Ghana: Politicisation Of Depot Transportation Of Fuel Killing BOST- Report
Stakeholders in Ghana’s petroleum downstream industry have called for a paradigm shift in the politicisation of BOST inter-depot transportation business.
The stakeholders in the downstream subsector are worried about the situation where a change in government results in some transporters being thrown out of job.
This is contained in the 2018 Industry Report on Ghana’s Petroleum Downstream which was compiled by the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD).
The report described how because of politicisation of BOST’s deport transport business, some transporters are able to hedge political victimisation by partnering key personalities across both dominant parties.
The report noted that some register different companies and use the same vehicles. Subject to the political sentiments, the transporter fronts its transactions with one of its politically-aligned companies.
According to recurring reports from some transporters over the years, companies are aligned to particular political actors who front contracts for rents of between 20%-30% of the gross transportation income.
The report said many investors into trucks have had their investments impaired by political victimisation.
“This culture is unsustainable and injurious to investments and BOST as an institution,” it said.
Ghana is currently over trucked significantly because of the hope of BOST patronage. Ghana’s transportation pricing is based on an eight trips a month assumption for local deliveries (deliveries within a 66km radius).
“For such a radius, a truck should be operated at about 20 trips minimum a month.
This implies that our asset utilisation premium in the transportation price build up is overstated by 150 percent.
“It is no wonder that there is constant agitation from transporters to have the transportation price increased. This does not augur well for Ghana as an economy as the under-utilisation of assets is the dissipation of productivity.
“It also leads to higher prices being paid by consumers at the fuel pump.”
The report underscored the need to professionalise the industry and retain constructive value for BOST and not dissipate it through rent seeking schemes.
While the current management, the report said, is making efforts at minimising these occurrences, it stated that its efforts will yield little unless ingrained in the policy structure of their operations.
It, thus, recommended that BOST openly auctions the inter-depot transportation of fuel. This, it said, would imply that all licensed transporters would have an objective chance at competing.
It would also ensure the retention of all ‘would have been economic rents’ within BOST to fund its operations.
The report, again, stated that the auctions be made based on volume and location with the NPA transportation price as the benchmark. Such auctions must require the posting of easily negotiable performance insurances or financial instruments.
It further recommended that price quotes must be NPA benchmark transportation prices less a management margin for BOST. This implies that NPA benchmarks shall be paid to BOST for their service and the margin retained by BOST to fund their administrative and operational costs for managing the transportation processes.
The above recommendations would ensure Ghana is not short-changed and value is retained in BOST.
“It will dispel the rent seeking and help truncate the excessive politicisation and polarisation of BOST. As the industry grows, it is imperative that institutions are depoliticised and the citizenry access to service and opportunities be not dependent on political discretions.”
South Africa: Deadline For Eskom To Reinstate Project Manager Ends Today
Workers’ union Solidarity has issued a letter of demand, insisting Eskom withdraws an unfair dismissal against Johan Dempers, a project manager at the Matimba and Medupi power stations by 29 October 2019.
According to union, Dempers was dismissed on 18 October 2019 from Eskom Rotek’s service without any warning.
Anton van der Bijl, head of solidarity’s legal services, contends that after the coal conveyor belt had broken down on 12 October, leading to the recent power cuts, Dempers was told to supervise repairs to the conveyor belt.
As part of the emergency measures implemented while the conveyor belt was being repaired – 1,500 tonnes of coal had to be trucked to the power station.
According to Van der Bijl, Eskom Rotek argues that Dempers failed to supply the 1,500 tonnes of coal per hour to Medupi as per their instruction and then, when he saw that the targets would not be met, he failed to report the matter to senior management.
“It is shocking, to say the least. Dempers was dismissed without any warning for something that was not his responsibility, and this despite the fact that he performed his duty of supervising the repairs of the conveyor belt resolutely and in an excellent way,” Van der Bijl said.
Van der Bijl continued: “It is unfortunate that it has become a trend that mismanaged state enterprises use their employees as pawns to try and conceal their own incompetence.
“In this instance we are dealing with a case where our member did far more than was expected of him, and he is now made the scapegoat for the recent power cuts.”
He further stated that if Eskom Rotek has not withdrawn Dempers’s dismissal by 29 October, Solidarity will have no choice but to take urgent legal steps.
