Ghana: Deputy Energy Minister Hopes Oil Production Will Hit 500,000bpd In Six Years’ Time
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Petroleum, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam is confident that the West African nation’s energy sector is on the brink of expanding its oil production from 180,000–-200,000bl/d now to 500,000bl/d within six years.
Additionally, the country is targeting up to 1mn bl/d beyond that.
“If we want to sustain or increase production, we will have to be very aggressive in exploration,” Dr Amin Adam said this at the 3rd Africa Oil &Gas Local Content Sustainability Conference in Accra.
The average production for TEN field in 2017 was 56,000 b/d while production for the OCTP field is expected to peak this year at 45,000 b/d.
In addition to the two established fields, there are other developments that are moving ahead rapidly such as the Teak, Akasa and Mahogany East discoveries where test wells have indicated sizeable reserves.
Another major scheme is the Ghana 1000, a multi-phase greenfield gas-to-power project located near Takoradi in the Western Region of Ghana.
This will consist of approximately 1,300MW of combined cycle power generation technology once fully built and will support Ghana’s burgeoning domestic natural gas industry by purchasing natural gas from the Sankofa gas field, part of the OCTP field.
A subsea pipeline will link a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) to onshore facilities which will then supply the project.
It is expected that the FSRU will start in 2020.
Ghana completed its first oil and gas licensing round earlier this year with two of the five blocks on offer being awarded.
First Exploration and Petroleum Development, in partnership with Elandel Energy (Ghana), emerged as winners of block WB-02 while Eni Ghana and Vitol Upstream Tano claimed block WB-03.
Block WB-03 is located in the medium deep waters of the prolific Tano Basin, offshore Ghana. Following the success of this round, a second licensing round is being planned.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Increased Production Sees Ghana Raise Its Hydrocarbon Profile
When you think of the top oil and gas nations in Africa, Ghana is not one that traditionally comes to mind, but it is one of the rising stars. In the past, Ghana has been one of the smaller oil and gas producers on the continent but that production is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years.
The organisation charged with developing the West African nations’ hydrocarbon assets is the national oil company, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC). The rise in Ghana’s production is expected to come from the growth of existing offshore fields such as Twenboa-Enyenra-Ntomme (TEN) and Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP).
First oil flowed from the Tullow operated TEN fields offshore Ghana to the FPSO Professor John Evans Atta Mills in August 2016. OCTP is an integrated deepwater project in Ghana split into two stages: the development of first oil, then gas deposits operated by Eni Ghana. OCTP is around 60km from Ghana’s western coast and boasts approximately 40bn m3 of non-associated gas reserves and 500m barrels of oil.
Mohammed Amin Adam, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Energy in charge of petroleum, is confident that the country’s energy sector is on the brink of something big. He says the country can expand oil production from 180,000–-200,000bl/d now to 500,000bl/d within six years, and is targeting up to 1mn bl/d beyond that.
“If we want to sustain or increase production, we will have to be very aggressive in exploration,” Dr. Amin Adam said in a press statement isssued by Africa Oil Week.
The average production for TEN field in 2017 was 56,000 b/d whilst production for the OCTP field is expected to peak this year at 45,000 b/d. In addition to the two established fields there are other developments that are moving ahead rapidly such as the Teak, Akasa and Mahogany East discoveries where test wells have indicated sizeable reserves.
Another major scheme is the Ghana 1000, a multi-phase greenfield gas-to-power project located near Takoradi in the western regions of Ghana. This will consist of approximately 1,300MW of combined cycle power generation technology once fully built and will support Ghana’s burgeoning domestic natural gas industry by purchasing natural gas from the Sankofa gas field, part of the OCTP field. A subsea pipeline will link a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) to onshore facilities which will then supply the project. It’s expected that the FSRU will start up sometime in 2020.
Ghana completed its first oil and gas licencing round earlier this year with two of the five blocks on offer being awarded. First Exploration and Petroleum Development, in partnership with Elandel Energy (Ghana) emerged as winners of block WB02 while Eni Ghana and Vitol Upstream Tano claimed block WB03. Block WB03 is located in the medium-deep waters of the prolific Tano Basin, offshore Ghana. Following the success of this round, a second licensing round is being planned.
