Ghana: GNPC Must Shift Focus On Greener Energy – Alex Mould

An oil and gas expert in the Republic of Ghana, Mr Alex Mould has advised that, for the survival as well as the future of Ghana’s energy security, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) must transition from an oil company to an integrated energy company. Alex Mould, who is a former CEO of GNPC, is suggesting that the national petroleum company focus less on fossil fuels (oil and gas) as it does now and rather focus more on greener energy. “Because even if the oil supply is inexhaustible, the world will eventually move away from oil”, he said this at the maiden Oil and Gas Conference at the University of East London in the United Kingdom. The world at large is pursuing an agenda to end over-reliance on fossil fuels for centuries now in efforts to reduce the menace of the daunting climate change and the ozone depletion rate. Many development and energy experts have proposed renewable energies as the best alternative to fossils fuels. He quoted a former Saudi Arabian Oil Minister, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani who once stated that “The Stone Age came to an end, not because we had a lack of stones; and the oil age will come to an end, not because we have a lack of oil.” Mr Mould, who was one of the energy industry experts invited to speak on the topic, “Can Ghana avoid the oil curse?” called for the need to be a national consensus on the need to redefine the role of GNPC. As at now, the role of GNPC is to represent the state in oil and gas exploration, development, production and sales activities, he indicated. In a related development, the former GNPC Boss wants GNPC to be a facilitator to improve active local participation. “GNPC must lead efforts to improve active local participation. As the National Oil Company, Government and the public should support GNPC to take increasing stake in oil blocks. “This must be done strategically. GNPC must not take higher stake just for the sake of it. But the Corporation has a unique reservoir of knowledge on all the basins; more than any other entity in Ghana. What the Corporation needs is clear support to enable it grow and develop in the manner some of the most successful ones did it, like Petronas of Malaysia” he mentioned The former GNPC Boss admonished that, although Ghana is promoting norms and electing leaders democratically, there needs to be a strengthening of the checks and balances in the parliamentary system in order to reduce corruption and the mismanagement of resources.    