“We believe and trust that Eskom Rotek would then be taught a lesson in court,” Van der Bijl concluded.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Kenya: Bernard Ngugi Appointed CEO Of Kenya Power
The Kenya Power Board of Directors has appointed Bernard Ngugi as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
Prior to his appointment, Ngugi was the Company’s General Manager in charge of Supply Chain. He takes over from Eng. Jared Othieno who has been the Acting Managing Director & CEO since July 2018 when he was appointed to the position following the exit of the former Management team.
Ngugi has over 30 years’ experience in the Company with expertise in financial and revenue accounting, internal audit and supply chain management. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting.
He is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya. He is also a Certified Public Secretary of Kenya and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya.
Additionally, Ngugi holds a Graduate Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supplies and is a member of the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management.
“My immediate focus is to lead the Company towards improved profitability while ensuring the business fulfils its socio-economic purpose. This will be achieved by implementing our 5 Year Strategic Plan that broadly aims at delivering excellent customer service and ensuring our business sustainability,” Ngugi said.
The Board of Directors of Kenya Power & Lighting Company Plc is confident that operations of the Company will run smoothly under the leadership of Ngugi.
“We believe that Ngugi will see the Company through an important stage of its development and growth as we work to diligently implement all our plans to strengthen the Company and the commercial aspects of our business,” Kenya Power’s Chairman Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
(Article) South Sudan’s Oil And Power Is An Opportunity For Peace Through Economic Development And Compromise
By: NJ Ayuk
I truly believe that investment and economic development are the keys for peace and stability in Sub-Saharan Africa. I have said it again and again. I wrote dozens of articles and even a book partially dedicated to that particular belief. So, it is with great joy that I see that same belief being followed and put into practice in one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s nations most impoverished and most affected by conflict in recent years, South Sudan. The world’s youngest nation has been in dire straits, to say the least, for quite some time.
Since the landmark peace deal signed by President Salva Kiir in September 2018, the ceasefire has held, and that has opened the doors to set up the country’s structure again. To be sure, South Sudan’s (and Sudan’s) main source of revenue comes from oil. During the conflict, oil production was halted and infrastructure damaged or destroyed. Further, the only export pipeline out of South Sudan, where most oil fields are located, goes through Khartoum, in Sudan.
Now, if this set up has been a source of tension and conflict in the past, understanding its various aspects is also the beginning of finding solutions for stability. As the former South Sudanese Minister of Petroleum, Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth, said in April 2019, “the lifeline and the backbone of the economies of South Sudan and Sudan must continue to stand strong. The economies and the people of Sudan and South Sudan share a common destiny. The flow of oil is vital for the people of both nations and shall remain uninterrupted”.
This is no small truth. Cooperation, rather than individualism is the only thing that will keep these two nations from conflict and allow them to take advantage of their resources to build lasting peace and promote economic development.
Now, there is a lot more to be taken from what has been happening in South Sudan than just a lesson in diplomacy. The South Sudanese leadership is conscious that oil is their only door, at the moment, for economic stability.
But further, they understand that expanding their oil production is the way towards a brighter future and that, for that to happen, they must lure investors with an attractive business environment and investment security.
So first, the Ministry of Petroleum started by supporting the operating companies in the country and pushing them to increase oil production and reopen oil fields that had been shut down during the civil conflict. A target of returning to a pre-war daily production of 350 thousand barrels of oil per day was set for 2020. Ambitious as it may be, it has set the government’s tone regarding its oil industry – “We want investment now!”.
It’s working! Slowly but surely, old oil fields have been brought online and the national daily production rate, although far from its ultimate goal, standing today at 180 thousand barrels per day, is consistently increasing, step by step.
Then, there is the issue of creating an enabling and well developed legal framework. In order to attract foreign investment, the South Sudanese government has decided to review and improve the laws overseeing the oil industry and has sought outside expertise to help. Local content and empowering women must be key to this process.
Again, it is working. In 2017, Pan African E&P company Oranto Petroleum was the first to sign a production sharing agreement in South Sudan since, well, since the country was formed. The company is now operating block B3. To be sure, Oranto is no small actor in Africa’s main oil plays, and its entry in South Sudan marked a sign of change in this young nation’s renewed oil industry. We would have to wait two years until another exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) was to be signed in the South Sudanese plays. In May 2019, the South African state-owned Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) signed the second EPSA in South Sudan’s young history for the license of block B2.
