Ikeja Electric, a power distribution company in the Republic of Nigeria has announced that it has metered 120,000 households between 2018 and June 2020.
This, according to the company, is in line with its commitment to bridging the metering gap in Nigeria.
The company’s head of corporate communications, Felix Ofulue, said in order to achieve the mandate of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to bridge the metering gap and reduce the incidence of estimated billing, the company has doubled its efforts to realise its objective of metering all its customers in the shortest possible time.
“The company plans to meter another 400,000 customers over the next two years. Apart from eradicating estimated billing, Ikeja Electric’s metering programme has also provided jobs, directly and indirectly, for thousands of Lagosians and Nigerians in general, particularly during the lockdown,” Ofulue said.
He said the metering of customers under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme is ongoing, despite logistical challenges emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company has also metered Maximum Demand (MD) customers in the network and conducted periodic recertification of the meters in line with regulatory procedures.
“In addition to consumer metering, Ikeja Electric has also metered all the 33kV /11kV feeders from the injection stations ensuring energy accountability across its delivery points. In addition, the local distribution transformers have also been metered up to 100% while the metering of newly installed transformers after completion of the project is ongoing,” he explained.
Ofulue urged customers who are yet to apply for meters, to take advantage of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme and apply through map.ikejaelectric.com, using their Ikeja Electric’s account number on the bill to log into the portal and update their KYC (Know Your Customer) details.
He noted that Ikeja Electric has set up a debt resolution panel in the Six Business Units to address complaints on outstanding bills and other related issues to ensure reconciliation while customers are processing the application for meters.
With regard to payment for meters, Ikeja Electric spokesperson stressed that “customers must always pay into the designated bank account provided by the MAP and they must always include their Application Reference Number (ARN) when making these payments”.
Ofulue also explained that with the upward review of meter prices by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the new price for Single Phase Meter is now N48, 263.37 while Three Phase Meter is now N89, 069.33.
All prices are inclusive of VAT and became effective June 1, 2020.
However, customers who have paid before 1 June 2020 under the MAP scheme, but yet to be metered should forward their payment evidence stating Account Name, Application Reference Number (ARN), and IE Account Number to [email protected] for prompt confirmation.
Ofulue advised customers not to pay or give money to either Ikeja Electric staff or MAP for meter and installation.
Rather, they should send an email to [email protected] or call the Nigerian IE Customer Care helplines 01-4883900, 01-7000250, 09087980825 for clarification on issues that are not clear.
India will gradually end federal controls on gas pricing as it seeks to attract foreign investment and technology to lift local output, oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan revealed on Friday.
India, which is a large emitter of greenhouse gases and has multiple gas pricing regimes, aims to raise the share of gas in its energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030, from 6.2 per cent.
“This is an incentive we are giving to investors to come to India and take advantage of pricing and marketing freedom and produce more and invest more,” Pradhan said at the BNEF summit.
To boost gas usage, India is expanding infrastructure including building new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import plants and connecting households with an expanding gas pipe network.
New Delhi said recently that no authorisation was needed to set up LNG dispensing facilities for vehicles.
India’s top gas importer Petronet LNG said on Friday it wants to partner with fuel and gas retailers on LNG stations along highways for long-haul trucks and buses.
Petronet wants to set up 5 LNG stations in the fiscal year ending March 2021, and 300 by 2023. It eventually aims to have 1,000 LNG stations across India, it said on its website.
Meanwhile, Indian Oil Corp, the country’s top refiner and fuel retailer, said this week it wants to start LNG retailing through its fuel pumps.
GAIL (India) Ltd’s executive director Rajeev Mathur said his firm is looking for partners to set up LNG dispensing facilities.
Mathur said India’s gas demand is expected to rise by 3 per cent-4 per cent between October 2020 and March 2021, after witnessing a huge fall in April-May due to a coronavirus lockdown.
Imported LNG accounted for about half of India’s 60.8 billion cubic meters of gas consumption in the fiscal year to March 2019.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) in the Republic of Ghana, Senyo Hosi
, is urging African leaders to pay close attention to the lessons from Covid-19 pandemic for the continent to be self-reliant.
Mr. Hosi was speaking during a panel session on the theme “COVID-19: Pathways to Africa’s Economic Recovery and Growth – The place of policy response and private sector mobilization in Africa’s recovery efforts” at the virtual Africa Summit 2020.
