Angola: Investment Report For Oil and Gas Projects Launched
Africa Oil & Power (AOP) has launched the Africa Energy Series Special Report: Angola 2020 as a resource for investors entering or expanding their presence in the country’s energy sector.
The report provides a concise look at Angola’s investment opportunities still on track for development in the face of project delays caused by COVID-19.
“While COVID-19 continues to rattle our industry and stall energy developments across the continent, Angola boldly moves forward with a number of its large-scale, capital intensive projects, as explained in the Africa Energy Series Special Report: Angola 2020,” said AOP Acting CEO, James Chester.
“While the current investment climate remains challenging for the oil and gas industry, sufficient and sustained FDI is required across the energy supply chain to not only survive the crisis in 2020, but also overcome it in 2021.”
The report primarily focuses on upstream developments in Angola, including the 2020 oil and gas licensing round which, as of May 6, is still scheduled to take place; recent block extensions granted to major operators, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Total; the increase in the appraisal of estimated recoverable resources of ENI’s Agogo discovery; the installation of the Lifua-A platform to support oil and gas exploration in Block 0; and the establishment of the New Gas Consortium that represents Angola’s first upstream natural gas partnership.
“Special reports like this one serve as an important investment promotion and information dissemination tool, which we celebrate from the African Energy Chamber. AOP’s presence in Angola, with the assistance of the African Energy Chamber, helps to promote the local oil and gas and energy sector via different means,” Sergio Pugliese, President for Angola, African Energy Chamber noted.
Within Angola’s developing downstream industry, the report provides updates on the planned construction of natural gas and hydropower plants across the country; the refurbishment of the Luanda refinery to quadruple its current production; and the tender for the construction of new refineries in Cabinda, Lobito, and Soyo.
The publication follows the recent announcement of a change in date to the Angola Oil & Gas 2020 Conference & Exhibition, which will now take place in Talatona from October 14-15. Under the theme “Angola: African Investment Capital 2020,” the conference returns for its second year to promote and attract FDI to the country’s bankable projects and sign up new entrants to Angola’s oil and gas sector.
To download the Africa Energy Series Special Report: Angola 2020 report, please click here. (https://bit.ly/3ftJKTW)
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Renewable Energy Must Form A Major Part Of The Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan (Article)
The unparalleled health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic has other far-reaching impacts. Oil prices plummeted 30% to their lowest in almost two decades. The aviation industry is on near-total shutdown, worldwide supply chains have been decimated. There has been a 30% drop in Foreign Direct Investment across Africa. Nigeria’s downward budget revision of the benchmark oil price for 2020 to US$30/barrel and oil production to 1.7mbpd is an immediate effect.
A global recession looms large. The social consequences will be huge, creating the need for well-thought-out strategies going forward.
In the immediate aftermath, the Central Bank of Nigeria established an N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility as a stimulus package to support households and micro, small and medium enterprises affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The apex bank introduced an additional N100 billion intervention fund in healthcare loans to pharmaceutical companies and healthcare practitioners for expanding capacity.
Medium-term plans to support a post-COVID-19 economy include The Ministry of Finance, Budget & Planning’s establishment of an N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund to upgrade healthcare facilities and fund Special Public Works Programme that will generate employment.
The Federal Government is working to lessen the economic damage. Beyond the healthcare emergency, there is an opportunity for Nigeria to include sustainable energy into future economic plans. The nexus between Sustainable Development Goal #3, health and well-being and SDG#7, access to clean and reliable energy presents an outline for building a sustainable economy. Post-COVID-19, Nigeria’s commitment to the Paris Agreement, to reduce global greenhouse emissions, will not disappear. Boosting large scale investment to develop renewable energy must, therefore, be a priority in any stimulus plans.
Accelerating clean energy solutions will move Nigeria closer to achieving Vision 30:30:30 (electricity generation of 30GW by 2030 with renewable energy forming 30% of the energy mix), will add the much-needed jobs, thereby boosting the economy. Very importantly, it will contribute significantly to closing the energy access gap among 90 million Nigerians, approximately 55% of the population currently underserved or unserved. Now is not the time to lose so much of what has been gained in the last decade by adopting clean energy solutions. Clean energy lifestyles have seen a boost in Nigeria; the temporary reduction in fossil fuel prices as a result of the pandemic should not mean a loss of focus in our bid to ensure sustainable development.