And now, that will all come together when the South Sudanese Minister of Petroleum Hon. Awow Daniel Chuang, a technocrat and results oriented Minister, announces South Sudan’s 2020 oil and gas licensing round at two strategic conferences this October: Africa Oil & Power 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa, on October 9-11 and South Sudan Oil & Power (SSOP) 2019 in Juba on October 29-30. This is a historic landmark for South Sudan and a fantastic opportunity for investors to tap into this incredibly proliferous and underexplored oil region (it is estimated that at least 70% of South Sudanese oil is still to be found).
The Ministry of Petroleum is also searching for companies that will work on gathering geological and seismic data on the country’s basins so it can be better prepared to captivate the interest of Canadian, American, Russian, Asian and European exploration and production companies in exploring the country. The event will open a new era for South Sudanese oil and is bound to have a dramatic impact on the country’s economic and social future. The government is also seeking partners to develop environmental assessments on the current and prospect oil fields in the country, as social concerns over environmental damages have also taken central stage in the cabinet’s plan for the industry. Besides all that, one of the main debate topics in the upcoming SSOP is the role of women in the energy sector, another topic that I press upon repeatedly especially in my recent bestselling book Billions at Play.
Finally, the cherry on the top of the cake, the end of August 2019 saw the announcement of the biggest oil discovery in South Sudan in years. Over 300 million barrels of recoverable oil were found in the Adar oilfield, in block 3, operated by the Dar Petroleum Operating Company consortium, which is led by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Further reserves could be on the way as other wells are currently under evaluation in the same area. Oil should start flowing from this field within 12 months.
This is to say that, South Sudan came out of a devastating war and turned itself around, took advantage of its natural resources and created the conditions to attract foreign investment, built international partnerships with neighbours and fellow African nations and developed a legal and business framework that would enable growth, while seeking peace through economic development and compromise, never undervaluing social, regional and ethnic concerns.
What else can I say, if the youngest and one of the most impoverished nations in the world can do it, so can the rest of Africa. The time is now.
NJ Ayuk is the CEO of Centurion Law Group and the Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. His experience negotiating oil and gas deals has given him an expert’s grasp of Africa’s energy landscape. He is the author of bestselling book, “Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy and Doing Deals.”
Egypt: Eni Makes New Discovery In Gulf Of Suez Offshore
ENI has made yet another discovery in Egypt.
The latest discovery was made in the Abu Rudeis Sidri development lease, in the Gulf of Suez, where the operating company Petrobel, equally held by ENI and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC), drilled an appraisal well of the discovery of Sidri South, announced last July.
The Sidri 36 appraisal well, drilled to assess the field continuity westward in a down dip position with respect to Sidri-23 discovery well, encountered an important hydrocarbon column in the clastic sequences of the Nubia Formation (200 meters of hydrocarbon column).
This new and important result continues the positive track record of the “near field” exploration in ENI’s historical concessions in Egypt and prove how the use of new play concepts and of the technology allows to re-evaluate areas where exploration was considered having reached a high level of maturity.
The well will be completed and put into production in the next few days with an expected initial flow rate of about 5.000 barrels per day.
Petrobel immediately conceived a rapid development plan for the new discovery with a “fast-track” approach, leveraging on existing infrastructures in the vicinity of the well and maximizing facilities synergies; this strategy will be applied also in future activities in the Sidri area with the next delineation and development wells connected to the production in a short time.
The Sidri South discovery, which is estimated to contain about 200 million barrels of oil in place, will be reassessed following these new results.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Spirit Energy Boosts Production From North Sea Field
E&P Company Spirit Energy has raised production from its key North Sea gas field after a successful drilling campaign worth £68.5 million ($88 million).
Spirit Energy said in January 2018 it would extend the life of Chiswick field in Southern North Sea by tapping into new reserves and bring around a further 50 billion cubic feet of gas on stream.
First gas from a new well at Spirit Energy’s Chiswick field in the Southern North Sea was achieved in July 2019. It has added up to an additional 25 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to the field, with further work to come later this year, the company announced on Tuesday, October 29.
