. It is political appointees who are managing pre-mix. This is exactly the reason why fishermen are not getting this very critical product, and so, we are going to
change that. The implements they need, the outboard motors and other important implements are something will get,” he assured.
With reference to the LPG, Mr. Buah was of the view that the flaring of gas at the Atuabo Gas they undertook in their time, reduced LPG importation by 50 percent.
“So, the NDC will expand the facility to increase basic domestic production of the product.
“Additionally, the NDC intends as a policy, to aggressively promote the LPG as preferred fuel for cooking with the expansion of production of cylinders.
“With the cylinder re-circulation and all the issues around it, the NDC is coming to power with clear interest of Ghanaians at heart. Our intention is to basically bring LPG recirculation but not to collapse business. We are going to work with them,” he explained.
With reference to the upstream sector, he observed that the NDC would ensure that there would be quantum leap in the industry “s that Ghana reaches the one million barrels daily to feed the petrochemical industry.
“The NDC promises to support the private sector in the industry and invest in the Volta Basins and other basins in the country to ensure added value chain in the sector.”
Outlining prospects in the power sector, the former Deputy Minister Energy, John Jinapor stated that should the NDC win power, the whole country is set to get power by 2025, instead of the 2030 target by the NPP.
“We also want to ensure that we increase generational capacity to meet demand. We cannot afford to go back to load shedding. And so, we would also work on transmission sector. When we were in office, we did a lot of upgrading. We moved the lines from 161 to 330. We even got GRIDCo on their own balance sheet,” Mr Jinapor observed.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: 10,000bpd Production Threatened Over Explosion At OML 40
There are indication that the country’s economy may plummeted further, as it losses about 10,000 barrels per day of oil production to an explosion at Oil Mining Lease (OML) 40 operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), an upstream subsidiary of the corporation.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, which confirmed the incident in a statement signed by General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Kennie Obateru, said the explosion occurred while carrying out production evacuation at Gbetiokun early production facility (EPF).
The corporation said there were no fatalities or injuries and no significant spill during the incident.
“There was, however, significant damage to the marine storage vessel, MT Harcourt, which will impact production by about 10,000 barrels per day,” the statement read.
The corporation further said it has commenced investigation to ascertain the cause of the incident with a view to avert future occurrence.
Nigeria: Gov’t Signs N105bn Afam Power Sale Agreement Today
The Federal Government of Nigeria will today, Thursday, November 5, 2020 sign an agreement for the sale of Afam Power Plant for N105bn to the preferred bidder.
Energynewsafrica.com understands the signing ceremony which will take place at the Office of the Vice President, would lead to the official sale of the power generation company to the preferred bidder, Transcorp Power Consortium.
In October 2019, the National Council on Privatisation approved Transcorp Power Consortium as the preferred bidder for the Afam Electricity Generation Company (Afam Power Plc and Afam Three Fast Power Limited) with a bid price of N105.3bn (about $343.6m).
This was one of the major decisions taken by the council, chaired by the Vice President and Chairman of Council, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, at the 2nd Meeting of the NCP for 2019 on October 14, 2019.
Ghana: CEO Of Bui Power Authority Adjudged Energy Personality Of The YearProviding updates on what the Bureau of Public Enterprises had been doing since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Director-General, BPE, Alex Okoh, said the signing of the N105bn deal was part of the work being done by his organisation. He said, “We had to review our activities as an agency upward instead of downward as a result of the COVID-19 issues. “Just as an indication of some of the activities that we have heightened up, tomorrow we are going to be doing the signing ceremony for the sale of Afam Power Plant to the preferred bidder. “That alone will fetch the Federal Government a total sum of N105bn.” The BPE boss said the successful investor would make part payment and subsequently clear the balance.