The Nigeria Electrification Project, Energising Economies Initiative and Rural Electrification Fund, all initiatives of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in collaboration with the private sector have impacted tens of thousands of communities – electrifying business clusters such as Sabon Gari market in Kano, Sura market in Lagos and Ariaria market in Abia has allowed for business growth; under REA’s Energising Education Programme, Africa’s largest off-grid solar hybrid, a 7.1MW project powers Kano State’s Bayero University while another 8MW Solar hybrid project gives reliable electricity to Alex Ekwueme Federal University in Ebonyi State. These significant gains must be built on.
The potential of decentralised renewable energy to boost healthcare infrastructure is already apparent in the swift deployments across the country under All-On’s N180m COVID-19 Solar Relief Fund. This includes a 22.5kWp solar system installed at the Lagos Emergency Response Centre and a 9.6kW solar and 30kWh battery storage solution at Eleme Isolation Facility in Rivers State. Investing in health systems will influence the other sectors and possibly help avoid other health emergencies.
As Nigeria plans a post-COVID-19 future, a sustainable energy future must form an integral part of stimulus plans – diversification of the economy, promotion of local content and decreasing Nigeria’s energy poverty are only some of the benefits that this can bring. There is a need to be deliberate about future policies that will support the continued growth of Nigeria’s renewable energy sector.
Source: TheCable
Ghana: Gov’t Orders Eni, Springfield E&P To Combine Oil Fields
The Government of Ghana has directed Italian oil and gas firm, Eni, and Springfield E&P, a wholly owned Ghanaian firm, to begin talks to combine their adjacent oil and gas fields.
The directive follows a technical analysis which concluded that Afina-1x Cenomanian reservoir operated by Springfield E&P and the Sankofa Cenomanian reservoir, which is operated by Eni, are “one and the same.”
The government, through the Ministry of Energy, has, therefore, instructed the companies to begin within 30 days the process leading to the unitisation or joint operation of the two fields in order to ensure efficient production.
The two have 120 days to provide the Ministry a draft agreement.
“Shall both parties fail to comply with the government’s directive to agree on a Unitisation Agreement, the Minister for Energy is empowered to stipulate the terms and conditions of such an agreement per Regulation 50(6) of L.I. 2359,” a letter from the Energy Minister to the two companies stated.
SEP is a majority interest holder (84 percent) and operator of the WCTP2 Licence, with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and its exploration company, EXPLORCO, holding the remaining interest.
SEP drilled the Afina-1 well in October 2019, making two gas and light sweet oil discoveries at a water depth of 1,030 meters, and, consequently, more than doubling its proven oil reserves to 1.5 billion barrels and adding 0.7Tcf of gas.
On the other side, Sankofa is a part of the Eni-operated OCTP Block, where Eni holds a 44.44 percent interest, Vitol 35.56 percent, and GNPC 20 percent.
The OCTP Block is reported to have reserves of about 40 billion cubic metres of unassociated gas and 500 million barrels of oil, and has been producing since 2017 from the John Agyekum Kufuor FPSO.
While both operators have until August 2020 to complete their negotiations, the African Energy Chamber in a statement copied to energynewsafrica.com, said it is hopeful that it would result in the very first Unitisation Agreement between an International Oil Company and a Ghanaian operator in the country, ushering a new era for Ghana’s upstream sector.
The conclusion of such an agreement would ensure efficient reservoir exploitation, avoid unnecessary competitive drilling and maximise economic recovery of the hydrocarbons reserves from both licences.
This would not be the first such agreement in Ghana.
In July 2009, a Unitisation and Unit Operating Agreement (UUOA) was signed for the development of the Jubilee Field, appointing Tullow Oil as its operator.
The field entered into production a year later and has been successfully producing since then, becoming the crown jewel of Ghana’s oil & gas sector.
“Oil and gas works best with an enabling environment. The Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Energy are demonstrating a very pro-active attitude towards the development of the country’s oil & gas sector. Their directive to push for negotiations on a Unitisation Agreement on Afina and Sankofa to be completed within 120 days is proof of political will that works to benefit the energy sector and the country,” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.
“Fast-tracking the development of these fields is very positive given current market dynamics and ensures that a credible Ghanaian operator will start producing at a time when other players are shying away from investing in Africa’s upstream,” he added.
“We are very bullish that Springfield E&P can move ahead, make the deal work for Ghana’s oil sector and become a remarkable example of what African E&P companies can achieve for our industry and our continent,” concluded Ayuk.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Gas Explosion Kills Man, 51, Two Children At Ashaiman (Video)
A gas explosion at Lebanon Zone Two, a suburb of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region of the Republic of Ghana, has left 51-year-old Michael Akpeleteh and his two children dead.
The three deceased persons got burnt when a gas cylinder exploded on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses’ accounts indicated that the wife of the deceased, Michael Akpeleteh, set fire on a gas stove to prepare rice porridge and left it in the care of the children for the market.
According to the eyewitnesses, few minutes after the woman had left, the gas cylinder exploded, when the husband and his four children were all in the room.
They continued that when the cylinder exploded, the father and his children could not see their way out, so they were trapped in the explosion, consequently, suffering massive burns and were dashed to the Tema General Hospital.Energynewsafrica.com gathered that Michael Akpeleteh and his 12 -year-old daughter died on the way while the other child died on admission.
Meanwhile, two other children of the late Michael Akpeleteh who sustained serious injuries are on admission and responding to treatment at the Tema General Hospital.
Medical Director at the Tema General Hospital, Dr Richard Anthony told the press that Michael Akpeleteh and his 12-year-old daughter were brought in dead while the third died few minutes on admission at the hospital.
The remains of the deceased, according to Dr Richard Anthony, have been deposited at the hospital’s morgue.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
African Energy Companies Join ‘Equal By 30 Campaign’ To Push For Leadership And Opportunities For Women In Energy
The African Energy Chamber has become a signatory to the Equal by 30 Campaign which calls for equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030.
The Chamber has been joined in this initiative by a series of its partners, including Centurion Law Group, Tsavo Oilfield Services, Apex Industries, DMWA Resources, the Germany Africa Business Forum and Africa Oil & Power.
The Equal by 30 Campaign is being rolled out with the aim to advance gender equality and ensure women are firmly at the centre of the energy industry.
As signatories, the Chamber and its partners have endorsed principles and taken concrete action to accelerate the participation of women in the energy sector and close the gender gap in Africa.
The Equal by 30 campaign is a joint initiative of the Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment Initiative (C3E), which works to advance the participation of women in the clean energy transition and close the gender gap, and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The Equal by 30 campaign aims to have public and private sector commitments to work towards equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030.
There is more urgency than ever to align political, financial, economic and social resources to create a more equitable energy sector in Africa for all, and we firmly believe, as a coalition, that this cannot be done without involving women.
The Chamber and its partners who have joined the call all have multi-pronged and complimentary spheres of operation, making them a powerful group to promote the campaign’s agenda far and wide across the African continent.
“It is not a question that women add incredible value to the businesses they run and operate in the energy sector. The African energy industry must move beyond words and platitudes and must ensure women are included in all facets of our energy sector” stated NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the African Energy Chamber.
“We are proud to fully support this campaign as the Chamber and to bring a lot of companies operating in the energy sector on board as well. There is a whole lot of change going on at the moment, therefore there is no better time to ensure we build a bright future that includes women, looking ahead at 2030 and beyond.” added Ayuk.
The transformation of the global energy sector will only succeed if we harness all available talent, which means removing barriers to women’s participation, empowering women, and creating a more inclusive energy sector overall. The energy sector remains one of the most gender imbalanced in the world. In response, world leaders pledged, in 2015, to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls by 2030.
To that end, the African Energy Chamber is proud to commit to creating positive change in the African energy industry and fostering a sustainable future for all. We encourage the rest of our partners to join the campaign, and look forward to working together with governments, industry and civil society to tackle the challenges of the energy transition with a diverse and inclusive energy workforce.
As of today, with the 7 organizations signing on, we are now at 144 signatories total, including 118 organizations, 13 partners and 13 governments. Equal by 30 is led and based at Natural Resources Canada, a division of the Government of Canada.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Energy Ministry Inaugurates Petroluem Hub Implementation Committee
Ghana’s Ministry of Energy has inaugurated the Petroluem Hub Implementation Committee to commence the coordination of all activities regarding the implementation and operation of the West African nation’s Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC).