The Chiswick field, located around 75 miles off the coast of Norfolk, has been producing gas since 2007. The new well, named C5Y, brings overall production from the Greater Markham Area to 50 million standard cubic feet of gas per day – enough to heat 427,000 UK homes. The Greater Markham Area hub spans both the UK and Dutch Continental Shelves, and comprises the Markham, Chiswick, Grove, and Kew fields.
The development well is just one part of a campaign to boost production from the Chiswick field, with the Noble Hans Deul jack-up rig returning to the area later this year to carry out work on the C4 well which will further improve production for the asset.
“The Greater Markham Area is an important part of our business, and so our team has spent a lot of time looking for opportunities to build on these fields and add further production. Data from the newly drilled C5 well will help to screen further new opportunities in the Chiswick field,” Girish Kabra, Director of Spirit Energy’s North Sea Operated Assets stated.
“From exploration and appraisal wells, through development drilling and making sure we plug and abandon old wells, this year has been one of Spirit Energy’s most active in the North Sea and we are looking forward to returning to Chiswick later this year to carry out further work and potentially add additional barrels of production,” he added.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
BP Posts Quarterly Loss On Divestment Charge And Weaker Upstream Earnings
BP’s third-quarter results took a hit due to lower oil prices, maintenance works, hurricane impacts, and a divestment charge.
Underlying replacement cost profit for the third quarter of 2019 was $2.3 billion, compared to $3.8 billion a year earlier. The result was impacted by significantly lower upstream earnings, resulting from lower prices, maintenance and weather impacts, BP said.
Brent crude averaged $62 in the third quarter of 2019, down from $75 in the third quarter of 2018.
The company on Tuesday reported a third-quarter loss of $749 million, down from a profit of $3.3 billion a year ago, citing a divestment-related, non-cash, non-operating after-tax charge of $2.6 billion.
Reported oil and gas production for the quarter averaged 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, an increase compared to 3.6 million barrels of oil equivalent a day a year earlier.
Underlying Upstream production, excluding Rosneft in which BP has a stake, was down 2.5% from a year earlier, reflecting maintenance across a number of regions and Hurricane Barry shutting BP’s US Gulf of Mexico offshore platforms for two weeks.
“BP delivered strong operating cash flow and underlying earnings in a quarter that saw lower oil and gas prices and significant hurricane impacts. Our focus remains firmly on maintaining financial discipline and delivering safe and reliable operations throughout BP. We’re also continuing to advance our strategy, making strong progress with our divestment plans and building exciting new opportunities in fast-growing downstream markets in Asia,” Bob Dudley, BP chief executive who is soon to retire, said.
Looking ahead, BP said it expected the fourth-quarter 2019 reported production to be higher than the third quarter due to the completion of seasonal maintenance and turnaround activities.
Ghana: Pay Us Our $1.5billion Money To Guarantee Continuous Power Supply-IPPs To Gov’t
The Chamber of Independent Power Producers,Distributors and Bulk Consumers (CIPDiB) in the Republic of Ghana, West Africa, has asked the Akufo-Addo-administration to prioritise the energy sector by paying the $1.5 billion debt owed its members as soon as possible to guarantee continuous supply of power.
The chamber, in a statement signed by Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, CEO of CIPDiB, expressed worry over the breakdown of trust by the ECG and for that matter the government of Ghana.
According to the chamber, it was made to believe that the private sector participation in the electricity distribution business by PDS would bring an end to the delays in payment of power supplied to the state by its members.
However, CIPDiB noted in the statement that GoG/ECG did not honour their obligations.
“Sadly, the reality we have experienced is that the receivable accounts position of the Independent Power Producers has deteriorated since the PDS arrangement came into effect.
“When on the 8th of July 2019 the CIPDiB issued a statement about having gone for four months without any payment, PDS came out in rebuttal, claiming they had honoured their obligations to ECG. This was later found out to be untrue.
“The cumulative outstanding debt position of the GoG/ECG to IPPs alone has escalated to about USD$1.5 billion.
“The CIPDiB is once again compelled to ask that payment of the obligations of GoG/ECG be made as a matter of urgency. Immediate disbursement from funds that have been built up in the PDS accounts is essential to enable us continue to produce
Below is the full statement
Strengthening the power sector – a national priority.