Hosi, who is also an economic policy analyst told the panel that the coronavirus pandemic has pushed the continent to look within to solve its problems.
“Africa has a perfect opportunity under Covid-19 to reset its thinking and to trigger the paradigm shift that it has been waiting for. We’ve always said that Africa is going to be the next economic frontier, but the question is, a frontier for who? Is it going to be a frontier for ourselves? If Covid-19 hasn’t taught us anything at all, I think it should tell us the need for ourselves to be self-reliant on very key issues and basic things and to be a bit more futuristic in our thinking and our planning,” Hosi said.
According to Africa Union, 359, 606 people in Africa have been infected with Coronavirus with 9,283 deaths and 172,974 recoveries as at Saturday, June 27, 2020.
Many African countries have closed their borders in line with the imposition of lockdowns and other restriction measures to deal with the pandemic. Although this may have caused a strain on economic activities, the halt on importation meant the continent had to look within to fill the gap.
In Ghana, indigenous companies took charge of the production of personal protective equipment such as facial masks, ventilators and alcohol-based sanitizers. This somewhat spurred economic activity.
Senyo Hosi said it is no longer be acceptable for the continent to be dependent on foreign support while she [Africa] sits on arable lands and has a vibrant youth population. He believes the proper use of agriculture, human resource, education and value addition are the surest ways for the continent to recover from the pandemic and achieve economic development.
Vice president of Liberia Jewel Howard-Taylor, a keynote speaker, maintained it was Africa’s job to keep its economies afloat during the pandemic but said it was more important not to miss the negative effect of Covid-19 on women and girls because of their significant roles.
“There’s a lot of loss of income for women, there’s a loss of mobility (where to go to settle sexual reproductive health issues), there’s a loss of empowerment of women but most importantly there is an increase in sexual and gender-based violence across our world.”
She called for the prioritization of empowering women and girls during this global crisis.
The virtual Africa Summit 2020, organised by the Africa Leadership Magazine (ALM) had other speakers including Prime Minister for Eswatini H.E. Ambrose Dlamini, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, Former Director of Communications of the African Development Bank Dr. Victor Oladokun and Member of the UK House of Lords and Prime Minister’s Envoy to Uganda and Rwanda Lord Dollar Popat.
U.S oil and gas giant ExxonMobil is preparing to let go between 5% and 10% of its US-based employees subject to performance review.
According to Bloomberg, Exxon’s job cuts will be characterized as performance-based and not considered layoffs.
Employees who are not subject to performance reviews will not be affected, a source reportedly told Bloomberg.
Exxon has not been immune to the drastic effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the oil price war that has destroyed demand for crude oil and eaten into profit margins for that reduced demand, and it has attempted to tighten its belt in response.
Exxon booked a loss of $640 million in the first quarter of 2020, first in a decade after a $2.9 billion market-related charge. It also cut 2020 capex by a staggering $10 billion—a 30% cut. It has also cut its production from the Lisa field in Guyana, although that was related to the risk of excessive flaring and not the coronavirus or prices.
In addition to offloading some lower-performing employees, the oil giant is preparing to rid itself of its UK North Sea assets, for which it can no longer expect as much money thanks to the downturn.
The news comes as Minnesota and D.C. launch climate-related lawsuits against Exxon—and others–alleging that they have deceived oil consumers for years about the effects of climate change, and about their role in causing climate change.
Exxon, headquartered in Irving, Texas, employed nearly 75,000 people globally at the end of 2019.
Shares in Exxon fell on Friday by 3.43% by 4:11 pm EDT, to $43.62
About 70 workers of Schlumberger, an international oil and gas service provider operating in the Republic of Ghana, have been asked to go home for one full year without pay.
According to the workers, management gave them letters last month to go home without pay with the explanation that COVID-19 was having impact on the company.
However, the workers view management’s action as unfair labour practice and are protesting it.
The workers believe it is not likely the company would recall all the suspended workers, hence, are demanding full severance package as agreed in their 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The Chairman of the Schlumberger Workers’ Union, Bright Kwabena Danquah said some might move on after one year without pay, hence, their demand for their full severance package as has been given to their counterparts in Nigeria, instead of the 40 percent package.
