Power outages to end as GRIDCo completes diversion of 330kV at Pokuase
The power outages which are being witnessed in parts of the country are expected to end this week.
This is because the transmission company, Ghana Grid Company, (GRIDCo), has completed the diversion of its 330kV Aboadze-Tema transmission line traversing the ongoing highway interchange at Pokuase in Greater Accra.
Ghanaians especially those in Accra and parts of Western Region, were last Tuesday and Wednesday thrown into darkness following technical challenges which occurred at the Accra Central Bulk Supply Point.
The situation was compounded by the diversion of 330kV Aboadze-Tema transmission due to the ongoing interchange at Pokuase.
On Thursday, March 14, 2019, Energy Minister John-Peter Amewu and some officials of the Ministry including CEO of GRIDCo, Jonathan Amoako-Baah, as well as CEO of VRA Emmanuel Antwi Darkwa, visited Pokuase to inspect the tower.
In an interview with the media, Mr Peter Amewu assured that the diversion would be completed in about five days to enable GRIDCo to restore power to the affected areas.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Albert Kwesi Quainoo, Head of Public Relations, GRIDCo announced that it has completed the diversion on the 330kV tower.
“GRIDCo appreciates the support of the general public during the diversion works,” the statement said.
NPA to commence regulation of bitumen
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is in the process of beginning regulation of bitumen which is especially used in the road construction sector in the country.
The move is to ensure that services that use bitumen receive the required standard materials.
Mr Hassan Tampuli, Chief Executive Officer of NPA made this known when he presented the Brookfield Viscometer to the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) at a brief event in Accra on Monday.
The equipment, which was in fulfilment of a request to enhance the enforcement of bitumen regulation, will reduce the testing time of bitumen samples from the Western Region and to ensure that a substandard product is not allowed into the market.
Mr Tampuli said that the move would also streamline the operations of Bitumen Marketers and enable the NPA commence the process of regulating bitumen consumption.
“With this addition to the two already in Accra laboratory, the Takoradi laboratory need not to come to Accra to conduct the standard test… we are certain that only quality bitumen product will be imported into the country,” he stated.
The CEO of NPA said the licensing framework for regulation of bitumen imported into the country had been developed and was currently being reviewed.
Receiving the equipment, Mr Ernest K Arthur, Chief Executive Officer of GHA, thanked the NPA for assisting his outfit with the equipment.
“We hope that this kind gesture will bring a closer collaboration between the two established regulatory institutions to ensure that the quality of bitumen that are imported into the country conforms to the Ministry of Highways specifications so that we have durable roads across the country” he said.
He recalled that in April 2017, the NPA committee set up to streamline the operations of Bitumen Marketers in the country and identified quality of bitumen delays in the result as some of the challenges in the sector.
Also present at the ceremony were Dr Francis Acheampong, Board Chairman of GHA and Chairman of the Bitumen Committee, Nana Akwanuasa of Societe Multinationale de Bitumes
Background
In the year 2014, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) conducted a study to ascertain supply chain practices along the bitumen supply chain.
This was to enable the NPA obtain enough data on bitumen industry to effectively provide policy regulation to enhance efficiency of the industry.
Subsequently, a stakeholder meeting of bitumen importers was held to discuss ways of improving the bitumen supply chain.
A Committee was constituted to undertake a comprehensive review of the bitumen supply chain to ensure that it conforms to best practices, and in line with the petroleum downstream supply chain.
The Committee members included representatives from Total Ghana, Vivo energy, Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Platinum seal, Societe Multinationale de Bitumes (SMB), Gbewaa Petrochemicals and NPA.
PDS staff attack at Kokrobite: The Inside Story
Gershon Asiedu
The Bortianor District Manager of the Power Distribution Services(PDS) Mr. Michael Abbey, has explained the circumstances that led to the attack of Gershon Asiedu, a staff of PDS on Saturday by an angry resident of Kokrobite, a suburb of Accra.
He said the team who were deployed to restore power supply to area, which is part of the areas affected, by recent power outages realised that there were trees interfering with the overhead cables.
He said in the process of pruning the branches, they saw a middle-aged man walking with a young child in the area, adding that the team beckoned him to avoid the area where the pruning was being done since it was dangerous.
The directive, he said was ignored by the man who became angry.
“The suspect after exchanging words with the PDS staff, picked a cutlass being used to cut the trees and charged towards them. The team members then began running for their lives.
Gershon, the victim, fell while running, resulting in the attacker to hit him with the cutlass. The rest of the team then rushed to prevent him from inflicting further injury,” he explained.
The victim, Mr Abbey said has since been referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he has successfully undergone surgery, and receiving further medical attention.
A formal complaint, he said has been made at the Kokrobite police, adding that the PDS was working with the police and local authorities to identify and arrest the perpetrator. 
Chairman of South Africa’s Central Energy Fund Sacked
New Petroleum Code for Senegal
The long-awaited Senegalese Petroleum Code has just been enacted as Law No. 2019-03, dated February 1, 2019.
This statute, which replaces its 1998 predecessor, sets out the general legal framework applicable to the carrying-out of petroleum operations in Senegal, from prospecting to marketing, from exploration to transport, from development to storage, from exploitation to the liquefaction of natural gas.