Strengthening the power sector, particularly the electricity distribution sub-sector, was a key rationale for private sector participation in ECG. The technical and financial capability of the selected private sector partner would address the need for additional investment in the distribution system complementing the US$500 million that would be provided by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
For us, members of the Chamber of Independent Power Producers, who provide over
2500MW reliable power generation capacity (representing over 60% of the total
generation in the power sector of Ghana), there were assurances that with private sector
participation in ECG, delays in being paid for the power we generate would be a thing of
the past. During countless stakeholder engagement sessions, MiDA and its Transaction Adviser, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), trumpeted these anticipated benefits of private sector participation.
It was indicated that, under the concession arrangement, the concessionaire would be
paying in full all invoices of the power producers within 10 days.
The concessionaire was also to put in place a revolving letter of credit which could be called upon on the 11th day for settlement of the invoices.
Furthermore, the concessionaire was expected to replenish the revolving letter of credit in two weeks to ensure that there was always sufficient funding to cover the power produced by the Generators. Sadly, the reality we have experienced is that the receivable accounts position of the Independent Power Producers has deteriorated since the PDS arrangement came into effect!
When on the 8th of July 2019, the CIPDiB issued a statement about having gone for four months without any payment, PDS came out in rebuttal claiming they had honored their obligations to ECG. This was later found out to be untrue!
The cumulative outstanding debt position of the GoG/ECG to IPPs alone has escalated to about USD$1.5 Billion! The CIPDiB is once again compelled to ask that payment of the obligations of GoG/ECG be made as a matter of urgency. Immediate disbursement from funds that have been built up in PDS accounts is essential to enable us continue to produce
The energy sector is clearly under serious threat and we would urge the Government of Ghana and its agencies, including ECG and MiDA, as well as the MCC to co-operate to ensure that decisions are taken that enable Ghanaians to have access, affordably, to reliable energy supply.
The CIPDiB, as a key stakeholder in the sector, is willing to engage in consultations about the process of securing private investment in the electricity distribution sub-sector in Ghana, and the interface with the generation sub-sector.
Our experience in bringing in billions of dollars of private sector investment into power
generation in Ghana makes us confident that this can also be done in the distribution
subsector.
With credible, transparent and fair processes, the right caliber of investors can
be attracted.
We remain committed to helping Ghana strengthen its power sector so as to serve the
needs of Ghanaians.
Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor
Chief Executive Officer.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Trump Highlights Benefits Of Shale To U.S. Economy And The Environment
The Trump administration showed support for energy innovation in the United States this week, issuing a report that directly outlines how U.S. shale production is positively impacting both the economy and the environment.
Speaking at the 9th Annual Shale Insight Conference in Pittsburgh, President Donald Trump said that shale production is “saving energy producers millions of dollars in compliance costs, while maintaining sterling environmental standards.” Trump pointed out that, in the course of the development of the domestic shale industry, “we set an economic boom of truly historic proportions, bringing prosperity back to cities and towns all across America.”
The Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), an agency within the Executive Office of the President, issued its report, titled “The Value of U.S. Energy Innovation and Policies Supporting the Shale Revolution” to coincide with Trump’s conference visit. The report outlines the rise in American oil and gas production, and its concomitant effect on cost and price; consumer savings driven by energy price declines made possible by shale exploration; and both total and shale-related changes in emissions in the U.S.
Increasing domestic energy production. The report states that, from 2007 to 2019, innovation in shale production brought an eight-fold increase in extraction productivity for natural gas and a nineteen-fold increase for oil. These productivity gains have reduced costs and spurred production to record-breaking levels. As a result, the U.S. has become the world’s largest producer of both commodities, surpassing Russia in 2011 (for natural gas) and Saudi Arabia and Russia in 2018 (for oil). CEA estimates that greater productivity has reduced the domestic price of natural gas by 63%, as of 2018, and led to a 45% decrease in the wholesale price of electricity. Shale production also has reduced the global price of oil by 10%, as of 2019.
Lowering consumers’ energy costs. The CEA estimates that, by lowering energy prices, the shale revolution saves U.S. consumers $203 billion annually, or $2,500 for a family of four. Nearly 80% of the total savings stem from a substantially lower price for natural gas, of which more than half comes from lower electricity prices. Oil accounts for the other roughly 20% of the savings, most of which are transportation sector savings on fuel costs.