“Management served us letters last month to negotiate on a redundancy package. We met to negotiate, but after the third sitting of negotiations, management started becoming recalcitrant and also started issuing out unlawful letters of suspended employment without pay for one year to members. Some of the conditions in the letter are so appalling. So all we are trying to make management aware is that when we are on the negotiation table, you do not do such things. The moment you start doing such things, then, you’re putting us under duress to accept something that is not right. We have an MOU signed with management in 2016, which I took my time to read the document to management so that the document would guide all of us in our negotiations. They said that they have heard, but instead of paying us our four months’ consolidated salaries, they are choosing to pay us something around 40 percent of that. The union, including the national [union], rejected it since that cut is in breach of the MOU.”
According to him, they want the same package as has been given to their Nigerian counterparts.
“When we asked why they are trying to cut our benefits, they said COVID-19. But this company has been making millions of dollars, in fact, one particular department can make 8 million dollars in revenue a month, and this same company is telling us they are broke because of COVID-19. We should be fair to ourselves, when workers elsewhere have been paid their redundancy packages. Our point is that they should give us what is due us and let us go home. I don’t know my future if I’m going to get a job now. We have expatriates that have gone home and paid almost 2 million dollars. In fact, they are cutting off about 60 percent of what is due us when, in Nigeria, they have paid all the workers their due. So why is it that when it comes to Ghana, they do that? They took the matter to arbitration and as we speak, the Petroleum Commission and Labour Commission are not sitting because of this COVID-19.”
Bright Danquah said the suspended workers are disappointed in the role Ghanaian managers and lawyers of Schlumberger are playing in this unfair treatment.
The Ghanaian Petroleum workers have, thus, called on the Energy Ministry and the Petroleum Commission to quickly intervene and resolve the matter.
Meanwhile, Accra-based Citi FM has quoted an HR representative of the company, Emefa Efua Dzamefe as saying that the company was addressing the issues in line with Ghana’s national labour guidelines.
“The world is going through an unprecedented global health and economic crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of this crisis on the oil and gas industry was amplified by a battle for market share between the world’s largest oil producers. This combination has created shocks in both oil supply and demand, resulting in the most challenging environment for the industry in many decades.
As a direct result of this environment, our activity level is drastically reduced; much of our operational capacity is unneeded.”
“In Ghana, GOS Limited is therefore aligning its resources with activity level. In this context, we are in dialogue with union executives about workforce rationalization. These decisions are always very difficult, as we understand the impact on our employees and the local community. GOS Limited is addressing the situation in accordance with the national labour guidelines. Our priority remains the safety of our employees and contractors, and to make this transition as smooth as possible to maintain business continuity for our customers.”
Meanwhile, information available to energynewsafrica.com indicates that Petroleum Commission has scheduled a meeting with the workers and management of Schlumberger on Monday, June 29, 2020.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that 218.37billion Cubic Feet (BCF) of natural gas was produced in March 2020, translating to an average daily production of 7493.65Million Standard Cubic Feet per Day (mmscfd).
This was contained in NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report for March 2020.
A release by the corporation’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, said 3,119.89BCF of gas was produced for the period March 2019 to March 2020, representing an average daily production of 7,912.05mmscfd during the period.
It explained that period-to-date production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and NPDC contributed about 69.37 per cent, 21.67 per cent and 8.95 per cent, respectively, to the total national gas production.
Out of the 218.37BCF of gas supplied in March 2020, according to the report, 120.73BCF of gas was commercialized, consisting of 33.45BCF and 87.28BCF for the domestic and export market respectively, translating to 1,235.56mmscfd of gas to the domestic market and 3,817.40mmscfd of gas supplied to the export market for the month.
The report said 55.63% of the average daily gas produced was commercialized, while the balance of 44.37% was re-injected, used as Upstream fuel gas or flared.
Gas flare rate was 9.08 per cent for the month under review i.e. 679.54mmscfd, compared with average gas flare rate of 8.43 per cent i.e. 666.90mmscfd for March 2019 to March 2020.
During the month under review, the report also announced a trading deficit of ₦9.53billion for March 2020 compared to the ₦3.95billion surplus posted in February 2020.