Sharing the talent
Throughout the oil and gas industry, collaboration is the name of the game and that is no different in Ghana. GNPC recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to share expertise with three of its neighbours, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Liberia. “We believe that we need to share experience from other countries as a way of improving what we do,” the chief executive of the GNPC, Dr Kofi Kodua Sarpong, said. “Our organization has been there for nearly four decades and we have the expertise, we can export talent, so we are looking at all these opportunities. In fact, I can say that our brothers and sisters in other countries are knocking on our doors for advice and that is precisely what we want.”
Ensuring local benefit from oil boom
The development of these assets means that it is important that Ghana, in common with many other African nations, ensures that local workers and industry benefit from increased oil and gas activity. “There is a recognised need to develop local capacity in all aspects of the oil and gas value chain through education, skills, and expertise development, transfer of technology and know-how and promote an active research and development regime through collaborative efforts locally and internationally,” Dr Kofi Koduah Sarpong, said.
In Ghana in recent years, attention has been focused on the need to have a portion of locally produced materials, personnel, financing, goods and services rendered to the oil and gas industry with measurable monetary impact. “In tandem with this goal is the pursuit of local content participation, which refers to the level of Ghanaian equity ownership in the oil and gas industry,” Sarpong added. “Ghanaian-owned businesses in the energy sector must be encouraged to increase their participation in this emerging and growing sector. This, surely, will be a more sustainable way of realigning the sector to the needs of the country in terms of employment creation and economic growth whilst reducing the impact of capital flight on the economy.”
Ghana’s oil and gas industry continues to attract key global industry players on the back of sustained investor interest, due largely to the favourable investment climate and stable democracy. “The potential of the sector to be a driver for Ghana’s desired economic growth is evident,” Sarpong concluded. “But I hold the view that true benefits of the oil and gas sector and ultimately economic growth can be obtained only when Ghanaians capture a respectable level of value from the sector. For a country pushing for self-dependency; a Ghana beyond aid, this noble call is not misplaced, and the time to act is now.”
Ghana at Africa Oil Week
Reflecting its growing importance, Ghana will be well represented at Africa Oil Week with a triumvirate of high-profile speakers in Benjamin Kwame Asante, director of petroleum at the Ministry of Energy, Mr. Egbert Faibille Jnr., petroleum commissioner at Ghana Petroleum Commission and the Hon John-Peter Amewu, minister for energy.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Bui Power Authority Signs MOU With UG To Develop 2.5MW Solar Farm
The Bui Power Authority (BPA), one of the state power generation companies in the Republic of Ghana, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Ghana, Legon, to provide a 2.5 megawatts (MW) solar farm for the premier university.
Per the MOU, the BPA would have access to the project site, which is covering about 10 acres, to conduct feasibility studies on the project within a period of one month.
The MoU covers the scope of work, design, implementation plan and financing.
Apart from generating electricity, which will be tied to the national interconnected transmission system, the project will also serve as a research center for the university.
The CEO of the BPA, Mr Fred Oware, signed for the authority while the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Office of Research Innovation and Development, Professor Francis Dodoo, signed for the university.
In an interview with energynewsafrica.com, CEO of BPA, Mr Oware said the MoU was a product of more than a year of engagement with the university on the solar project.
“We should have signed this MOU long time ago, but we our attention was on the Tsatsadu project. Thankfully, we have completed that project that’s why we’re here today,” he said.
He said a lot of studies had been done behind the scenes on the project, which would turn around the energy situation in the university.
“If we pass the feasibility stage and we get authorisation from you, we will be happy to complete possibly less than a year’s time,” he said.
Touching on the benefits of the project, Mr Oware explained that the development of the solar farm would help to reduce the cost of electricity at the university.
He was optimistic that engineering students at the university would also have a direct training in Solar Power installation
“Once we finish it, the university will also benefit from our students’ partnership, which we have had over the years.
“There will be no expatriate in the team,” he added.
He said the authority would work with the Engineering Department of the university for students to gain practical experience.