Ghana:  Kwame Agyeman-Budu Takes Over As New ECG MD

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A Deputy Managing Director in charge of customer services at Ghana’s electricity distribution and retail company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Mr.  Kwame Agyeman-Budu, has been appointed as the new Managing Director of ECG. His appointment follows the termination of the appointment of his immediate boss, Ing. Samuel Boakye-Appiah. He has over 28 years of work experience in the energy industry. Below is the profile of Kwame Agyeman-Budu. Profile of the new ECG Boss: Kwame Agyeman-Budu Kwame Agyeman-Budu is an energy expert with 28 years of work experience in the energy industry. Before his appointment, Agyeman-Budu was the Customer Project Manager in the Energy Service Department of the Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc., the largest utility company in the US with over 15,000 employees and serving over 3.3 million electric customers and over 1 million natural gas customers. His responsibilities among others were to manage, coordinate, and provide safe, reliable, and efficient electric and gas services to customers.  
Kwame Agyeman-Budu(2nd left) chatting with President Akufo-Addo in New York, USA
Agyeman-Budu’s years of experience in the energy industry cut across areas of Distributed Generation (Combined Heat & Power CHP), Solar (Photovoltaic), Advanced Battery, Windmill, and Fuel Cell Technologies, Alternate Energy, Environmental Audits and Monitoring, Environmental Risk Assessment, Power Plant Systems, Smart Grid Systems, and  Systems Engineering and Management. In his academic pursuit, Kwame Agyeman-Budu obtained the following qualifications:
  • Master’s Degree in Energy Management from the New York Institute of Technology, New York
  • Bachelor of Technology Degree in Telecommunications from the New York City College of Technology, New York
  • Associate Degree in Applied Science Electrical Engineering Technology from the New York City College of Technology, New York.
  • Certificate in Facilities Management from the New York Institute of Technology, New York
  • Teacher Certificate, Wesley College, Kumasi
  • O’Level Certificate, Ejisuman Senior High School, Ejisu
In his professional career with ConEdison, the numerous contribution of Kwame to the company included: Managed a $15M High Tension Gateway Expansion Project (GEP) at LaGuardia Airport, New York City.
  • Managing a $5m High Tension Reinforcement Project, and a 10MW Distribution Generation Plant (Co-generation) for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) at their North River Waste Water Treatment Plant (NRWWTP) in New York.
  • Managed an 11MW Distribution Generation Plant (co-generation) in Staten Island, New York for Cubit Power (private company) to sell back (Service Classification: SC-11,Buyback) the entire 11MW of power produced to the grid of Consolidated Edison Company of New York.
  • Supervised the numerous New York City Energy Conservation Solar Projects for New York City Public Schools, Department of Transportation, New York Police Department
(NYPD), and New York Fire Department (NYFD). These projects have brought Load Relief on Consolidated Edison Company of New York to effectively, reliably, and efficiently power its customers in New York City and Orange and Rockland Counties without service interruption.
  • Responsible for varieties of power distribution, power quality, lightning protection, transformer installations, Distribution Generation (Co-gen), and Natural Gas services.
  • Responsible for electrical installation, construction, operation and maintenance of High Tension service including all cables, wires, buses, switchgears, transformers, network protectors (NWP), instrument transformers (PTs and CTs).
  • Responsible for the installation of Renewable Energy Technologies (Solar, Fuel Cells, Windmill, and Thermal).
  • Responsible for monitoring and controlling of projects costs, and take corrective actions to minimize deviation.
  • Responsible for approval of electrical services to High Rise Residential and Commercial Buildings.
  • Responsible for approval and authorization of electric meters to residential and commercial customers.
  • Reviewed single and/or three line electrical diagrams for the installation of low voltage and high tension services.
  • Monitored and controlled project cost and took corrective actions to minimize deviations.
  • Witnessed Ground and Test (G&T) device, proof-test of High Voltage Cables (Hi-Pot), and Ground Resistance Test.
  • Reviewed and validated customers’
Short Circuit and Coordination Studies, and False Current Analysis. For his hard work, Kwame received several awards at the Consolidated Edison Company of New York for his dedication and service to duty: Team Award (2013), Customer Focused Luminaire Award (2012), Best Employee Award (1993 & 1997), and Excellence Award (1993).  He has also received many awards from the Ghanaian Catholic Apostolate Church of Brooklyn (Service to the Ghanaian Community, Lay Leader Award & Dedicated Service Award), United Ghanaian Association of USA (Dedication of Service Award). He also served as the board member of Baldwin College Foundation and St. Catherine and Teresa of Little Flower Academy, and President of the Science & Technology Entry Program of the College of Staten Island, all in the USA. Kwame raised the Ghana Flag at the Brooklyn Boro Hall during Ghana at 60 celebrations in New York and was presented a citation for his service and dedication to the Ghanaian community in New York Boroug President of Brooklyn At the political front, Kwame Agyeman-Budu has paid his dues to the New Patriotic Party. Amember of the Ejisu constituency, he has risen through the ranks in the NPP-USA branch, starting as the Brooklyn Borough Coordinator of the NPP between 1996 to 1999 and just before his appointment, as the National Organizer of the NPP-USA branch from 2012. In between these times, Agyeman-Budu also serves as the Dep. Gen Sec of NPP-New York (2000-2004) Gen. Sec. of NPP-NY (2005-2008), Vice Chairman of NPP-NY (2009-2017), and NPP-USA Deputy Organizer (2008-2011).Kwame Agyeman-Budu is a dedicated Catholic with years of voluntary service to the St. Catherine of Genoa Catholic Church in Brooklyn. He also dedicated considerable time to offer voluntary service to the Ghanaian community and its affiliate associations in the USA. Author of the book, Energy Efficient Lighting, Kwame was born in 1962 in Kumasi, had his primary education at Asafo Division Primary School, Kumasi, and his secondary education at Ejisuman Secondary School. Before his elevation to the position of Acting Managing Director, Kwame Agyeman-Budu was the Deputy Managing Director in charge of corporate services. He is committed to contributing ideas to help ECG reach its full potential for the socio-economic development of Ghana.          

Ghana: ECG Boss Sacked

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The Managing Director of Ghana’s power distribution and retail company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ing. Samuel Boakye-Appiah has been sacked, a letter from the Energy Ministry has revealed. He has been ordered to hand over to his second in command Kwame Agyeman-Badu with immediate effect. Boakye-Appiah was appointed in February, 2017 by President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Engineer Boakye-Appiah joined the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG) on 4th January, 1990 and has served in various capacities till date.