The report declared that the over 300 per cent decline in March 2020 earnings was due primarily to the huge decrease of 181 per cent in the National Oil Company’s Upstream Subsidiary, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company’s (NPDC) due to the decline in crude oil prices precipitated by the Coronavirus-induced global slowdown which it stated led to reduced exports and dwindling world oil consumption; combined with deficits posted by the refineries, among others.
The NNPC MFOR indicated a total crude oil & gas export sale of $256.19million in March 2020 which decreased by 30.89 per cent, compared to last month’s. Of the total sales, crude oil export sales contributed $184.59million (72.05 per cent) of the dollar transactions compared with $281.14million contribution in the previous month; while the export gas sales amounted to $71.60million in the month.
The March 2019 to March 2020 crude oil and gas transactions indicated that crude oil & gas worth $4.95billion was exported.
In the Downstream, to ensure continuous availability of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol, and effective distribution of the product across the country, 1.73billion litres of PMS, translating to 59.72mn liters/day were supplied for the month.
The corporation stated that it had continued to diligently monitor the daily stock of PMS to achieve smooth distribution of petroleum products and zero fuel queue across the Nation.
Within the period under review, 19 pipeline points were vandalized representing about 47 per cent decrease from the 32 points recorded in February 2020. Atlas Cove-Mosimi accounted for 53 per cent, while Mosimi-Ibadan recorded 21 per cent and Suleja-Minna accounted for the remaining 26 per cent.
The report assured that NNPC, in collaboration with the local communities and other stakeholders, continuously strived to reduce the menace to the barest level.
The March 2020 MFO report of the NNPC is the 56th edition in the series that began in 2016.
The corporation carried its adherence to transparency and accountability a notch higher last week, 19th March, 2020 when it published its 2018 Audited Financial Report, a move that has received accolades from transparency watchdogs locally and internationally, in addition to endorsement by many Nigerians who encouraged other government agencies to follow suit.
The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons (MMH) of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has announced the adoption of the new Regulation of Petroleum Operations, Regulation No. 2/2020 of June 15th, 2020.
The new Regulation modernizes Equatorial Guinea’s existing regulatory framework and is intended to maintain the country’s attractiveness for foreign investors.
It notably covers key matters such as the extension of the productive life of mature fields though mechanisms allowing operators to generate greater value from these assets; the exploration of marginal and onshore fields along with investments in deep and ultra deep water acreages; the monetization of gas and the development of the petrochemicals industry, along with further integration of the national workforce and local companies across the value-chain.
“This new Regulation gives an opportunity to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to continue being a world reference in the hydrocarbons sector. To maintain our position, we must be prepared, with updated norms and policies, to respond to the great challenge that the recovery of commodity prices, the creation of employment and the execution of projects after the Covid-19 pandemic will pose for the sector,” H.E. Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, Minister of Mines and Hydrocarbons said.
“It is for this reason that the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons, in its desire to continue betting on the growth and economic diversification of the country, has decided to update the regulations to answer all the questions of the industry, as well as create a space of trust with all the actors in the country’s hydrocarbon sector,” he added.
The new Regulation is seen as a pillar of Equatorial Guinea’s recovery strategy post Covid-19, and clarifies several aspects of petroleum operations in the country. It also comes as Equatorial Guinea pushes for additional local participation across the value-chain, and is developing several gas monetization and downstream projects.
The Regulation notably stipulates that refining, petrochemicals and commercialization activities can be realized under a specific license granted by the MMH (Article 93) on the basis of technical and financial capabilities notably.
It also strictly prohibits gas flaring, except under very specific circumstances, and stipulates that Field Development and Production Plans must always be designed in such a way as to allow the use, conservation or commercial exploitation of associated gas (Article 149). It also clarifies new rules and frameworks on exploration and production from mature and marginal fields, defining the former as a field that has entered into decline and is no longer economically viable, and the former as a field that has produced 90% of its proven hydrocarbons reserves (Article 41).
Such fields will benefit from 10-year contracts, which can be renewed every five years after study and assessment by the MMH.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
The fifth edition of Africa Oil & Power (AOP) returns to Cape Town’s International Convention Center on October 5-7, 2021 for three days of deal-making and discussions focused on Africa’s energy transition, industrialization, regional business and economic transformation.
The event has been rescheduled from September 15-17, 2020.