The Committee is to be the focal point of all the activities regarding the realization of the Petroleum Hub dream.
Mr. Lawrence Apaalse, Chief Director of the Ministry of Energy, who spoke on behalf of the Sector Minister, John-Peter Amewu, explained that it had been the goal of the Ministry, under the leadership of the President to make Ghana a regional hub of refined petroleum products and petrochemicals hence, the development of a Master Plan toward the realization of this vision in 2018 by the Ministry.
“The Corporation will have the capacity and mandate to engage with prospective stakeholders and developers concerned with the hub”, he noted.
He further intimated that per the institutional arrangements proposed in the Master Plan, a Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC) is to be established by statute to coordinate all activities during implementation and operation of the Hub.
“The PHDC will have the mandate and capacity to engage with prospective developers and all stakeholders concerned with the hub”, he noted.
According to the Chief Director, the rationale for the formation of the Committee is that “in the absence of the PHDC, the Ministry has coordinated initial implementation activities thus far.
Start of Phase 1 implementation requires a dedicated team in place to properly coordinate activities, promote the project, engage prospective investors, review reports, plans and proposals, and ensure that implementation is done per the Master Plan in a cost-effective manner that provides value for money.
Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Energy Minister in charge of Petroleum, expounded that the role of the Committee is therefore crucial as it is expected to carefully carry out the roles of the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation until the Corporation is fully operational.
Members of the Committee are as follows:
1. Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Petroleum (Co-Chair)
2. Hon. Joseph Cudjoe- Deputy Minister in charge of Finance and Infrastructure (Co-Chair)
3. Hon. Adu Boahen- Deputy Minister of Finance (Co-Chair)
4. Mr Jacob Amuah- Director of National Petroleum Authority
5. Mrs Anita Lokko- Director (Legal-MoEN)
6. Dr Eric Yeboah- Technical Advisor to the Senior Minister
7. Mr.Ali Nuhu Abeka- Acting Director(Petroleum Downstream)
8. Nana Kofi Oppong Damoah-Head (Communications and Public Affairs MoEN)
9. Mr Joseph Yankson- Legal Advisor (MoEN)
10. Charles Owusu- Advisor (Ministry of Finance)
11. Mr. Obed Kraine Boachie-Head (PD Marketing and Distribution Unit-MoEN)
12. Mrs Nancy Ayiku Botchwey- Administrative Officer (MoEN)
Hess Corporation Posts $2.4 Billion Loss
Oil and gas company, Hess Corporation has booked a loss for the first quarter of 2020 due to impairment charges resulting from the low oil price environment.
Hess on Thursday reported a net loss of $2.4 billion for 1Q 2020, including impairment and other after-tax charges of $2.3 billion resulting from the low price environment, compared with net income of $32 million in the first quarter of 2019.
Adjusted net loss was $182 million in the first quarter of 2020.
Oil and gas net production, excluding Libya, averaged 344,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), up from 278,000 boepd in the first quarter of 2019.
The improved performance primarily resulted from a 46 per cent increase in Bakken production and the first full quarter of production at the Liza Field, offshore Guyana, which started production in December 2019.
E&P capital and exploratory expenditures were $631 million, compared with $542 million in the prior-year quarter.
Hess has further reduced its E&P capital and exploratory budget for 2020 to $1.9 billion, a 37 per cent reduction from the original budget of $3 billion.
This reduction will be achieved primarily by shifting from six rigs to one rig in the Bakken and deferring discretionary spending across the portfolio.
This includes a six to twelve-month deferral in the development of the Payara field and reduced 2020 drilling activity on the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.
As a result of the unprecedented reduction in demand due to COVID-19, commercial storage in the United States is expected to reach capacity in the second quarter, which is requiring curtailments and shut-ins of production by the industry.
Hess has chartered three VLCCs to store 2 million barrels each of May, June, and July Bakken crude oil production that is expected to be sold in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Hess’ oil and gas production for 2020, excluding Libya, is forecast to be approximately 320,000 boepd.