Surpassing the EU in greenhouse gas reduction. According to the report, the shale revolution also has reduced energy-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and particulate emissions through changes in the composition of electricity generation sources. The CEA estimates that, from 2005 to 2017, the shale revolution lowered energy-related GHG emissions by 527 million metric tons per year, or 9% of GHG emissions in 2005. This contributed to a greater decline in GHG and particulate emissions (relative to the size of the economy) in the U.S. than in the European Union over that period.
“I promised that, as President, I’d unleash American energy like never before, because our natural resources do not belong to government, they belong to the people of this country,” Trump told conference attendees. “With unmatched skill, grit and devotion, you are making America the greatest energy superpower in the history of the world.”
Ghana: Akosombo Dam Will Last For 100 Years More—VRA
Ghana’s hydropower generation company, Volta River Authority (VRA) has dismissed recent media reports suggesting that the Akosombo hydro-dam is in danger.
According to the VRA, the dam, which was built in 1966, thus, 53 years ago, is safe and can last for 100 years more.
The VRA said this is due to serious maintenance work they undertake regularly.
VRA indicated that a report which was done by dam review board, which included international experts, showed that the dam is safe.
“This dam is safe because daily inspections are done, monthly inspections are also done. Again, there is yearly inspection and one in five years, inspections are also done by dam review board which comes to inspect the facility.”
In a 2015 report, the dam is said to be fit for 100 years.
“The dam will continue working for the next 100 years as long as we continue to do the required maintenance. Maintenance is very important,” Ing. Eugene Asomontsi, Director at the Engineering Services Department of VRA said, after touring the facility with some selected journalists.
The Akosombo Dam generates between 900 MW and 1,020 MW, representing about 80 percent of Ghana’s electricity generation mix.
Ing. Asomontsi explained that between last year and this year alone, VRA has spent about US$10m on maintenance of the facility.
He revealed that in March next year, the team of expert would carry out an assessment of the dam since it is five years ago that a similar exercise was undertaken.
Source:www.energynewsaftrica.com
Ghana: Gas Supply To Karpowership Begins By October 31 – Ghana Gas
Ghana’s National Gas Company, Ghana Gas, has hinted that it will start pushing its first gas supply from the Atuabo gas processing plant to the Karpowership by October 31, 2019.
According to Ghana Gas, the laying and setting of pipelines to power the Karpowership had also been completed and currently undergoing tests.
The 470MW Karadeniz Powership Osman Khan which is operated by Karpowership Ghana Company Limited was relocated from Tema to Secondi-Takoradi few weeks ago in order to utilize gas from the Atuabo gas processing plant.
Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah who is the Communications Director for Ghana Gas, explained to journalists the ongoing work to push gas to Karpowership. “After the purging of the nitrogen gas they try and do the technical works to see whether the pipelines are clean, everything is okay and there are no problems with the pipeline. It’s a technical engineering work as I always say and they have to go back and forth to make sure that everything is on point before they do that.” “So expectedly, if everything goes on well, by 31st October we’ll push our first gas into the Karpowership. We’re expected to deliver almost about 60 to 90 million cubic feet of gas daily and if everything goes on well we can deliver about 470 megawatts of electricity for the people of Ghana,” he stated. .Kenya: Ketraco To Introduce Wheeling Tariffs
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) is set to introduce wheeling tariffs next year on electricity transported through part of its network, mainly via interconnections with neighbouring countries.
“Ketraco will soon start earning money through wheeling charges, especially on interconnectors, which is set to strengthen our operations,” Mr. Fernandes Barasa, Managing Director of Ketraco told African Energy recentlty.
The new income comes as Ketraco positions itself to take over the system operator role from Kenya Power.
175 Million People In ECOWAS Region Without Electricity – Report
About 175 million citizens in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sub-region are living without electricity.
This represents 50 per cent of the 350 million citizens in the 16 member economic block covering the entire region.
Executive Director of ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Dr Mahama Kappiah disclosed the just ended ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum in Accra, capital of Ghana.
The development is a serious threat to the achievement of Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7).
SDG 7 focuses on affordable, reliable and sustainable access to modern energy services.
This includes ensuring universal access to energy services (SDG 7.1), increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources used to supply these services (SDG 7.2) and doubling the rate of energy efficiency improvements globally (SDG 7.3).