In its 2021 edition, AOP will also invite global attendees to participate via a new virtual format, alongside the in-person conference.
Under the theme #InvestWithoutBoundaries, the conference enjoys the partnership and endorsement of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy of South Africa, the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the South African Oil & Gas Alliance and the South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the world are looking at implementing policies to stimulate investment and kickstart the growth of energy economies. As global economies recover, international partners and continental actors are looking at African opportunities anew, and re-evaluating LNG, renewables, privatized power and oil and gas projects.
The current downturn in the global oil sector is expected to see an uptick as lockdowns are lifted and the global economy is restarted. A price recovery, coupled with renewed interest and activity in the energy sector, will act as major catalysts for African growth and intra-African economic activity.
Meanwhile, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement will lure investment, encourage job creation and place an emphasis on the need for new technology and cross-border collaboration post COVID-19.
For the first time, AOP will host the Africa Renewables Forum, the Africa LNG Forum and the Energy Finance Forum, in line with the vision of South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and government and private sector partners from all four corners of the continent.
AOP 2021 is the culmination of a 2021 program of events which includes Mozambique Gas & Power taking place in Maputo 8-9 March 2021; Gabon Oil & Power which will be held in Libreville on 15-16 March 2021; Nigeria Oil & Power in Lagos on 30 March – 1 April 2021; Angola Oil & Gas 2021; South Sudan Oil & Power 2021 and AOP’s first ever event in Uganda.
In an unexpected development, the pump price of diesel is all set to surpass the petrol price in New Delhi, capital of India, making it the most expensive transport fuel for the first time in a long time.
Globally, diesel is priced slightly above petrol prices due to the very nature of the product that has a higher cost of production. However, in India, due to the lopsided taxation structure, diesel attracts lesser of the tax between the two auto fuels keeping its prices lower than petrol for last several years.
Diesel is currently priced at Rs 79.40(1.05 dollars) a litre in the Capital, just 36 paise short of petrol price that is being retailed at Rs 79.76 a litre. Going by the trend of price movement in the two products for the last few days where diesel prices have consistently increased by 50-60 paise per litre while the daily increase in petrol prices have fallen to just 20 paise on Tuesday, it is set to surpass petrol prices in next few days.
“Diesel price movement is sharper in international market and if oil companies follow the global price trend, diesel prices will surpass that of petrol later this week. It will be after many years that this would happen and is expected to sustain for some time unless government changes the tax structure of the petroleum products again,” an oil sector expert from one of the big four audit and advisory firms asking not to be named.
Interestingly, even in India the base price of diesel is expensive than petrol.
According to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), while the base price of petrol in Delhi currently comes to Rs 22.11 per litre, the same for diesel is higher at Rs 22.93 per litre (effective from June 16, 2020). This has been the case for a long time, but retail price of petrol can be higher than diesel due to central and state taxes.
What has now brought diesel prices to a whisker of petrol prices in the capital is the Delhi government’s decision early May to increase the Value Added Tax on diesel from 16.75 per cent to 30 per cent and on petrol from 27 per cent to 30 per cent. This increased the retail price of diesel and petrol in Delhi by Rs 7.10 and Rs 1.67 a litre respectively. With Central taxes on the two products already reaching identical levels, the Delhi governments move hastened price parity between petrol and diesel.
Currently, the Central excise on petrol is Rs 32.98 a litre while that on diesel it is Rs 31.83 a litre. The VAT on petrol in Delhi is Rs 17.71 a litre and that on diesel is Rs 17.60 a litre.
While the movement of retail pricing is being seen with a sigh of relief by vehicle owners whose cars run on petrol, those buying the relatively expensive diesel cars are now repenting on their decision.
The development is also being seen with caution by automobile companies who have spent millions to ramp up their facilities for diesel run vehicles.
The expectation is that demand for such cars will now fall, causing more damage to companies where sales are already impacted due to persistent economic slowdown and now the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
“The pricing development would push automobile companies to strategies being followed by companies in the western markets where diesel run cars are not sold on fuel pricing differential, but on overall make and quality that puts them ahead of petrol run cars,” the expert quoted earlier.
Yes, but for commercial vehicle sector the rising price of diesel had not been welcomed. In fact, the commercial transport sector had time an again threatened strike against the move to raise fuel prices.