Matters such as the mandatory State participation in the petroleum operations (via Petrosen, the Senegalese national oil company), the terms for the award of blocks and the granting of the corresponding mining rights, the rules on production sharing, the tax and customs framework to which oil companies and their subcontractors / service providers are subject – and the related incentives available to them –, the environmental protection, transparency and local content standards, the foreign exchange guarantees from which both the oil companies and the subcontractors may benefit, or the grandfathering of the existing petroleum contracts are all addressed in and governed by the Petroleum Code.
A number of provisions of this new statute are expected to be the subject of developing regulations, including those setting out the general terms for the award of blocks – competitive tendering procedure or direct consultation.
In tandem with the new Petroleum Code, a new statute on Local Content in the Hydrocarbons Industry was also enacted (Law No. 2019-04, dated February 1, 2019).
Its declared aims are to promote the use of Senegalese goods and services, and to enhance the participation of the national workforce, technology and capital in the entire value chain of the oil and gas industry.
This industry-specific Local Content Law is to apply to all oil companies, subcontractors, service providers and suppliers engaged in petroleum operations. It contains fairly detailed rules and requirements in terms of the hiring of Senegalese personnel (and the training to be provided to them), the procurement of the goods and services required for the petroleum operations (and the rules for the award of the related supply and service contracts), the transfer of technology, or the applicable insurance, reinsurance and financial services requirements.
Law No. 2019-04 institutes the so-called National Local Content Monitoring Committee (CNSCL), tasked with coordinating the preparation of the local content strategy paper which is to define the terms for implementation of State’s policy on the matter. The local content plan which the oil companies, subcontractors, service providers and suppliers directly or indirectly engaged in petroleum operations are required to prepare is to be submitted to the CNSCL.
The provisions of the Local Content Law apply immediately to all petroleum operations carried out in Senegal, although the existing petroleum contracts are to a certain extent grandfathered. Source: petroleumafrica.com
Electrician grabbed for selling PDS’s meters to defaulting customers
Police in Kpando have arrested Maxwell Boateng, an electrician, for allegedly installing and selling Power Distribution Services’ (PDS) meters to defaulting customers.
Boateng was said to have been engaged by a contractor to replace faulty meters for PDS clients but he diverted and sold the meters to unsuspecting customers.
Mr Francis Opoku Manu, PDS Public Relations Officer for Volta Region who briefed the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the police picked intelligence on March 12, 2019 on activities of Boateng and arrested him.
He said the police have identified 16 meters diverted by Boateng and processed him for court.
The PRO said Mrs Phanney Adiko, the Acting District Manager of Kpando PDS Ghana Limited, said the police on their regular house-to-house monitoring found some new PDS meters and after investigations arrested Boateng for selling the meters to the clients.
He said Mr Delali Oklu, the Regional General Manager, PDS, commended the police adding that efforts are being made to identify and prosecute all who are engaged in such acts.
Source: GNA
Ghana’s veep holds talks with top Asian Gas firm
The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has held talks with a leading oil and gas firm in South-East, Reliance Industries Limited, on the possibility of the company refining crude oil in Ghana.
The talks were held in India on the sidelines of the 14th CII-EXIMBank Conclave on India Africa Partnership Project.
In a statement the Vice President said “this morning, as part of my participation in the 14th CII-EXIMBANK Conclave on India Africa Partnership Project, I had discussions with the leadership of Reliance Industries Limited, a leading oil and gas company in South-East Asia, led by its President – Development Petroleum E&P, Mr. Naresh K. Narang.”
He added in the statement that “we discussed, among others, the necessity and possibility for Reliance Industries Limited to participate in the value addition campaign by the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, particularly in the area of crude oil refining.”
“We look forward to significant investments in the oil and gas value chain for enhanced economic development,” the statement said. PDS staff attacked with cutlass at Kokrobite
A staff of the Power Distribution Services Ghana Limited (PDS), which is managing the distribution business of the Electricity of Ghana(ECG), has reportedly been attacked at Kokrobite, a suburb of Accra.
The staff whose name is not yet known was part of a team who were deployed on Saturday, to restore electricity, to Kokrobite, which is one of the areas affected by power when the incident happened.
According to sources, the angry resident slashed the victim’s nose with a cutlass leading to blood gashing out of him.
Sources say he was quickly rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where he is currently responding to treatment.
The Public Relations Manager for PDS, Mr William Boateng, who confirmed the incident said the case has been reported to the police for action to be taken.
We’ll look into reasons for recent outages- PURC Boss
But reacting to the issue, Mrs Ofori said: “We are working with systems that break down all the time. I am not going to say that I know in its entirety what happened and I can vouch for it. But we are working with systems that break down all the time.”
“We as a regulator, it is our responsibility to investigate and know whether it is true or not and take the appropriate actions and that is what we are taking,” she added.
The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has served notice that households should expect power cuts over the next few days after it advised PDS to begin the redistribution of power.
Minister of Energy Peter Amewu, who visited some of the Bulk Supply Points in Accra last Thursday assured that power will be normalized by next week.
Sonatrach Prepares for Offshore Campaign
Sonatrach, Algeria’s state-owned oil and gas company, in partnership with Total and ENI are about to launch an offshore drilling program. The companies will be drilling on the eastern coast between Bejaia and Skikda.
A Reuters report cited Sonatrach’s Director for New Resources, Youcef Khankar, as saying that the campaign will begin in H2. Khankar said that 2D and 3D seismic data acquisition campaigns currently underway.
The targeted region for this new drilling campaign could contain several Tcm of natural gas, officials said.
The initial results from the 2D seismic campaign suggest geological similarities between the east coast and Egypt’s Zohr field. Source: petroleumafrica.com
Nigeria: Dangote signs gas supply treaty
Dangote Fertilizer Limited, a subsidiary of Dangote, has entered into a long-term agreement with Chevron Nigeria Limited for the delivery of natural gas from Chevron’s supply portfolio to the fertilizer plant, which is expected to start operations soon.
A joint statement explained that the contract, under the gas sale and aggregation agreement is part of the international oil company’s gas obligation to the domestic market through GACN.
The signing ceremony, held at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) office in Lagos, was executed on behalf of the parties by Dangote Industries Limited’s group executive director for strategy, capital projects and portfolio development, Devakumar Edwin; along with chairman and MD for Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), Jeffrey Ewing; head of gas monitoring and regulation division at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Sanya Bajomo; and MD and CEO of Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria Limited (GACN), Engr. Morgan Okwoche.
According to Bajomo, this gas supply agreement is an issue of national interest “and what happened today is going to be transmitted to the presidency”.
Also speaking at the signing ceremony, Edwin said the company is looking forward to having a long-term relationship with Chevron Nigeria Limited as well as synergies in other upstream and wider areas of operations in the oil and gas sector. Read more: Pipeline to export Ethiopian gas to Red Sea state
CNL’s Chairman and MD, Jeffrey Ewing, said: “This agreement is very important for the country and Chevron is committed to Nigeria’s economic development.”
Morgan Okwoche, CEO of GACN, also commented: “I am excited that this is happening during my term in office. You cannot imagine my satisfaction in having this contract signed at this time.”
Peter Amewu briefs Parliamentarians about Ghana’s power situation
Minister for Energy, Hon. John-Peter Amewu has met with Members of Parliament to update them on the current power situation in the country.
Speaking on the Floor of Parliament on Friday, 15th March, 2019, Hon. John-Peter Amewu explained that the outages in some parts of the country were purely technical challenges and not as a result of power generation problems as some Ghanaians are speculating.
“The fundamental cause of the blackout is the ongoing construction of the road interchange at Pokuase which has necessitated the diversion of the 330kV transmission line towers that runs from Tema to Aboadze in that vicinity. This requires taking an outage of the entire line to undertake the diversion,” he said.
He added that as a result of the ongoing works on the 330kV line, GRIDCo has rendered the line inactive, thereby cutting power supply to those living in Pokuase and its environs including parts of Western Region.
“As a result of the outage on the 330kV line, no power was transmitted on the Aboadze to Accra that is, from west to east. Instead, power has had to be transmitted from Akosombo through Mallam, Winneba and Cape Coast to the Western part of the country through the 161kV transmission line. These 161kV lines become overloaded, thereby causing it to trip as a protective measure to avoid any major damage to equipment. It is important to note, however, that the transmission lines across the country are interconnected to the extent that disruption in one transmission line has a ripping effect on others,” he explained.
The Minister said power would be restored to the affected areas in the next couple of days explaining that work on the 330kV pylons had progressed.
“We are in constant touch with GRIDCo and the Contractors to expedite work and complete the relocation of the towers according to schedule to enable the restoration of the 330kV line. The relocation works have been scheduled for completion by Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Our engineers are engaging their Japanese counterparts to resolve the technical challenges at the new Accra Central substation. Efforts are being made to expedite the work to relocate the towers on the line as well as put in mitigation to minimize further disturbances in the short term till the work is completed by the weekend.’’
Hon. John-Peter Amewu reiterated that government is fully committed to ensuring that Ghana’s power system functions effectively.
“Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, let me state that the events that led to challenges that the power system of Ghana experienced are by no means the return of dumsor. We are working assiduously to address the situation. This government is committed to ensuring that the power system of Ghana functions effectively to make Ghanaians happy” he said. GRIDCo advises PDS to shed load
The Ghana Grid Company has asked the Power Distribution Service (PDS) which is managing the distribution business of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG),to shed load at various Bulk Supply Points to ensure system stability in Ghana’s power distribution.
A statement issued by GRIDCo explained that due to the construction of the road interchange at the ACP Junction, Pokuase, the capacity of their transmission network will be limited.
The statement added that the construction has taken out of service the 330kV Aboadze-Tema transmission line traversing the road to enable the contractor to divert the power line.
GRIDCo anticipates that the construction works would be completed by Tuesday, March 19, 2019.
“GRIDCo has accordingly advised Power Distribution Services (PDS) to redistribute loads at various Bulk Supply Points to ensure system stability. This may result in outages to some electricity consumers,” the statement said.