When asked how much the project would cost, Mr Oware said the cost would be determined when the feasibility studies were concluded
For his part, Professor Dodoo described as fruitful the partnership with the BPA on the project, which included the use of windmills for power generation.
He said the project, when completed, would significantly reduce the university’s power woes.
“The Vice-chancellor sees this as an opportunity for our scientists, scholars and students to latch on,” he said.
The Dean of the University’s College of Engineering Sciences, Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, also said the project, when completed, would significantly reduce power consumption by the university.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
In an interview with energynewsafrica.com, CEO of BPA, Mr Oware said the MoU was a product of more than a year of engagement with the university on the solar project.
“We should have signed this MOU long time ago, but we our attention was on the Tsatsadu project. Thankfully, we have completed that project that’s why we’re here today,” he said.
He said a lot of studies had been done behind the scenes on the project, which would turn around the energy situation in the university.
“If we pass the feasibility stage and we get authorisation from you, we will be happy to complete possibly less than a year’s time,” he said.
Touching on the benefits of the project, Mr Oware explained that the development of the solar farm would help to reduce the cost of electricity at the university.
He was optimistic that engineering students at the university would also have a direct training in Solar Power installation
“Once we finish it, the university will also benefit from our students’ partnership, which we have had over the years.
“There will be no expatriate in the team,” he added.
He said the authority would work with the Engineering Department of the university for students to gain practical experience.
When asked how much the project would cost, Mr Oware said the cost would be determined when the feasibility studies were concluded
For his part, Professor Dodoo described as fruitful the partnership with the BPA on the project, which included the use of windmills for power generation.
He said the project, when completed, would significantly reduce the university’s power woes.
“The Vice-chancellor sees this as an opportunity for our scientists, scholars and students to latch on,” he said.
The Dean of the University’s College of Engineering Sciences, Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, also said the project, when completed, would significantly reduce power consumption by the university.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com Ghana: Gov’t Urged To Re-examine Power And Petroleum Contracts
Participants at this year’s 5th Ghana Energy Fair and National Energy Symposium have recommended to government to, as a matter of urgency, consider re-examining both the power and petroleum contracts to ensure that the West African nation benefits more.
They also wanted government to deal with the financial challenges of the energy sector and establish systems to prevent the re-occurence of these challenges.
Additionally, they recommended that government re-look at the current tariff structure to ensure that industries become internationally competitive since electricity forms about 20 to 40 percent of the cost of production.
The five-day Renewable Energy Fair and National Energy Symposium was held at the Accra International Conference Centre in the capital of Ghana, West Africa.
It was under the theme: ‘Opportunity For Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in a constrained energy sector’.
The conference brought several industry players especially those in the renewable energy sector from Ghana and other parts of the world.
Some of the issues affecting the energy sector raised were:
Source:www.energynewsfrica.com
- Currently, there is excess grid power capacity and yet end-user tariffs are relatively high;
- Why can’t Ghana export the excess grid electricity to neighbouring countries that need electricity?
- Why are SME’s and industries punished with high tariffs to subsidise residential and expect them to progress?
- Low public awareness of the energy efficiency and energy management;
- Review of the existing tariff structure to uniform tariff across the consumption categories;
- The speedy completion of the West Africa Power Pool project to facilitate export of the excess power to needy countries;
- Intensification of public education on energy efficiency and energy management.
- Fast track the deployment of rooftop solar in public buildings;
- More research into the use of renewable energy to solve the country’s post harvest losses;
- Reviewing of Ghana’s tariff setting structure to encourage and support industries to consume more power for maximum operation and, consequently, wealth creation.
Source:www.energynewsfrica.com
Nigeria: Petroleum Resources Minister Leads Visit To Angola, Gabon And South Sudan
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation, H.E Timipre Sylva and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari recently visited the Energy / Petroleum Ministers of Angola, Gabon, and South Sudan.
Chief Sylva led the delegation to Angola where they were received by H.E. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum, Angola. The two Ministers explored joint strategies for collaboration to solidify Africa’s position drawing from its membership of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. There was a deepened call for both Nations to brainstorm and walk together.
The delegation finally proceeded to the Republic of South Sudan for a meeting with the Minister of Petroleum and Mining, H.E. Awow Daniel Chuang. H.E. Sylva led the conversation on the need for production adjustments under the subsisting Declaration of Cooperation as adopted by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
While in South Sudan, Chief Timipre Sylva and his entourage were received by the Deputy Foreign Minister, Deng Dau Deng on behalf of H.E. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of South Sudan.
The 1st Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Member Countries of the Organization of African Petroleum Producers (APPO) was also at the forefront of the conversations and exchanges held.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Sonangol Drillship Detained by Malaysian Authorities
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has intercepted the Sonangol Quenguela drillship within its terriotiral waters.
According to the Maritime authority, the Bahamas-registered drillship was detained on Oct 15, just nine nautical miles east of Tanjung Balau as it was unable to produce any permits for Malaysian waters.
The Quenguela drillship is operated by Sonadrill, a joint venture between Seadrill and Sonangol.
Norway: Former Minister For Oil To Become Offshore Oil Worker
A former minister of energy in Norway Ola Borten Moe, is set to become an offshore oil worker.
According to the Norwegian media, Borten Moe, who is also a farmer and a co-founder of the Norwegian oil company OKEA – is working to become a platform manager at OKEA’s Draugen field.
Finansavisen has reported, citing Stavanger Aftenblat that Borten Moe has taken a safety course and will go through an apprenticeship period to become an offshore oil worker.
Borten Moe formed in OKEA in 2015 together with Erik Haugane, former Det norske oljeselskap CEO, with a focus on developing discovered oil and gas fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. His last position was Vice President of Business Development at OKEA.
OKEA bought the Draugen field from Shell last year. The company will this month drill its first operated wells, also at the Draugen field.
President of Senegal Receives Oil Man Of The Year Award
President of Senegal H.E Macky Sall has been awarded the Africa Oil Man of the Year by Africa Oil & Power.
The award is a recognition of Macky Sall’s work and the efforts of his government to boost the development of Senegal’s economy, create an enabling environment for investors and ensure that future oil & gas extracted from Senegal generates jobs and growth opportunities for Senegalese companies.
“Under President Macky Sall, Senegal continues to show its commitment to transparency, to engaging with those who disagree with him, to finding consensus on extractive industry matters and to taking all necessary actions to avoid the natural resources curse,” Akere Muna, former Vice President of Transparency International and former Chairman of the International Anti-Corruption Conference Council, said.
“The Senegalese people understand what is at stake with these resources coming out of the ground and their President is showing a definite engagement to ensure a transparent distribution of revenues and resources for the benefits of the Senegalese economy and its citizens. The President should use this award to make Senegal a place where Africans can be proud of the natural resource sector,” Muna added.
“As Senegal gets closer to producing first gas and increase its production of oil, we congratulate its President Macky Sall and its government on adding yet another African nation to the list of global hydrocarbons producers,” Mahaman Laouan Gaya, Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO), added.
“African producers stand ready to cooperate with Senegal to support its economic development and we truly look forward to following the country on its renewed journey to prosperity.”
Soon after discovering oil and gas in 2014 and 2016, Senegal engaged in a nation-wide dialogue with the private sector, foreign investors and the civil society on the next steps to develop the industry. This resulted in the creation of new entities such as the Strategic Orientation Committee for Petroleum and Gas (COS-Petrogaz) but also in a brand new Petroleum Code in 2019 and new local content regulations to ensure the creation of local jobs and the procurement of local goods and services from the industry.
As a result, foreign investments increased and several international majors, national oil companies and independents entered the market.
“What Senegal and its President Macky Sall have proven is that the power of political will and leadership cannot be underestimated in this industry,” said Prince Arthur Eze, Chairman of Atlas Oranto Petroleum, currently exploring in Senegal. “Sound regulations, good governance and a political leadership aligned towards a common target of economic development and of making energy work for the people is what is making Senegal a new African success story. I salute the President and the people of Senegal, the entire Africa is praying for you,” he added.
Senegal is notably making headlines for fast-tracking the development of its industry and not losing time on getting resources out of the ground. The industry is notably saluting the country’s authorities for the short time it took between the first discoveries of oil and gas in Senegal and the taking of relevant final investment decisions, which is remarkable for industry standards. As a result, Senegal is set to become a global gas exporter in the near future alongside African countries like those of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum including Algeria, Egypt, Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Nigeria.
“This proves the willingness of the Senegalese government to develop these resources and the industry at large,” declared Jude Kearney, former Deputy Assistant Secretary during the Clinton Administration and current President of Kearney Africa Advisors.
“More importantly, doing so has not resulted in any detriment to good governance practices and developing a sound regulatory framework,” added Kearney.
“Senegal’s President Macky Sall has established strong relations with the world, including Germany, which will be very beneficial when it comes to attracting the right capital and technology to develop its energy sector,” added Sebastian Wagner, CEO of the Germany Africa Business Forum (GABF).
The African Energy Chamber, under the leadership the Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk, joins the industry in congratulating President Macky Sall for taking the right steps to develop Senegal’s oil & gas sector and make energy work for all Senegalese citizens.
With its partners, the Chamber would continue to assist Senegal in promoting good governance, attracting investments and building domestic capacity across the value-chain.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Halliburton Awarded License For Gravel Pack Completions
Halliburton, one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry has announced that it was awarded an international license for ExxonMobil’s patented Non-Aqueous Fluid Gravel Packing (NAFPac™) technique for gravel pack completions.
Hole stability and shale inhibition are keys to successful installation of openhole completions. Non-aqueous fluid (NAF) is often selected to optimize the drilling process, but hole stability issues can occur when displacement to brine is done prior to screen running operations.
The NAFPac process is a gravel packing technique that enables an operator to run the gravel-pack screens in NAF, gravel pack the well, and then subsequently displace the casing to completion brine, all in a single trip. Running the screens in NAF significantly increases the probability of successful screen installation and a complete gravel pack.
“As the global completions leader, Halliburton is pleased to collaborate with ExxonMobil to expand the use of the NAFPac solution to our customer base to help them maximize asset value,” Mark Dawson, vice president of Completion Tools for Halliburton said in a press release posted on the company’s website.
“This field proven technique further enhances our leading sand control portfolio.”
“The NAFPac technique has consistently delivered reliable, cost-effective and highly productive completions in more than 150 applications across our global portfolio,” Tristan Aspray, vice president of ExxonMobil Upstream Research and Technology Development stated.
“ExxonMobil continues to pioneer completion technologies that increase reliability and reduce the overall cost of well work. NAFPac ensures successful sand screen installation and reliable gravel packing.”
About Halliburton
Founded in 1919, Halliburton celebrates its 100 years of service as one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With 60,000 employees, representing 140 nationalities in more than 80 countries, the company helps its customers maximize value throughout the lifecycle of the reservoir — from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production throughout the life of the asset. Visit the company’s website at www.halliburton.com. Connect with Halliburton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.
Ghana: Karpowership Marks International Day Of The Girl-child With Community Schools In Sekondi-Takoradi
Karpowership Ghana, an independent power producer in the Republic of Ghana, together with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Gender, has marked the International Day of the girl-child with ten basic and Senior High Schools (SHSs) from the Sekondi and Takoradi Metropolis.
The company, as part of the celebration, organised a sensitisation programme for 200 students from Sekondi-Takoradi.
The objective of the programme was focused on this year’s theme: ‘Empowering girls for a brighter tomorrow’.
The Corporate Communications Specialist of Karpowership Ghana, Miss Sandra Amarquaye explained that one objective of their CSR projects is to strive to achieve gender (e)quality which is the UN Sustainable Goal ‘5’ within their operational areas.
She said: “Karpowership is a firm promoter of the Girl-Child. We believe in inspiring and empowering young women to dream. When girls are empowered through access to good education and healthcare, it eventually leads to healthier families.”
Students were mentored on various topics which included identifying their career path, basics of savings and overcoming peer pressure.
The Head of Human Resource at the Sekondi-Takoradi Metro of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Martin Ackah lauded Karpowership for the partnership.
He said: “Empowering the ladies is very important to us. We are very excited to have worked with Karpowership to commemorate international day of the girl-child today. I would call upon other institutions to emulate this.”
A representative from the Ministry of Gender, Madam Marabel Okine also added that the ministry was working towards educating young ladies to overcome the various challenges at their age.
Karpowership Ghana Company Limited focuses its corporate social investments on education, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability. Some of these projects include bursary scheme for over 100 students in the Tema Manhean Municipality and furnishing an ICT Laboratory.
The company, in August this year, relocated its 470MW Powership to the Sekondi Naval Base in order to utilise the natural gas resources from the western enclave.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Shell CEO Speaks Out Against Anti-Oil Activists
Investment in oil and gas will continue despite growing climate concerns and the “demonization” of the industry simply because the world demands it, the chief executive of Shell, Ben van Beurden, told Reuters in an interview.
Shell has been among the most active Big Oil companies in branching out in new, non-fossil fuel focused directions, including EV charging and renewable energy generation. In fact, Shell has the ambition to become the world’s largest utility in the world, and soon—by 2030.
In the meantime, however, the Anglo-Dutch supermajor will continue investing in oil and gas, and investors need not worry about the long-term prospects of its core business because the demand is, and will be, there.
“Despite what a lot of activists say, it is entirely legitimate to invest in oil and gas because the world demands it,” Van Beurden said. “We have no choice,” he added, referring to long-life oil and gas projects.
Investor concern seems to be focused on these long-life projects such as deepwater field development, chemical plant construction, and LNG plants. These are costly, with the price tag sometimes in the billion-dollar range, and they take years to complete. This means a long-term and expensive commitment on the part of the company, so with the increasingly vocal climate activism, a lot of investors have begun questioning the long-term survival chances of the oil and gas industry and its profitability.
Yet Big Oil is already taking steps to insure itself against any problems in the future. Thanks to the 2014 price crisis, Shell, like its peers, has reoriented its focus towards lower-cost projects that can break even at $20-30 per barrel and are also less carbon-intensive than comparable projects.
“We can sustain an upstream portfolio all the way into the 2030s if there is an economic rationale for doing that and a societal rationale for doing that,” Van Beurden told Reuters. “Fortunately enough, we have more of those than we have money to spend on them.”
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Iran President Vows Revenge For Oil Tanker Attack
Iran will not leave the Friday attack on the Sabiti tanker unpunished, President Hassan Rouhani said during his first media conference in more than a year.
Bloomberg reports that the Iranian President also said government officials had seen footage of the attack and it suggested several rockets had been launched at the vessel.
Rouhani did not say who Tehran believed the culprit was but did note that it looked like the party behind the attack was a government rather than a terrorist group.
“This wasn’t a terrorist move, nor was it carried out by an individual. It was carried out by a government,” Rouhani told media.
Iranian tanker Sabiti was attack on Friday, off the Saudi coast near the port of Jeddah.
The Saudi coast guard confirmed yesterday that the vessel had sent a distress signal, via email since its geolocation was switched off. The signal said the tanker had suffered damage in the front and that oil was leaking from it.
Initial reports in the Iranian media blamed the attack on Saudi Arabia, but later the National Iranian Tanker Company, which confirmed the attack, said there was no evidence pointing towards any one particular country. The only suggestion a NITC official made was that the missiles that are believed to have been used to strike the tanker may have “possibly” been fired from Saudi soil.
Rouhani first warned there will be a response to the tanker attack on Sunday. That was the first time he referred to the culprit as a country: “If a country thinks that it can create instability in the region without getting a response, that would be a sheer mistake.”
Saudi Arabia was quick to deny any blame.
“We did not engage in such behaviour at all. This is not how we operate and that’s not how we did (it) in the past,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, told media.
Ghana: VRA To Develop First Wind Power Project
Ghana’s power generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA) is in the process of constructing 150MW wind power as part of its renewable energy drive.
The wind power project which is to be located in the Keta and Ada Municipalities respectively is expected to be part of VRA’s medium term plan.
Chief Executive Officer of Volta River Authority [VRA], Ing Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa disclosed this during the just ended 5th Ghana Renewable Energy Fair and Natural Energy Symposium in Accra, capital of Ghana.
“We also look forward to developing Ghana’s first wind power project. It is our anticipation that, we would successfully complete the 150MW wind power project, to be located in the Keta and Ada Municipalities in the short to medium term. We also intend next year to develop a pilot floating solar project on the Kpong Hydroelectric Dam Headpond at Akuse to test the feasibility and adequacy of the operation of this technology in Ghana,” he said.
The five day programme was under the theme; ‘Opportunities for Renewable and Energy Efficiency in a Constrained Energy Sector’.
He said renewable energy development will continue to be a game-changer in Ghana’s energy sector.
‘’Our corporate strategy therefore places significant focus on ensuring development in a sustainable manner. This includes the development and introduction of clean and environmentally friendly forms of energy into the country’s generation portfolio’’.
He made a clarion call for the need to address issues of climate change, energy efficiency, reliability and availability of affordable but competitively-priced power which remains very critical if Ghana’s commitment to accelerate its economic transformation agenda is to be realized.
Mr. Antwi Darkwa also challenged participants of the Conference and Exhibition to also deliberate on the general and obvious challenges inherent in the sector as a whole, as well as the opportunities presented by renewable energy as the theme for the Fair suggests.
‘’ Even though emphasis of this gathering is on renewable energy, it may be necessary during the period of this fair to also deliberate on the challenges and opportunities within the sector’’ he pointed out.
The deployment of large scale renewable energy also brings obvious technical challenges such as the rationalization of the operation of the grid and also sufficient investments in the grid network both at the transmission and distribution levels.
Though it may not be pressing at this early stage of our renewable energy development, he recommended that it is necessary to begin the design of the appropriate solutions with some forward planning.
He was hopeful the conference would afford stakeholders in the energy sector the opportunity to engage in intense and open discussions, shared knowledge and insights as well as bring to the fore, the numerous opportunities and benefits available to Ghanaians and also the economy in the renewable energy space.
‘’Renewable energy, the VRA Boss confidently mentioned can and should ultimately support the Government’s Ghana beyond Aid Agenda’’.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: MAP To Deliver 100,000 Meters To Ekiti
BEDC Electricity (BEDC) has announced the rollout of over 100,000 customer meters over the next two years in Ekiti State, Nigeria. BEDC will be aiming for a monthly average of 4,000 units.
The allocation forms part of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme.
Executive Director in charge of Commercial at BEDC, Abu Ejoor disclosed this at a media launch of MAP in Ekiti State held at BON Hotel, Ado-Ekiti.
Ejoor told journalists that in Ekiti, metering would be initiated in Ado-Ekiti and Ido-Ekiti and will eventually move into other locations, adding that the rollout of meters will be handled by FLT Energy and Sabrud Consortium, both designated parties.
“MAPs will carry our meter roll out location by location, route by route and street by street while enumeration is a pre-requisite for meters to be provided under MAP” he said.
According to him, “some of the locations flagged for take-off include: Fajuy Park Area, Similoluwa Area, Similoluwa Area / Teaching Hospital, Ajowa Street, Oriapata, Opposite School of Nursing, Adebayo Area, Adehun Quarters, Olora Area, Ile-ileri, Adehun Quarters, Peace Avenue and Pathfinder Hotel Road among others.”
Ejoor further stated that the MAP Scheme will assist in reducing customer complaints on metering, wrong and estimated billing which he said accounts for over 60% of complaints.
Speaking on the current state of power supply in Ekiti, the Executive Director said an average of 13,432 MWh of electricity is delivered to the state monthly, noting, however, that 14% of power generated is lost due to poor network infrastructure, while about 36% of power generated is also lost to commercial theft or illegal consumption.
Major challenges include; transmission bottlenecks, limitations in rearranging distribution networks to improve power supply and increase in network and equipment vandalism.
“We implore customers to note that power sector improvement process is a journey and not a race and that with their collective support by prompt payment of bills and honouring of their obligations, we shall get to our desired destination faster,” he said.
Chief State Head, Ekiti State, Kunbi Labiyi stated that BEDC, in a bid to support and grow economic activity in Ekiti, has approved over 100 projects, improving energy access from 3-6 hours to 10-22 hours.
She also informed that between 2018 and now, BEDC has connected 112 communities without supply in its coverage areas to the national grid, 19 of which are located in Ekiti state.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com