With petrol and diesel retail prices closing, the case for adultering fuel has also gone down much to the relief of vehicle owners.
The CEO of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) in the Republic of Ghana, West Africa, Senyo Hosi will be speaking alongside the Prime Minister for Eswatini H.E. Ambrose Dlamini, Vice President of Liberia Jewel Howard-Taylor as well as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland QC at the Africa Summit 2020 organised by the Africa Leadership Magazine (ALM).
The virtual summit which is themed: “COVID-19: Pathways to Africa’s Economic Recovery and Growth” is scheduled for the 25th of June 2020 via teleconferencing at 2 pm GMT.
Senyo Hosi, a Ghanaian thought leader, economic policy analyst and CEO, with vast experience in the oil and gas industry will speak in a panel about the place of policy response and the private sector mobilization in Africa’s recovery efforts in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Ghana, Mr. Hosi is leading private-sector corporations and individuals in the Ghana COVID -19 Private Sector Fund (GCPSF) to build the first-ever infectious disease, isolation and treatment facility in the capital Accra.
The project, which is nearing completion, begun about eight weeks ago and has been funded by both private and public organisations and individuals and also through crowdfunding.
Mr. Hosi and all other trustees GCPS Fund have been commended by Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo for their bold initiative.
For more information about the fund, visit https://ghanacovid19fund.com/.
Zimbabwean solar power company Centragrid plans to increase generation capacity to 25 megawatts (MW) by October 2021.
The aim is to help the country chip away at a huge electricity deficit that has hurt mines and kept households in the dark for hours.
The southern African country currently produces about 1,000 MW of electricity, half of peak demand, resulting in rolling power cuts after a devastating drought reduced dam levels at its hydropower plant while ageing thermal stations break down regularly.
“If we fail to solve these things, we will continue to import power from neighbouring countries. When you import power, you’re also exporting jobs,” Centragrid founder Victor Utedzi told Reuters on a solar farm in Nyabira, 35km west of the capital, Harare.
Centragrid’s Nyabira solar plant was built by China’s Sinohydro and generates 2.5 MW but it plans to build nine more units of 2.5 MW each, with work due to start in the next three months.
Centragrid says it will spend $30 million, raised locally and offshore, to scale its plant to 25 MW, but Utedzi is concerned that Zimbabwe’s foreign currency shortages could dampen interest in the sector.
Zimbabwe’s foreign currency shortages after years of economic crisis have left businesses struggling to import equipment, service foreign loans and pay dividends to international investors.
India’s solar power generation plunged about a third during the solar eclipse last Sunday.
Power grid operators, however, handled the sharp drop and surge in generation during the celestial event, underscoring the country’s ability to manage its growing green energy generation and the impact on the national grid.
The drop in solar power generation was projected to be around 11,943 megawatts (MW) on June 21.
Eclipses occur every year, but annular solar eclipses are not common. India has experienced three solar eclipses in the past 10 years—on 22 July 2009, 15 January 2010, and 26 December 2019.
The eclipse this year also comes against the backdrop of the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has led to a drastic fall in pollution and has improved solar radiation.
India has 34.6 gigawatts (GW) of solar power, and aims to have 100GW of solar capacity by 2022.
Also, it has one of the largest interconnected power grids, capable of transferring 99,000MW of electricity from any corner of the country.
The grid is also connected with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan.
“Electricity grids with such a significant penetration of solar capacity will be adversely impacted by astronomical events such as solar eclipses, due to variation in solar generation (reduction followed by rise in generation) and associated large ramp rates,” a report by state-owned Power System Operation Corp Ltd (Posoco) that oversees India’s critical electricity load management functions said.
The successful management of the grid adds heft to India’s ambitious global electricity grid strategy, with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government calling for bids to roll out the “One Sun One World One Grid” plan.
The plan is spread across three phases. The first phase deals with the Middle East, South Asia-South East Asia interconnection for sharing green energy sources such as solar for meeting electricity needs, including peak demand.
This comes against the backdrop of the US withdrawal from the Paris climate deal and China’s attempts to co-opt countries into its ambitious One Belt One Road initiative.
Source: energyworld.com
The Association of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in the Republic of Ghana has cautioned civil society groups in the energy sector that are visiting the premises of filling stations to carry out auditing or ensuring regulatory compliance to desist.