The company’s E&P capital and exploratory expenditures are projected to be $1.9 billion, $1.1 billion lower than the beginning of year guidance primarily reflecting a reduction in the Bakken rig count and deferral of capital in Guyana.
Ghana: (Update) Tema, Parts Of Accra To Experience One Week Power Outage
Ghana’s power distribution company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) will, on Friday, May 8 carry out a planned outage in Tema and parts of Accra, capital of Ghana.
The power outage, which will be between 10pm to 1am each day, is expected to end on May 14, 2020.
The planned outage, ECG explained is to ensure the smooth conveyance of 145MVA transformers from the Tema Port to the Pokuase Bulk Supply Point (BSP) construction site.
Areas to be affected by the one week power outage are Tema, Klagon, Spintex, Trasacco, Dzorwulu, Achimota and Ofankor.
Below is an updated release
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com Ghana: Creg Afful Supports Ekumfi Eyisam To Fight Spread of Covid-19
The Editor of energynewsafrica.com, Michael Creg Afful has donated some items to Ekumfi Eyisam in the Central Region of the Republic of Ghana for use by the people in the town to prevent spread of Coronavirus in the area.
The items include ‘Veronica’ buckets, hand sanitisers, boxes of liquid soap, bundles of tissue paper and an undisclosed amount of money.
Central Region is among the regions which has recorded cases of Coronavirus.
The region’s total cases currently stand at 38.
Presenting the items, Michael Creg Afful, who is a native of Ekumfi Eyisam, said he received a call from Bengy Biney, Chairman of Ekumfi Eyisam Entertainment Committee, that the town folks needed some assistance to be able to prevent the spread of the virus.
He said he willingly agreed to mobilise some items to support and, therefore, spoke to few friends and two of them supported him to acquire the items.
Mr Afful thanked his two friends for their benevolence.
He urged the indigenes of Ekumfi Eyisam to adhere to all the COVID-19 safety protocols by practising hand washing with soap under running water and also wear nose mask.
Receiving the items, Mr Bengy Biney expressed appreciation on behalf of the chiefs and people of Ekumfi Eyisam to Mr Afful and his friends for the love and good heart they have for the people of area.
He promised that the items would be put to good use in order to prevent the spread of the virus in the area.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Mr Afful thanked his two friends for their benevolence.
He urged the indigenes of Ekumfi Eyisam to adhere to all the COVID-19 safety protocols by practising hand washing with soap under running water and also wear nose mask.
Receiving the items, Mr Bengy Biney expressed appreciation on behalf of the chiefs and people of Ekumfi Eyisam to Mr Afful and his friends for the love and good heart they have for the people of area.
He promised that the items would be put to good use in order to prevent the spread of the virus in the area.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com South Africa: SASOL Hands Over Covid-19 Supplies To City Of Johannesburg
As part of its support for citizens across Gauteng during the current COVID-19 crisis, integrated chemicals and energy company Sasol has donated 1500 litres of hand sanitiser to the City of Johannesburg to be allocated to the most vulnerable facilities.
At a handover ceremony at the City of Johannesburg Regional Offices in Johannesburg, Sasol delivered the 1500 litres of hand sanitiser to the office of the Executive Major, who will in turn allocate these to fenceline places of public interest and activity around the province with the greatest need.
“As the country braces itself for an increase in infections, as well as the resultant influx of patients into hospitals, it is crucial that these facilities are well prepared with adequate volumes of hand sanitisers to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other contaminants that could exacerbate the situation,” said Cindy Mogotsi, Senior Vice President: Corporate Affairs at Sasol.
“With some medical centres being less resourced than others, we felt a duty to support those that are most likely to experience shortages due to supply constraints.”
As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in South Africa, general hand hygiene remains an effective line of defence against the pandemic.
In mid-April, Sasol and its partners delivered a bulk shipment of hand sanitiser liquid to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic, Charlotte Maxeke Academic, Helen Joseph and Leratong hospitals. Sasol and its partners worked with hospital managers to establish innovative ways to address the growing need for sanitiser in a sustainable way.
Sasol also donated thousands of gloves, soaps and masks to destitute communities across all seven regions of the City of Tshwane, the City of Ekurhuleni and the taxi industry in Gauteng.
Later this week, week, the company will deliver an additional 1500 litres of hand sanitiser to the Gauteng Department of Health, as well as sanitiser to the Department of Education.
This will be in anticipation of the reopening of schools and the additional hygiene protocols that will be required.
“As the National Lockdown is lifted, we anticipate large-scale hygiene interventions and expect to be inundated with requests, especially from schools and medical facilities, where children and sick people will be expected to spend long hours in high density and congested conditions,” added Mogotsi.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ACEP Supports Ghana Blind Union With PPE To Fight Spread Of COVID-19
The African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), an energy think tank in the Republic of Ghana, Covid-19 prevention educational material in Braille, along with some ‘Veronica Buckets’, nose masks and plastic buckets, to the Ghana Blind Union (GBU) at the Accra Rehabilitation Centre.
In an interview with energynewsafrica.com after the presentation, Head of Programmes at ACEP, Alhassan Iddrisu said the cost of the materials, together with ‘Veronica’ buckets and other protective equipment, amounted to twenty-four thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc24,000).
He said they realised that persons with disabilities such as the blind, among others, were left out of the numerous educational and sensitisation interventions by the government and corporate bodies, companies and organisations that donated cash and PPE in the quest to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
This, Iddrusu said, motivated ACEP to collaborate with the Ghana Blind Union to invest into the production of braille educational materials to sensitise and educate persons with blindness about the devastating effect of the Covid-19.
According to him, ACEP had championed the distribuion of the materials in almost all the regional capitals to facilitate education and sensitising persons with disabilities in Ghana.
“Any approach to address any issue must not be discriminatory. It must be comprehensive and we noticed this gap that of all the sensitisation materials and education programmes, there is no braille, that is, the reference materials for persons with blindness. So we collaborated with the GBU to produce braille sensitisation materials,” he explained.
The ACEP Programmes Head said persons with blindness needed to know about the government’s cushion of paying the water bills of all Ghanaians for April to June and part for electricity consumers for same period, so they could take advantage of the situation in the mist of the pandemic.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Dr Peter Obeng-Asamoa expressed appreciation to ACEP for the gesture.
He said his members would make good use of the braille materials for education and sensitisation of persons with blindness in the country.
“Social distancing is key in dealing with the Covid-19 but since we cannot see, we need to spend more to get those who aid us to walk by proving double to meet this criteria,” he lamented.
He called for the government’s swift intervention to assist them to live a little more comfortably.
Dr Obeng-Asamoa noted that some of his members who had started small businesses have had to abandon them because of the Covid-19, thus, making life uncomfortable for them.
He appealed to the benevolent bodies and corporate institutions to also come to their aid.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
“Any approach to address any issue must not be discriminatory. It must be comprehensive and we noticed this gap that of all the sensitisation materials and education programmes, there is no braille, that is, the reference materials for persons with blindness. So we collaborated with the GBU to produce braille sensitisation materials,” he explained.
The ACEP Programmes Head said persons with blindness needed to know about the government’s cushion of paying the water bills of all Ghanaians for April to June and part for electricity consumers for same period, so they could take advantage of the situation in the mist of the pandemic.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Ghana Blind Union (GBU), Dr Peter Obeng-Asamoa expressed appreciation to ACEP for the gesture.
He said his members would make good use of the braille materials for education and sensitisation of persons with blindness in the country.
“Social distancing is key in dealing with the Covid-19 but since we cannot see, we need to spend more to get those who aid us to walk by proving double to meet this criteria,” he lamented.
He called for the government’s swift intervention to assist them to live a little more comfortably.
Dr Obeng-Asamoa noted that some of his members who had started small businesses have had to abandon them because of the Covid-19, thus, making life uncomfortable for them.
He appealed to the benevolent bodies and corporate institutions to also come to their aid.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com Ghana: Former Tema Oil Refinery MD Denies Planning To Contest For President
A former Managing Director of the Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Isaac Osei has categorically denied media reports suggesting that he is an eye to contest the country’s sitting President, Nana Akufo-Addo, for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag-bearer slot for the 2020 general elections.
The report suggested that Mr Osei made his political ambitions known to some close confidantes during a meeting.
The report also said the former MP for Subin in the Ashanti Region, may break away from the NPP and form his own party should he lose the presidential primaries.
Mr Isaac Osei resigned as Managing Director of TOR in December 2019. The reasons for his resignation have since not been known.
He is the second person from the NPP who has been rumoured of planning to contest the President.
The first person who was rumoured of planning to contest the President from his party was the former Minister for Energy, Boakye Agyarko, a claim he had refuted.
Speaking on the issue for the first time, Mr Osei laughed off over the claims, describing them as untrue.
“How do I contest the leader of the political party that I belong to?” he quizzed, adding: “I have full confidence in Akufo-Addo and I know he is going to win the 2020 election. I will not be a contestant in the election.”
He further stated: “I believe firmly in the principles of which the New Patriotic Party was founded; I have been a member since 1992 and I’m not about to stop. I will not quit the NPP to go and form a party or join any other party because, in my view, it is the best party we have in this country.”
He expressed the strong conviction that some faceless elements are on a mission to tarnish his image.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) slated its Presidential and Parliamentary elections for April 25, but the party has postponed it to a yet to be announced date due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Two Fuel Tankers, Two-year-old Boy Burnt At Apremdo
A fire outbreak at Apremdo, a suburb of Takoradi in the Western Region of the Republic of Ghana, has left two fuel tankers completely burnt to ashes with a two- year-old boy reportedly dead.
According to eyewitnesses, the two diesel tanker drivers went to discharge fuel consignment to a yet to be identified fuel station, but after discharging, went to Apremdo to sell the surplus to some wayside dealers in the area.
They explained that in the course of siphoning the surplus fuel, the tankers caught fire burning them into ashes.
The fire caught a nearby kiosk burning a two-year-old boy who was asleep in the structure.
“We can’t tell whether the fire was from the local restaurant (chop bar) in the area,” an eyewitness said.
The fire also destroyed over seven container stores.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke on a local radio station, Adom FM, blamed the personnel of the Western Regional Fire Command for failing to respond early to their distress calls.
According to them, they made distress calls to the fire station which is close to the scene but they arrived an hour later.
They claimed that when the fire fighters arrived, the latter for about an hour before said they had no water in the fire tender to douse the inferno.
The cause of the fire outbreak, which took the Fire Service personnel over an hour to bring under control, is still unknown.
The Western Regional Fire Command PRO, DO3 Emmanuel Bonney, commenting on the incident, said: “The boy who was burnt into ashes was sleeping in one of the mobile money sales containers when the fire broke out.
“We are now trying to get the auntie to confirm if the boy is a relation,” he concluded.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
According to them, they made distress calls to the fire station which is close to the scene but they arrived an hour later.
They claimed that when the fire fighters arrived, the latter for about an hour before said they had no water in the fire tender to douse the inferno.
The cause of the fire outbreak, which took the Fire Service personnel over an hour to bring under control, is still unknown.
The Western Regional Fire Command PRO, DO3 Emmanuel Bonney, commenting on the incident, said: “The boy who was burnt into ashes was sleeping in one of the mobile money sales containers when the fire broke out.
“We are now trying to get the auntie to confirm if the boy is a relation,” he concluded.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com Ghana: WAPCo To Undertake Planned 10-Hour Shutdown Of Its Tema Facility
The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo) has announced that it will undertake a coordinated and planned 10-hour shutdown of its Tema Regulating and Metering Station (RMS) to complete outstanding works under the Takoradi- Tema Interconnection Project (TTIP).
“The shutdown will take place on Sunday, May 10, from 4am to 2pm and there will be no gas supply to customers in Tema during the period,” a statement signed by Kwasi Agyeman Prempeh said.
According to the company, the shutdown is critical for the completion by Eni Ghana of the last remaining items of the ongoing TTIP project that earlier in March had expanded the capacity of WAPCo’s Tema RMS to 235MMscfd.
This shutdown is supported by the Ministry of Energy (MoE) and coordinated with Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo), the Volta River Authority (VRA), the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and various power plants to minimise the impact to the communities that rely on power generated from cleaner and more efficient gas transported through the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) system to Tema. WAPCo will support Eni Ghana to safely and efficiently execute these repair works within the stipulated period.
“WAPCo wishes to apologise to its customers in Tema for the inconvenience caused by the shutdown and promise that gas supply would be immediately restored after completion of the project works by Eni Ghana,” the statement concluded.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com