ExxonMobil Sees 3Q Profit Fall 49% On Lower Oil Prices

US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil reported a 3Q net profit of ~$3.2 billion, a 49 percent fall $6.25 billion a year ago. The company cited lower prices, and higher growth-related expenses in the upstream division, lower margins in the Chemical and Downstream businesses as some of the reasons behind the drop in earnings. Brent crude averaged $62 in the third quarter of 2019, down from $75 in the third quarter of 2018. Exxon’s production grew three percent from the third quarter of 2018 to 3.9 million barrels per day. Excluding entitlement effects and divestments, liquids production increased 4 percent driven by Permian Basin growth, while natural gas volumes increased 1 percent. “Liquids volumes were in line with the second quarter, with U.S. unconventional growth offsetting the base decline. Natural gas volumes were down 1 percent. Permian unconventional development continued with production up 7 percent from the second quarter and more than 70 percent from the third quarter of last year, “ ExxonMobil said. In the offshore space during the quarter, the company announced another oil discovery on the Stabroek block offshore Guyana at the Tripletail-1 well, adding to the previously announced resource estimate of more than 6 billion oil-equivalent barrels. The Liza Destiny floating production, storage, and offloading vessel arrived offshore Guyana, targeting first oil at the Liza Phase 1 development by December 2019. ExxonMobil estimates gross production from the Stabroek block will exceed 750,000 oil-equivalent barrels per day by 2025. In Europe, ExxonMobil signed an agreement with Vår Energi AS for the sale of its non-operated upstream assets in Norway for $4.5 billion as part of its previously announced plans to divest approximately $15 billion in non-strategic assets by 2021. “We are making excellent progress on our long-term growth strategy,” Darren W. Woods, chairman, and chief executive officer said. “Growth in the Permian continues to drive increased liquids production and we are ahead of schedule for first oil in Guyana. The value of our position in Guyana improved further this quarter with an additional discovery, our fourth this year. We are also making good progress on our advantaged investments in the Downstream and Chemical. “This quarter, we started production at our new high-performance polyethylene line in Beaumont. The competitiveness of our portfolio was further enhanced with the divestment of non-strategic assets, reaching almost a third of our 2021 objective of $15 billion.”  

Rise Of Greenhouse Gasses Will Boost Geothermal Drilling Market

The geothermal drilling market size for power generation is expected to post a CAGR of almost 9% during 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. The rising levels of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in the atmosphere will lead to an increase in the use of renewable energy sources such as geothermal, solar, wind, and hydropower for power generation. Unlike fossil fuels, geothermal energy generation does not require combustion and releases low amounts of GHGs into the atmosphere. Thus, the increasing emphasis on generating electricity with minimal GHG emissions will increase the demand for geothermal energy during the forecast period. According to Technavio, another factor stimulating market growth is the development of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). Geothermal energy generation currently comes from hydrothermal reservoirs and is limited to few locations across the world. EGS provides high potential for increasing the reach of geothermal energy. Furthermore, it is a chance to extend the use of geothermal resources to other areas. Although it is still in the nascent stage of development, it has high growth potential and is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period. This will have a positive impact on the geothermal drilling market growth for power generation during the forecast period. “Apart from the development of EGS, other factors such as the growing application of machine learning techniques to geothermal exploration, rising demand for energy, increasing investments in geothermal energy projects, and the identification of huge untapped geothermal potential will contribute to the growth of the geothermal drilling market for power generation during the forecast period,” said a senior analyst at Technavio. The EMEA region led the geothermal drilling market for power generation in 2018, followed by APAC and the Americas, respectively, owing to the rise in the adoption of renewable energy in the region. Furthermore, the growing construction of geothermal drilling projects in economies including Turkey is expected to boost the market growth in EMEA. APAC is expected to witness the fastest growth owing to the growing construction of power generation plants in Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan, and the Philippines.                

Nigeria: NSCDC Confiscate 33,000 Liters Of Adulterated Diesel

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The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Cross River Command, said it has seized a truckload of suspected adulterated diesel containing 33,000 litres. The State Commandant of the Corps, Danjuma Elisha, who disclosed this on  in Calabar, said that one suspect was arrested in connection with the incident. Elisha explained that the truck was impounded on Tuesday at the ‘Technical Junction’ in Calabar. “The suspect and the product were arrested for not having the valid papers to operate in the oil sector and at the same time, the product itself is suspected to be adulterated Automotive Gas Oil. “This kind of act is against our laws and regulations; this is an economic sabotage. We expect people to do legitimate business, but this very business is illegal and that is why we arrested the truck,” he said. He said that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) was carrying out a forensic analysis of the product. According to him, after the analysis, the suspect will be prosecuted in court with a view to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to venture into such illegality.

Volkswagen Brings Electric Cars To Rwanda For Ride-Hailing Service

Volkswagen is importing a batch of electric powered Golf models into Rwanda for a local ride-hailing service, establishing a bridgehead in the country that it hopes to expand to other nations as it seeks to increase market share globally. Importing the vehicles into Rwanda, which sells itself to foreign investors on its reliable infrastructure, stability and relative ease of doing business, and where VW already assembles cars, is initially intended to test infrastructure and performance in the region’s climate. “We’ve been investing more than $30 billion into new electric vehicles and platforms and the entire world is moving in that direction,” VW’s Africa boss Thomas Schaefer told Reuters. “The plan for Africa is that ultimately, we replace the whole fleet into electric.”
A Volkswagen e-Golf electric car is seen charging during its launch for use in its ride-hailing service in Kigali, Rwanda October 29, 2019. Photo: Reuters.
VW, which has a global target of producing 600,000 electric cars a year by 2022, is starting small in Kigali, importing 50 eGolf  models in the first few months. The vehicles – combustion-engine cars modified to run on electricity – will be integrated into the company’s app-driven “Move” service, launched last December. German power equipment firm Siemens (SIEGn.DE) will build 15 charging stations in Kigali. Rwanda has an installed power generation capacity of 286 MW the cars would mainly charge at night, when there is an excess of power. Unlike many African nations, Rwandan electricity is relatively reliable. Rwanda’s Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente said he hoped electric car use could expand, noting fuel products were Rwanda’s biggest import last year. Schaefer acknowledged the high price of electric cars would not appeal to most African consumers, but said scaling up production and favourable government policy could help bring prices down. “The Rwandan government is working on electric vehicle policy and if that policy favours electric cars over traditional, then that development can happen very fast,” Schaefer said.

Ghana:  Botched PDS Deal: MiDA On The Radar(article)

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In March this year, the Power Distribution Services (PDS) assumed the responsibility of managing the retail, and distribution business of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), following government’s decision to execute the second Millennium Challenge Compact with the U.S. government with the objective of, inter alia, increasing private sector investment and the productivity and profitability of micro, small, medium and large scale businesses. Among the six projects within the second compact is the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround Project (EFOT), which seeks to introduce a private sector participant in the management and operations of ECG, and key policy and institutional reforms that will provide more reliable and affordable power to Ghana’s businesses and households, through Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC’s) US$498 million compact. As a result the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), the supervising agency of the MCC Compact, embarked upon a competitive procurement process which resulted in the selection of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), a Filipino company and a group of Ghanaian investors to manage, operate and invest in ECG’s operations for 20 years, in the name of PDS as the Concessionaire. Per the power compact transaction agreement, Meralco and its partners will hold 41 percent stake in ECG while the Ghanaian ownership is 51 percent. The consortium is comprised of Meralco, AEnergia SA, an Angolan company, and four Ghanaian companies, TG Energy solution Ghana Limited, Santa Baron Ventures Ghana, TBK Ghana Limited and GTS Engineering Ghana Limited. It was expected that the PDS would invest over US$580 million in Ghana’s power sector within the next five years after receiving the Assets and Operations of the ECG on March 1st 2019. Expectations from MiDA In the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround Project (EFOT), MiDA is involved as the Accountable Agency (AE) for the implementation of the Compact; to oversee, manage and implement the programs under the Millennium Challenge Compact for poverty reduction through economic growth as set out in each agreement between the GoG and the MCC acting for and on behalf of the Government of the United State. In this capacity, MiDA led in the process of identifying and selecting the best qualified private sector partner of ECG through competitive bidding; a process that introduced the PDS as the Concessionaire. It is also by a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan, to determine whether the Projects are on track to achieve the intended results, and evaluate implementation strategies, provide lessons learned, determine cost effectiveness and estimate the impact of the Compact’s interventions. In selecting the Concessionaire, MiDA as a Project Lead/Manager was expected to carefully evaluate all the documents, processes and assets submitted as part of the transaction, analyze issues and provides professional or expert opinion/advice to assist government (and other clients) in making decisions or in performing it tasks towards the implementation of the concession agreement. As a Project Lead/Accountable Agency, it is acknowledged that MiDA may be exposed to a wide range of ethical dilemmas, such as accepting responsibility for a project’s success or failure, refusing to succumb to pressures to suppress facts or stating falsehoods and half-truths, treating all stakeholders as equal and protecting their respective interest, not “taking sides”, maintaining confidentiality and fairness, and insisting on maintaining the best approved processes. It was also the expectation that MiDA would undertake adequate due diligence on documents, processes and assets et cetera, submitted as part of the transaction agreement. Dubrawsky (2010) defines “due diligence” as practices of an organization in identifying risks and implementing strategies to protect the assets of an entity. These assets can include data, equipment, employees, and other elements that are of value to an entity. Fay and Patterson (2018) refers to due diligence as the care a reasonable party exercises before entering into an agreement with another party. The objective of the inquiry, they argue, is to confirm all material facts regarding the agreement under consideration. This clearly suggest that due diligence by itself is a “condition precedent.” PDS Suspension On 30th July 2019, the Power Distribution Services (PDS) Ghana Limited which had been selected to operate, invest and manage the business of ECG was suspended. According the Government of Ghana (GOG), which through the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the ECG announced the suspension of the PDS/ECG concession agreement, its decision followed the detection of “fundamental and material breaches of PDS’s obligation in the provision of Payment Securities (Demand Guarantees) for the transaction which have been discovered upon further “due diligence.” The government insisted that the Demand Guarantees were key prerequisites for the lease of assets on 1st March 2019 to secure the assets that were transferred to the Concessionaire. The Minister of Energy Mr. Peter Amewu, indicated at the time that an officer who executed the Guarantees (Lease Payment Security and BSA Payment Security) from Al Koot, a commercial insurer and re-insurer, based in Qatar was not authorized and that the guarantees were forged. This according to Mr. Amewu, was detected following series of due diligence tests the guarantees were subjected to by the ECG. Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, also added that the company that issued the guarantee had indicated that the mandate to issue that guarantee was irregular. As a result, a full scale-inquiry was launched by the government and the MiDA/MCC to unravel the extent of the breach, with the outcome informing government’s next line of action. PDS Termination On 18th October 2019, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the agency providing funding for Ghana’s Power Compact II, demanded of the President Akufo-Addo-administration to reinstate the suspended PDS) by October 30, 2019. The MCC asked GoG to formally announce the reinstatement of PDS concession right under the transaction arrangements, lift the suspension of Lease and Assignment Agreement, the Bulk Supply Agreement and the Government Support Agreement, and cause the Energy Commission to lift the suspension of PDS retail supplier license.” But in a response letter dated 18th October 2019 from the Ministry of Finance and directed at Sean Cairncross, the Chief Executive Officer of MCC, the Government of Ghana (GoG) stated its desire to cancel the agreement between the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) acting for the GoG and the PDS. The letter stated that based on all the information gathered about the purported Demand Guarantees provided by PDS as security for the transfer, the GoG is concluding that there was no valid Payment Security, and that it is unable to consider that a valid and enforceable Payment Security was furnished by PDS in fulfilment of an essential Condition Precedent for the transfer of ECG’s asset to PDS. That Al Koot has clearly denounced and repudiated the instruments and expressed a clear intention not to be bound by any present or future obligation arising out of same. It is on the back of these facts that the government decides to cancel the deal with concerns about the lack of security for a transaction involving the commitment of funds of the American people as colossal as the amounts in question, as well as the general unethical and unprofessional conduct of PDS, the letter concludes. From government’s response, the United States of America noted the termination decision with regret. The U.S. said based upon the conclusions of the independent forensic investigation, the U.S. position is that the transfer of operations, maintenance, and management of the Southern Distribution Network to the private concessionaire on March 1, 2019, was valid, and therefore the termination is unwarranted. As such, MCC by its letter confirmed that the $190 million funds granted to Ghana at the March 1 transfer to the 20-year concession from ECG to PDS are no longer available. Notwithstanding the withdrawal of the $190 million, the MCC stated that it would continue to implement the Tranche I fund of $308 million with MiDA. This decision by the MCC couldn’t deter the GoG from proceeding to officially terminate the PDS deal, and handing back the management of the assets to the ECG. MiDA on the Radar At last the PDS deal has gone bad, coming at a great cost to Ghana. And judging from MiDA’s assigned role in the smooth implementation of the Compact, one is left to ask the following questions. To what extent was due diligence carried out on documents, processes and assets submitted as part of the transaction agreement? To what extent did MiDA identify risks and implement strategies to protect the assets of the ECG? To what extent did MiDA confirm all material facts regarding the agreement under consideration? According to Conrad, Feldman, and Misenar (2016), persons are deemed to have exercised due diligence, and as a result cannot be considered negligent, if they were prudent in their investigation of potential risks and threats. And that If a person or an entity were compromised in a manner that caused serious financial damage to their consumers, stockholders, or the public (clients); one of the ways in which the person or the entity would justify its actions or inactions is by showing that it exercised due diligence in investigating the risk to the client and acted sensibly and prudently in protecting against the risks being manifested. Written by Paa Kwasi Anamua Sakyi, Institute for Energy Security ©2019 The writer has over 22 years of experience in the technical and management areas of Oil and Gas Management, Banking and Finance, and Mechanical Engineering; working in both the Gold Mining and Oil sector. He is currently working as an Oil Trader, Consultant, and Policy Analyst in the global energy sector. He serves as a resource to many global energy research firms, including Argus Media.      

Ghana: Finance Minister Inaugurates Energy Sector Recovery Programme Steering Committee

The Republic of Ghana has inaugurated an Energy Sector Recovery Programme (ESRP) Steering Committee, comprising members across various sectors and ministries. The inauguration of the ESRP Steering Committee is part of the initiation of the collaborative consultation process between government and each Independent Power Producer (IPP) and Gas Supplier (GS) in an effort to resolve energy issues in a manner that is sustainable for both Ghana and its partners. “The purpose of the steering committee is to take responsibility for the consultation process with the IPPs and GSs over the coming months, with the objective of ensuring a sustainable energy partnership with each IPP and GS,” Mr.  Ken Ofori-Atta, who is the Ghana’s Minister for Finance said when he inaugurated the ESRP in Accra. The inauguration is part of a decision made by the Energy Sector Recovery Task Force as mandated by Cabinet to ensure and oversee the implementation of the ESRP. The steering committee is expected to help implement the ESRP, which identifies key issues in the energy sector and proposes solutions. Government, in July this year, announced its intention to rationalise the commercial agreements in the country’s energy sector, including re-assessing all take or pay contracts and imposing a moratorium on the signing of new power purchase agreements in the energy sector. “The steering committee is of key importance for the future of Ghana’s energy sector and Ghana’s long-term sustainable development,” the Finance Minister noted. “Government has been working hard to establish a long-term sustainable strategy for a competitive and dynamic energy sector where private investments can thrive, and the interests of the Ghanaian people and businesses continue to flourish,” he added. Since August 2019, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy have been engaging with IPP and GS representatives in order to find solutions that result in a fair outcome for all stakeholders – both the Ghanaian people and investors. And the inclusive composition of the steering committee is expected to help comprehensively address the issues at hand. Ghana’s installed capacity is almost double its peak demand, with an installed power generation capacity of 5,083 megawatt, a dependable capacity of 4,593 megawatt and a peak demand of around 2,700 megawatt. Ghana has an installed power generation capacity of 5,083 MW, a dependable capacity of 4,593 MW and a peak demand of around 2,700 MW.      

North Korean Hackers Hit Critical Indian Nuclear Plant

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The Kudankulam nuclear power plant in India has been hacked using malware which is designed to extract data which has been linked to Lazarus Group, which is known to have ties to North Korean-backed outfits India’s state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation (NPCIL) said malware had been found in the system, but that it was “isolated from the critical internal network”. However, cybersecurity experts have disputed this claim, saying critical information had been compromised. NPCIL runs 22 commercial nuclear reactors in the country, which can produce up to 6,780MW. The hack was first identified by Virus Total a virus scanner site owned by Google parent company Alphabet. Virus Total flagged a data dump which was related to the India malware earlier this week. City A.M. has contacted the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and the National Cyber Security Coordinator for comment. “With NPCIL confirming the cyber-attack on Kudankulam, the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) and NSA [National Security Agency] must address public concerns about this dangerous intrusion on India’s critical infrastructure,” Indian MP Shashi Tharoor said. “Why has it taken so long for the government to create and fortify India’s cyber capabilities in order to punish, deter and repel such attacks?” Emily Orton, co-founder of cybersecurity giant Darktrace, told City A.M. the attack was a “wake-up call” to the Indian government, but also had ramifications across the globe. “We assume that our critical infrastructure is bulletproof and that it’s reliable…. The reality is that cyber threats mean those physical systems are now increasingly vulnerable.” “The reality is today, you’re not going to keep the bad guy off your network. If an attacker really wants to get onto your system, they will find a way. So the new game is stopping the activity from escalating and catching it very early, a bit like your immune system catches a virus at a very early stage before you’re affected by it.”                                      

Ghana: Security Personnel Foil Attempts To Hack Down GRIDCo’s Transmission Tower In Tema

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Credible information available to energynewsafrica.com indicates that there was another attempt to hack down Ghana Grid Company’s transmission tower near its head office in Tema earlier this week. Sources at GRIDCo told this portal that the perpetrators would have succeeded if security personnel providing surveillance of the area had not been vigilant. According to the sources, the perpetrators, upon realising that they had been spotted by the security personnel around, took to their heels, leaving their equipment behind. Some of the equipment retrieved included a hacksaw blade and one AK 47 rifle. It would be recalled that some unidentified persons on Monday, 24th March, 2019, hacked down one of the pylons near GRIDCo’s head office in Tema. The pylon was part of those which transmitted power from Karpower and Aksa to the national grid. It is not clear what is the motive of those perpetrating these acts. The incident is currently under investigation.        

Ghana: Goil Donates 1,000 Beds To Public Hospitals

Ghana’s leading oil marketing company, GOIL Company Limited (GOIL) has handed over one thousand beds to the country’s Health Ministry to be distributed to all the public hospitals in the West African country.

They consist of children, delivery and the normal hospital beds.

The beds, which cost GHS1.458 million are expected to ease conditions at various public hospitals and help reduce the incidence of patients sleeping on the floors of some of the hospitals.

GOIL made a similar donation to the Ministry of Health in 2017 which were handed over to over 120 hospitals countrywide.

At a brief ceremony to present the beds in Accra, Acting Managing Director and Group Chief Executive of GOIL Company Limited, Mr. Kwame Osei-Prempeh said the Company’s support to Health institutions, in particular, is a crucial part of GOIL’s Corporate Social Responsibility agenda.

The purpose of the donation, he said, is to make a difference in the lives of patients and improve patient health care in general.  GOIL, he noted, will continue to care for the communities it operates in adding that the donation has demonstrated that beyond business and profits, GOIL is socially responsible.

Deputy Minister for Health, Madam Tina Mensah, who received the items on behalf of the hospitals,  lauded GOIL for its purposeful role in the economy, saying the company has over the years demonstrated its aim of investing its earnings into society to benefit the people.

       

South Sudan And Egypt Sign Landmark Cooperation Agreement At South Sudan Oil & Power 2019

South Sudan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Egypt regarding cooperation in the field of downstream oil and gas, at the just ended 2019 South Sudan Oil & Power Conference. The country is expected to launch its first ever licensing agreement in the first quarter of 2020 for the 13 blocks onshore. As a testimony to South Sudan’s growing attractiveness as an investment destination, South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2019 was host to delegations and officials from Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Somalia, Norway, United States and South Africa. During his keynote address, H.E. Minister of Petroleum of South Sudan, Daniel Awow Chuang, expressed the country’s vision in the oil and gas sector.  “The oil production in South Sudan has reached 178 000 barrels per day. We hope to reach 250 000 barrels per day in the near future. We are successfully reaching target thanks to extensive support from our partners and neighboring countries”. Minister Chuang emphasized on the importance of its cooperation with Sudan, with whom a historic peace agreement was signed last September,” he said. Several initiatives were highlighted by H.E. Chuang as well as H.E. First Vice President of South Sudan, Taban Deng Gai, showing the country’s efforts to significantly increase oil production. Last week, Sudd Petroleum Operating Company announced it would resume oil production at the end of the year. With a capacity of 80,000 barrels per day, the oilfields have been shut down since 2016. South Africa’s Strategic Fuel Fund, which signed an exploration and production sharing agreement in May 2019, announced it would launch an aerial surveying campaign of its block B2 in December. SSOP 2019 saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the South Sudanese government and Egypt’s state oil company Egyptian National Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) regarding regional cooperation in the field of downstream oil and gas. This comes a few weeks after Egyptian President Al-Sisi called upon Egyptian exploration and production companies to increase participation in African countries and urged service companies to invest in South Sudan. Egypt boasted a strong participation at the event, with several companies and delegations present including the EGPC, Petrojet, Petrogas, Al Khorayef, Drexel Oilfied Equipment, among others. South Sudan announced it would launch its first ever licensing round in the first quarter of 2020, putting up 13 onshore blocks for tender. Numerous international exploration and production companies have already demonstrated their interest in South Sudan’s oil and gas potential.  

US- Africa Collaboration High On The Agenda At Africa Oil Week

The visit of US Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Steven Winberg, to this year’s Africa Oil Week event in Cape Town highlights the importance that the United States put in fostering relationships with the continent With the emergence of shale gas earlier this decade the United States shot to the top of the global oil and gas rankings. In 2018 it averaged 17.87 million b/d, which accounts for 18 per cent of the world’s production. This is up from the 15.6 million b/d in 2017. Last December the US administration launched its Prosper Africa initiative with the vision to open markets for American businesses, grow Africa’s middle class, promote youth employment opportunities, improve the business climate, and enable the United States to compete with China and other nations who have business interests in Africa.  The $50 million program will offer technical help to companies looking to enter or grow in Africa, which is urbanizing more rapidly than anywhere else on Earth. The region is projected to have 1.52 billion consumers by 2025 — nearly five times the size of the US population.  A continued priority for the US Department of Energy is now looking towards Africa to develop opportunities in the exploration, production and monetization of LNG. In the words of Energy Secretary Rick Perry, “increased amounts of US LNG on the world market benefit the American economy, American workers, and consumers and help make the air cleaner around the globe.” Under this new strategy the US government, including the Department of Energy, is looking to assist Africa advance economic prosperity and energy development across the continent without saddling them with unsustainable debt, or imperil their long-term economic development or their sovereignty. When it comes to the oil and gas sector American corporations are already very active on the continent. Earlier this year Texas energy company Anadarko Petroleum gave the green light to start building a $20 billion gas liquefaction and export terminal in Mozambique — the biggest such project ever approved in Africa.  To further this policy Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy, Steven Winberg, will join 25+ Pan-African ministers at the Africa Oil Week summit in Cape Town this November. He will use the event to share US energy policy points with the continent and outline a vision for deeper US commitment to Africa in the oil, gas and power sectors. This vision looks set to encompass increased two-way trade and investment between the US and Africa, with the US making potential capital available on joint-ventures and to part-finance LNG infrastructure for energy-lacking African countries.   “I am excited to represent the US at the upcoming Africa Oil Week Conference in Cape Town, South Africa,” Assistant Secretary Winberg said.  “We want our friends and partners in Africa to thrive, prosper, and control their own destinies.  And we welcome the opportunity to share with them not only our abundant energy resources, but also the knowledge and technologies that can help them develop their own resources.” Winberg will be delivering a keynote on Tuesday after at 1pm on the main stage explaining the US department of energy strategy for engagement in Africa. Prior to that he will be taking part in a high profile ‘Live CNBC Africa Broadcast: The Africa Oil Week Leaders Debate’.  Later on Tuesday afternoon he appears at 4.40pm in the South Africa Showcase discussing how the US is helping drive growth in South Africa’s unconventional sector. His final appearance comes on Thursday in the National Showcase Theatre where at 12 noon he talks about what the US is doing to strengthen bi-lateral trade and investment between the US and Africa, alongside Richard Nelson, Power Africa Deputy Coordinator. During his visit to Africa Oil Week, Winberg will be visiting the Fossil Energy Exhibit in the exhibit hall.