According to the Association, it is not the mandate of these groups to carry out regulatory functions, stating that, it is the sole responsibility of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) to ensure industry compliance.
‘We have cooperated with the inspectors of the National Petroleum Authority as they regularly inspect our stations for general compliance, including fuel dispensing pumps delivery levels.
“Our members have provided 10-litre measuring cans at their stations to enable our cherished consumers who may want to confirm the fuel dispensers delivery levels to do so and where they are dissatisfied, they are expected to report the matter to the GSA or NPA to check if, indeed, they are right so the appropriate action can be taken by the GSA or NPA against the operator involved. Where a member is found to have fallen foul of the law, the AOMC has, at all times, supported these regulatory agencies to make them face the full rigors of the law,” a statement signed by Kwaku Agyemang-Duah, CEO/Industry Coordinator, said.
It would be recalled that the Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, about two weeks ago, led a team to visit some filling stations in the Volta Region as part of efforts to ensure that they were complying with industry regulation.
However, the AOMC has kicked against the move.
“We would, therefore, like to reiterate that any group or entity wanting to assure itself of the pump delivery accuracy at any fuel stations should properly engage the relevant regulators to collaborate in a meaningful manner and also to ensure that the requisite Health, Environment, Safety, Security and Quality (HESSQ) protocols are appropriately complied with.
“We must caution that the retail outlets are confined spaces for safety reasons, therefore, besides quickly buying fuel or patronising any of the other related services, one should not trespass unless one has been legally mandated to perform certain functions at the stations,” the statement concluded.
Press Release- Unauthorised inspection of Fuel Stations
The Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), an independent statutory body mandated to promote transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum revenues in the Republic of Ghana has urged the country’s Parliament to ensure that the Finance Ministry render an account for the $1.5 billion unutilized Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).
The Committee noted that while GHC2.7 billion was available for spending in 2019 only GHC1.2 billion was utilized, leaving a balance of GHC1.5 billion.
“For the third consecutive year, not only has a sizable proportion of the ABFA not been fully utilized, but it has also not been accounted for, thus, impeding PIAC’s appreciation of the full scope of accounting to the public on the utilization of our petroleum revenues,” Mr. Noble Wadza, Chairman of PIAC, said as carried by Ghana News Agency.
Noble Wadza (left), Chairman of PIAC launching a copy of the 2019 Report
Mr. Wadza who was launching the 2019 Report said in 2019, 45.14 percent of the actual ABFA was spent on recurrent expenditure, with 54.86 percent on capital expenditure in violation of Section 8(4)(a) of Act 893 which requires that a minimum of 70 percent be spent on public investment expenditure.
Besides, for the second consecutive year, there was no allocation from the ABFA to the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), contrary to the provisions of the Petroleum Revenue Management Act and GIIF Act 877.
Commenting on the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Mr Wadza said the Corporation continued to provide guarantees for a range of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), amounting to US$645.5 million in 2019.
This is about double, compared with the previous years’ and also outweighs the Corporation’s total equity financing expenditure of US$164.79 million for the period.
In 2019, GNPC supplied US$334.6 million worth of raw gas to the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC), but no payment was received, in respect of the supplies.
This is largely because of VRA’s inability to pay GNGC for the lean gas supplied. Added to the outstanding balance of US$333.5 million, this brings the total indebtedness in respect of lean gas supplies to US$668.1 million.
The Committee reiterated its call on Parliament to consider placing some restrictions on the proportion of GNPC’s budget on CSI and guarantees to state institutions, particularly in the light of the Corporation’s inability to respond to some of its cash calls.
It also called on the government to address the unsustainable debt of GNGC and to expedite action on the infrastructure requirement for gas evacuation and utilization, to avoid huge backlog of make-up gas volumes and the potential for resource waste.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
In Ghana, Mr. Hosi is leading private-sector corporations and individuals in the Ghana COVID -19 Private Sector Fund (GCPSF) to build the first-ever infectious disease, isolation and treatment facility in the capital Accra.
The project, which is nearing completion, begun about eight weeks ago and has been funded by both private and public organisations and individuals and also through crowdfunding.
Mr. Hosi and all other trustees GCPS Fund have been commended by Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo for their bold initiative.
For more information about the fund, visit https://ghanacovid19fund.com/.