Access to energy is crucial for achieving almost all of the Sustainable Development Goals, from the eradication of poverty through advancements in health, education, water supply and industrialization to combating climate change.
Energy has been described as core to achieving the 2030 Agenda.
Despite this, based on current trends there will still be 2.3 billion people globally who will not have access to clean efficient cooking technologies that protect their environment and health.
This problem must be urgently addressed to meet the targets of SDG 7 and the other SDGs, particularly those linked to mitigating climate change (such as SDG 13).
The proposed global approach is to use public funding to strongly encourage investment in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.
In particular, local capacity building to support private sector investment in decentralised energy infrastructure is seen as a key approach to enabling equitable access to energy.
The High-Level Political Forum review of SDG 7 has emphasised the importance of regional cooperation to this end the ECOWAS region since 2013 adapted ambitious sustainable energy and energy access objectives that must be attained between 2020 and 2030.
The West Africa Region possesses enormous renewable energy potential and there was the need to utilize the current energy resources it has in a more efficient manner to ensure universal access to all the citizenry by 2030, Mr Kappiah indicated.
Per the region’s own timeline rules as entrenched in the regional policies on renewable energy and energy efficiency, the region has a long way to go in achieving its targets.
In terms of the share of renewable energy in the overall electricity mix, the region was currently at just 26% which included large hydro.
The region stands short of the 35% target by 2020 and 48% by 2030.
The challenges, Mr Kappiah said called for rigorous promotion and deployment of off the grid solutions to ensure that the region attains its target by 2020.
Currently, he said the region has less than 600 operational clean energy mini-grids which falls short of the regional target of 60,000 clean energy mini-grids.
According to him, the region can boast of one gigawatts of renewable energy projects scheduled to be commissioned within the next two years which would push the region towards its global objective.
He indicated that as far as energy efficiency was concern the region was still experiencing electricity losses of up to 40% in some utilities.
He said uptake of clean cooking was still at a slow pace, and similarly energy efficiency in buildings and industry was still at a low level.
Mr Kappiah said the challenges facing the region demonstrate the need for the establishment of a robust partnership to attract major investments.
The ECOWAS sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF) is an annual forum that provides ECOWAS member states with a platform to assess progress made by national and regional levels towards achieving the 2020/2030 sustainable energy targets.
It would be recalled that the ESEF was instituted in 2017 by ECREEE to bolster efforts of member states, along with local, regional and International initiatives in harnessing the region’s vast renewable energy potential by facilitating investment in the regional energy sector.
Ghana: Nominations For 2019 Ghana Energy Awards Close Today
The Ghana Energy Awards (GEA) wishes to inform all esteemed stakeholders in the country’s energy sector that nominations into the third edition will draw to a close by end of business today, Friday October 25.
The 2019 Awards features 21 categories for the petroleum, power and renewable subsectors including the coveted Energy Personality of the Year, Chief Executive of the Year, Brand of the Year, Energy Institution of the Year, Energy Efficient Organization of the Year, Energy Efficient Product of the Year, Outstanding Staff of the Year, Rising Star awards, Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year, and a host of others.
Fully endorsed by the Ministry of Energy and the World Energy Council, Ghana, the GEA is an industry-owned initiative and recognises the innovation and excellence of players within Ghana’s energy sector and further enhances healthy competition among its players.
This third edition of the Ghana Energy Awards is under the theme: “Energy, The Key to a Sustainable Economy for Industrialization”. It is superintended by an awarding panel composed of experts in the country including Dr Jemima Nunoo (Director, Centre for Management Development, GIMPA), Dr Felix Asante (former Director of ISSER, University of Ghana), Dr Kwame Ampofo (former Chairman of the Energy Commission), Lawyer Kwame Jantuah (Energy Consultant) and Dr Lawrence Tetteh, renowned Evangelist.
Ing. Henry Teinor, the Director of the Awards said the GEA, since its inception in 2017, has continuously strived to maintain its integrity as a true reflection of the industry’s annual performance and therefore called on all stakeholders in the sector to fully participate.
The Ghana Energy Awards is organised by the Energy Media Group in partnership with CH Business Consulting Ghana.
The awards ceremony is slated for November 29 at the Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra.