Angola: Eni Announces Start-Up Of A New Production Well In Vandumbu Field
Italian oil and gas firm, Eni, has launched a new production well in the Vandumbu field, about 350 km north-west of Luanda and 130 km west of Soyo, in the West Hub of Block 15/06, in Angola’s offshore.
“The start-up of the VAN-102 well – which follows the start-up of the second Subsea Multiphase Boosting System (SMBS) – took place through the N’Goma FPSO and achieved a performance of about 13,000 barrels.,” the company said in a statement.
VAN-102 is a further step in the development of the Vandumbu field, launched on 29 November 2018, 3 months ahead of schedule, and which will be completed in Q1 2019 with the start-up of the water injection well.
This, together with the start-up of another production well in the Mpungi field, will bring the production of Block 15/06 to a total of about 170,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed), further extending the production plateau.
“These start-ups mark the progress in the phased and clustered development strategy that Eni has adopted for Block 15/06, and which has allowed the start-up of eight fields since November 2014, when production in the West Hub started with the Sangos field.
“Block 15/06 is developed by a Joint Venture formed by Eni (36.84%, Operator), Sonangol P&P (36.84%) and SSI Fifteen Limited (26.32%). Eni has been present in Angola since 1980 and currently has an equity production of around 150,000 boed,” Eni said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Algeria: Hyundai To Build CCGT Plant
A consortium of South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Posco International have signed a contract to build the 1,300MW Umashe combined-cycle power plant in Biskra province in Algeria.
The $730m contract was signed with the Hyenco joint venture of Hyundai and Sonelgaz and work is expected to take 60 months.
The power plant will have an average power generation capacity of 968m MWh/yr.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
GE, Africa Leadership University Offers $550,000 Scholarship Package To 35 Young Africans
Energy focused firm, General Electric (GE) and the Africa Leadership University (ALU) have announced the kick-off of the 3rd cohort of the Africa Industrial Internet Programme (AIIP) which is aimed at equipping young Africans with skills that will enable them to take part in the fourth industrial revolution.
The 2020 cohort has enrolled 35 students from 8 countries across Africa, drawn from Oil & gas, transportation, power, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, telecoms and aviation industries.
This was contained in a press statement copied to energynewsafrica.com.
“GE will give 10 full scholarships for the current cohort,” the statement said.
Over the last two years, the rigorous training programme has graduated 64 students, of which 50 were fully sponsored by GE from a scholarship fund totalling US Dollars 500,000.
Launched in 2018, the programme has empowered participants with essential skills for building applications for the Industrial Internet, which enables machine-to-machine communication that results in systems that can collect, analyse, and deliver data in real-time. These features provide significant benefits such as predicting when a device will require maintenance, enhancing logistics management, enhancing quality and optimizing safety.
The training takes place at a time when spending on the Internet of Things is predicted to reach a trillion US dollars by 202[1], with the total number of connected devices being projected to rise to 75.44 billion worldwide by 2025, a fivefold increase in ten years.
Commenting on the Programme, Farid Fezoua, President & CEO for GE Africa said, “As a digital industrial company, it’s exciting to see how over the last two years the AIIP has developed an ecosystem of digital engineers that utilise data science as an enabler for their work across industries, developing solutions for the most pressing challenges. Our partnership with ALU for the AIIP is a testament of our commitment to develop the next generation of leaders that will drive solutions made in Africa for Africa in this transformative digital age.”
“African Leadership Group is thrilled to be partnering with GE to build a new generation of digital leaders for Africa” Fred Swaniker, Founder of African Leadership Group, which includes African Leadership Academy, African Leadership University, and ALX said.
“We share GE’s passion for data, and what it can bring to the African continent and the world. The Programme enables mid-career engineers to build new skills in data analytics, data science, data engineering and data visualization. By leveraging the power of data, today’s engineers can significantly improve the performance of high-tech industrial machinery and processes, thereby increasing the bottom line for companies. The Africa Industrial Internet Programme is creating globally competitive, digital engineers right here in Africa, and we can’t wait to see their full impact on the continent,” he concluded.
In 2019 five female candidates from Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria received the Jay Ireland Africa Rising Scholarship for women in tech in honour of GE Africa’s former CEO, Jay Ireland.
Speaking about her experience with the programme, Funmi Somoye a 2019 cohort graduate from Nigeria said, “More than Machine Learning and Data Science, I have learned more about myself, and what I am capable of doing. I can’t wait to change the world!
The AIIP is designed using a project-based approach where participants get to apply their learning in real world contexts. The Programme includes regular assessments in each module culminating with a final project where participants are tasked with applying their learning to solve an existing problem either in their business or in a partner organization’s business operations. This is achieved through modules in machine learning and big data analytics, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Cloud-based Application Development. A unique aspect of the Programme is a deliberate focus on creating links to industry for participants by inviting industry experts to intensives to share case studies, projects of interest, trends and opportunities, through industry field visits and mentorship opportunities with data science professionals.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: ACEP Among Top 20 Global Energy & Policy Resource Think Tanks
The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) in the Republic of Ghana, West Africa, has been ranked as the 14th Energy & Resource Policy Think Tank in the world, and the only energy think tank from Africa within the top 20 globally.
This ranking is contained in the Global Go-To Think Tank Index’s (GGTTI) 2019 Report.
This is yet another recognition of the Centre’s credibility and influence when it comes to research work, policy analysis, contract governance, inclusion, transparency and general advocacy, and overall output within the energy and extractive space in Africa in particular, and the world in general.
GGTTI is produced annually by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, and ranks the world’s leading think tanks in a variety of categories with the help of a panel of over 1,796 peer institutions and experts from the print and electronic media, academia, public and private donor institutions and governments around the world.
The 2019 rankings were done under four main categories: Top Think Tanks in the World; Top Think Tanks by Region; Top Think Tanks by Area of Research and Top Think Tanks by Special Achievement.
The ranking process attracted close to 4,000 individual participants globally.
The criteria for selection centred around quality and commitment of the think tank’s leadership (chief executive and governing body), quality and reputation of its staff, quality and reputation of the research and analysis produced, its ability to recruit and retain elite scholars and analysts, its academic performance and reputation, its access to key institutions, impact of its research and programmes on policy makers and other policy actors, and the quality, number, and reach of its publications, among others.
Launched in 2006, the Global Go-To Think Tank’s Index identifies and recognises centers of excellence in all the major areas of public policy research in every region of the world to increase their profile and performance, raise global awareness on their importance and the roles they play in governments and civil societies around the globe, as well as help bridge the gap between knowledge and policy.
Source: ACEP
South Africa: Stage 2 Load Shedding Resumes, Weekend Reality
South Africa’s power utility company, Eskom, has announced that it will continue with stage 2 load shedding from 9:00 today (Friday) until 6:00 on Monday 3 February.
According to the power utility, this is due to a shortage of generation capacity and depleted emergency resources, which were used extensively to supplement capacity over the past few days.
In addition, the parastatal said in a statement: “We are taking out three big units for planned maintenance today.”
“Unplanned outages were at 12,722MW as at 05:30 this morning [Friday]. We are monitoring the system closely and we will continue to give periodic updates on the status of the power system as things may change at short notice,” the utility said in a statement this morning.
A report by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s Energy Centre has analysed South Africa’s load shedding, indicating that it cost the country’s economy between R60 billion and R120 billion in 2019 alone.
South Africans have therefore come up with amazing techniques and solutions to survive power outages.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Energy Minister Inspects 912kWp Solar Power Under Construction At Jubilee House
Ghana’s seat of government, Jubilee House, is walking the talk in its quest to install solar PV panels after the president of the West African nation promised last year to ensure that the seat of government installs solar power to reduce the cost of electricity consumed.
Energynewsafrica.com can report that the installation of 912kW solar power project is currently ongoing at the Jubilee House.
The project, which cost US$1.4 million, is being executed by a Tema-based Strategic Security Systems Limited.
The contractor is expected to complete the project by the end of June this year.
Upon completion, the project is expected to supply about 60 percent of the power being consumed at the presidency.
Per the scope of work, the contractor is expected to install solar PV panels (complete with all supporting infrastructure, but excluding battery storage) on the roof spaces of the Jubilee House building.
In addition, the contractor is also to design a new car port which will incorporate solar PVs to generate additional capacity.
So far, the contractor had done about 100 kWp of the solar PV panels with the remaining 812kWp yet to be done.
Speaking to the media after inspecting the project on Friday, Ghana’s Energy Minister John-Peter Amewu expressed satisfaction on the progress of work.
He said what the seat of government had done is a demonstration of the government’s commitment towards incorporating renewable energy into Ghana’s energy mix.
“Having visited the site, I am very much impressed about progress on site. This work is part of the government’s agenda towards inclusion of renewable energy in our energy mix. As a government, we believe in the importance of renewable. We have a target of ten percent as a proportion of our energy mix within 2020. Already, we are behind that schedule. The President did promise in his last State of the Nation Address to Ghanaians that the Jubilee House is going to be fed on renewable. I am encouraging the contractors to go ahead with the speed at which they are going about this project,” Peter Amewu said.
He, however, expressed optimism that the country would gradually get to that state in the future, given the number of renewable projects that is yet to commence.
He mentioned the 45kW Tsatsadu mini hydro power project in the Volta Region, which is expected to be commissioned, and the 17MW solar power project at Kaleo, which President Akufo-Addo would be cutting sod to commence on Tuesday.
The Minister of Energy was accompanied by his deputy Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo; Director for Renewables and Alternative Energies, Benjamin Asante; Director of Upstream at the Ministry of Energy, Ing. Seth Mahu; Deputy Director for Renewables and Alternative Energies, Lawrence Apaalse, Chief Director at the Ministry and Rev. Ing. Oscar Amonoo, Executive Secretary of Energy Commission.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Speaking to the media after inspecting the project on Friday, Ghana’s Energy Minister John-Peter Amewu expressed satisfaction on the progress of work.
He said what the seat of government had done is a demonstration of the government’s commitment towards incorporating renewable energy into Ghana’s energy mix.
“Having visited the site, I am very much impressed about progress on site. This work is part of the government’s agenda towards inclusion of renewable energy in our energy mix. As a government, we believe in the importance of renewable. We have a target of ten percent as a proportion of our energy mix within 2020. Already, we are behind that schedule. The President did promise in his last State of the Nation Address to Ghanaians that the Jubilee House is going to be fed on renewable. I am encouraging the contractors to go ahead with the speed at which they are going about this project,” Peter Amewu said.He, however, expressed optimism that the country would gradually get to that state in the future, given the number of renewable projects that is yet to commence.
He mentioned the 45kW Tsatsadu mini hydro power project in the Volta Region, which is expected to be commissioned, and the 17MW solar power project at Kaleo, which President Akufo-Addo would be cutting sod to commence on Tuesday.
The Minister of Energy was accompanied by his deputy Hon. Joseph Cudjoe, Mr. Wisdom Ahiataku-Togobo; Director for Renewables and Alternative Energies, Benjamin Asante; Director of Upstream at the Ministry of Energy, Ing. Seth Mahu; Deputy Director for Renewables and Alternative Energies, Lawrence Apaalse, Chief Director at the Ministry and Rev. Ing. Oscar Amonoo, Executive Secretary of Energy Commission.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Kadijah Amoah Appointed Country Director Of Aker Energy
Norwegian oil firm, Aker Energy AS, has announced the appointment of Mrs. Kadijah Amoah as Country Director of Aker Energy Ghana Ltd, effective 1 February 2020.
The appointment follows Aker Energy’s strategy to strengthen the company’s local presence and management in Ghana.
A press release which announced her appointment, stated that Mrs. Amoah would also be appointed to the Executive Management Team of Aker Energy AS in addition to heading the country office of Aker Energy in Ghana.
The statement the new country Director would also work closely with affiliated companies AGM Petroleum Ghana Limited (“AGM”) and Aker Ghana Investment Company (“AGIC”) in Ghana, two companies with the same majority owner as Aker Energy, and hold directorships in both companies.
Mrs. Amoah, a Ghanaian citizen, is a lawyer by training and holds degrees in law and political science, a master’s degree in international business, and awaits the award of a postgraduate diploma in strategy and innovation.
Prior to joining Aker Energy, Mrs. Amoah was a Senior Foreign Lawyer at Clifford Chance in Germany, one of the largest law firms in the world.
Mrs. Amoah takes over from Mr. Jan Helge Skogen, who has held the role of Country Manager since May 2018 and has been instrumental in building a strong organisation and foothold for Aker Energy in Ghana.
The statement said Mr. Skogen would stay on as an advisor until 1 March 2020.
Commenting on the appointment, Svein Jakob Liknes, CEO of Aker Energy AS, said: “We are very pleased to strengthen our team and presence in Ghana with Kadijah as the Country Director of Aker Energy in Ghana. With Kadijah’s experience, I am confident that she will lead with success as we move towards the development phase of the Pecan project offshore Ghana.”
“Since Jan Helge took on the role in 2018, the mandate was to establish a strong foundation for further growth whilst identifying a long-term, Ghanaian successor. As the company enters a new phase, it was natural to effectuate the leadership transition. I would like to thank Jan Helge for his remarkable effort and commitment over the past two years. When stepping down as Country Manager, he is now concluding a long and notable career within the oil and gas industry, including various assignments as country manager across the globe,” Mr. Liknes said.
On her part, Mrs. Amoah said: “I am extremely pleased to join Aker Energy at such an important stage of the company’s history. Building on the Aker group’s 180 years’ industrial heritage, Aker Energy will, together with AGM and AGIC, take the lead to develop Ghana’s oil and gas resources and related industries.”
“It all starts with the Pecan project operated by Aker Energy; but this is just the beginning. AGM’s plans to explore and appraise the SDWT block and AGIC’s plans to pursue development opportunities stand as testaments to Aker’s commitment to industry development in Ghana beyond the upcoming project,” she added.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: National Dialogue On Wood-Energy And Forest Restoration Held
Overharvesting of wood-fuel (fuelwood, charcoal) is a major cause of land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa.
The wood energy pathway in Ghana involves various actors and offers employment to more than two million people, in both urban and rural areas. As of today, 73 percent of the rural population in Ghana relies on wood-fuel for cooking and heating purposes.
In the urban areas this percentage is limited to 25 percent. Besides being used for cooking and heating purposes at the household level and within public institutions (schools, hospitals), wood-fuel is also used for productive, commercial activities such as food processing industries.
Reliance on traditional biomass is quite land-intensive. Supplying a household for one year can require more than half a hectare of land (IPCC, 2019). Wood-fuel overexploitation is often due to a lack of efficient tools/technologies to convert feedstock into fuel or directly into energy.
This situation implies an urgent need for coordinated actions between the wood-energy and Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) sub-sectors in Ghana. Urgent efforts are needed to deeply modernise and formalise the existing wood-energy pathways, as well as to revise Forest Management Systems, National Reforestation and Afforestation Plans – which include forest landscape restoration and rehabilitation actions, dedicated forest plantations, and plans for native forest conservation.
To this end, a National Dialogue on Wood Energy and Forest Landscape Restoration in Ghana, organised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), ended yesterday.
The two-day event – funded by the German development agency, GIZ, in collaboration with Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) and Forest and Farm Facility – had the objective of raising awareness and dialoguing among stakeholders from both FLR and bioenergy communities on the positive contribution of sustainable bioenergy to FLR and vice versa, with a view to intensifying opportunities for collaboration and developing a joint agenda for action.
The Director-Renewable and Alternate Energy at the Ministry of Energy, Wisdom Togobo, explained to the gathering that biomass and firewood account for 40.5% of the total energy consumed in the country, while charcoal accounts for 17.9% of total energy consumed.
Mr. Togobo juxtaposed this with total electricity consumed, which he indicated is 14.9% – the implication being that charcoal consumption is more than the entire volume of electricity that the nation produces. He indicated that government is determined to reduce the overdependence on wood-fuel by promoting LPG consumption, which is in line with the Paris Agreement that Ghana is party to.
However, considering the urban-rural dynamic of the country, Togobo believes it would be impossible to achieve a total migration to LPG or even electricity.
He noted that to produce one kilogramme of charcoal requires between 6-12 kilogrammes of wood; and observed also that studies show that households want charcoal particularly from the savannah region, which accounts for massive deforestation.
Togobo further said data show that between 2008 and 2018 demand for charcoal went up by more than 40%, and the trend is that households are moving away from firewood to charcoal. He also stated that the manufacturing of charcoal is an income-generating venture for rural households. However, a significant chunk of the profit is eroded by transportation and other logistics costs.
He finally indicated that the Ministry of Energy has developed a Renewable Energy Masterplan and called for support from development partners to realise its propositions.
Source: thebftonline.com
ExxonMobil Corporation Declares First Quarter Dividend
US oil supermajor, ExxonMobil has announced a cash dividend of $0.87 cents per share on the Common Stock, payable on March 10, 2020 to shareholders.
This first quarter dividend is at the same level as the dividend paid in the fourth quarter of 2019.
“Through its dividends, the corporation has shared its success with its shareholders for more than 100 years and has increased its annual dividend payment to shareholders for 37 consecutive years,” the company said in a press statement.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
211 Oil, Gas Projects To Start Production In 2020-Report
Globally, about 99 new gas projects and 112 new oil projects are expected to start production this year, a renowned industry research body, Globadata, has revealed.
The Think-Tank however disclosed that oil firms may take investment decisions on projects that would yield return in space of about four years instead of long term projects.
With this development, long term projects in Nigeria, including Shell’s Bonga South-West and Aparo, which is expected to add about 225,000 barrel per day (bpd); Bonga North (100,000bpd); Eni’s Zabazaba-Etan (120,000bpd); Chevron’s Nsiko (100,000bpd); ExxonMobil’s Bosi (140,000bpd); Satellite Field Development Phase Two (80,000bpd), and Ude (110,000bpd) may remain idle if Globadata’s forecast sustains.
These projects estimated to cost around $100 billion, and expected to boost Nigeria’s production by as much as 875,000bpd, and revenue by about $1.5 billion had been in the pipeline amidst brewing tension and dwindling investment in fossil fuels.
While Nigeria is similarly known for long project cycle, Globaldata noted that investors would prioritise faster returns with shorter cycle investments, as the industry moves away from giant developments.
Rigzone, an industry research agency, had quoted senior oil and gas analyst at GlobalData, Anna Belova, as saying: “Projects now go from final investment decision (FID) to first oil/gas in under three to four years, even for larger integrated developments with midstream components.
“Globally, this trend was observed with Zohr in Egypt, which produced first gas only 22 months after the FID, and more recently with Liza in Guyana.”
According to the report 14 ultra-deepwater oil and gas projects were expected to commence production next year, with all but two projects located in Brazil and the United States Gulf of Mexico.
Last year, in a move that took the industry by surprise with the whole process taking only 26 days, Nigeria had signed a new Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract (PSC) Act, into law, expecting the development to create additional revenue for the government.
Though Wood Makenzie’s Director, sub-Saharan Africa upstream Oil, and Gas, Gail Anderson, had said: “The toughening of royalty is, relatively speaking, not as bad as investors feared.” He added that the average remaining government share increases by five per cent, but the details published by GlobalData did not raise hope for some of the nation’s pending deep-water projects this year.
Source: Kingsley Jeremiah
Ghana: IES Predicts 2.5% Reduction In Fuel Prices
The Institute for Energy (IES) is predicting about 2.5 percent reduction in fuel prices on the local market in the first pricing window next month.
According to the IES, the next window may be a good time for consumers who have been battered with rising fuel prices over the past months.
The IES attributed the expected decline in fuel prices on the local market to the outbreak of deadly coronavirus in China, which has resulted in less demand for crude oil and for products made from crude oil such as jet fuel because of travel restrictions as well as stability of the Ghanaian cedi against the US dollar.
“The outbreak of the novel coronavirus comes at a particularly bad time for oil prices, which were already under duress from a global supply glut.
“The reduced economic activity in China means less demand for crude oil and for products made from crude oil such as jet fuel because of travel restrictions. Brent crude traded around 3 percent lower on Monday at US$58.88 a barrel, the lowest level since October last year. Brent crude decreased marginally by 4.66 percent from US$66.74 per barrel to close at US$63.63 per barrel on average terms during the period under review,” Raymond Nuworkpor, Research & Policy Analyst with IES said in a statement.
Below is the IES’ full statement
LOCAL FUEL PRICES MUST FALL FOR CONSUMERS REVIEW OF JANUARY 2020 SECOND PRICING-WINDOW
Local Fuel Market Performance
Fuel prices experienced an increment in the Pricing-window under review as predicted by the Institute for Energy Security (IES). The Second Pricing-window of January 2020 saw majority of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) adjusting prices at the pump to record a national average price of Gh¢5.48 and Gh¢5.46 for Gasoil and Gasoline respectively. This represents an average of 2.24% and 1.87% increment for Gasoil and Gasoline respectively.
For the Pricing-window under review, Zen Petroleum, Benab Oil, Pacific, SO Energy and Alinco Oil sold the least-priced Gasoline and Gasoil on the local market relative to others in the industry, while Shell sold the most expensive Gasoil and Gasoline; as found by IES Market-scan.
World Oil Market
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus comes at a particularly bad time for oil prices, which were already under duress from a global supply glut.
The reduced economic activity in China means less demand for crude oil and for products made from crude oil, such as Jet fuel, because of travel restrictions. Brent crude traded around 3% lower on Monday at $58.88 a barrel, the lowest level since October last year. Brent crude decreased marginally by 4.66% from $66.74 per barrel to close at $63.63 per barrel on average terms during the period under review.
S&P’s Platts benchmark for fuels shows average Gasoline price decreasing by 5.69% to close at $587.68 per metric tonne, from a previous average of $623.13 per metric tonne; while Gasoil declined by 8.00% to close trading at $562.93 per metric tonne.
Local Forex
Data collated by IES Economic Desk from the Foreign Exchange market shows the Cedi remained stable against the U.S. Dollar, trading at an average price of Gh¢5.62 to the U.S. Dollar over the period under review; same rate of Gh¢5.62 recorded in the first Pricing-window.
PROJECTIONS FOR FEBRUARY 2020 FIRST PRICING-WINDOW
From the 4.66% decline in prices of Brent crude, coupled with the 8.00% and 5.69% considerable reduction in the prices of Gasoil and Gasoline respectively on the international market; the Institute for Energy Security (IES) foresees prices of fuel on the local market dropping by roughly 2.5%.
The expected fall of fuel prices for consumers is a reflection of market fundamentals as accepted in a deregulated market structure.
The next Window may be a good time for consumers who have been battered with rising fuel prices over the past months.
Signed:
Raymond Nuworkpor
Research & Policy Analyst, IES
Ghana: Minority, Majority Fight Over Cost Of Multipurpose Pwalugu Dam Project
The cost of a multi- purpose dam project to be constructed at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region of the Republic of Ghana by the Akufo-Addo administration has generated controversy between the Minority and Majority Members of Parliament.
While the Minority believes the cost of the project is on the higher side and needed renegotiation, the Majority members, on the other hand, see nothing wrong with the cost, thus, rejected call for the renegotiation.
President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, on November 29, 2019, cut the sod for the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam project.
The US$993 million project, which is being financed solely by the government, will consist of three main components namely, the construction of a hydropower plant, the construction of a solar farm and the establishment of an irrigation scheme covering an area of some 25,000 hectares.
The 60MW power generation component alone is expected to cost the taxpayer some US$366 million.
But, the Minority legislators believe the project is very expensive to the Ghanaian tax payer.
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, said: “I think the proper thing will be for the Committee of Finance and the Committee of Mines and Energy to re-examine this particular request, other than that, you cannot spend 366 million dollars on 60 megawatts of electricity…Ideally, I made a comment that the appropriate thing will be for the committees to re-examine it. We do not just look at terms and conditions but we look at its impact on the economy and the Ghanaian people.”
However, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, responding to concerns of his colleague, said the Minority’s concerns are misplaced.
He argued that the scope of the work to be done warrants the budgeted amount for the project.
“The Minority Leader raised some issues about the cost. On the face of it, one could agree except that when we had to do this Komenda sugar factory, it didn’t relate just to the factory. It related to the parcels of lands that were procured for the cultivation of sugarcane. It is the same thing for the Pwalugu factory. The amount procured is not only for the establishment of the factory but also the procurement of parcels of land and the irrigation to be relayed to all corners of the parcels of land,” he said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Recent Power Outages Not Our Fault – ECG
Ghana’s electricity distribution and retail company, ECG, has attributed the recent power outages being experienced in certain parts of the country to what it described as systemic challenges in the upstream.
ECG is, therefore, appealing to the general public to report outages to the ECG call centre to enable them to expedite action on their concerns.
Some parts of the West African nation, especially in Accra notably: Spintex, Teshie, Dzorwulu, Adenta, Adjiringanor and Weija, have been experiencing intermittent and prolonged power outages.
However, speaking on Accra-based Class FM, Public Relations Manager for ECG, Theresa Osabutey, said the challenges faced by its partners in the electricity value chain, GRIDCo and the Volta River Authority (VRA), over which it has no control, were a major contributing factor to the outages.
“It is due to some system challenges that we had upstream. You know for us, ECG, we get the power and we distribute to our customers but we have other companies that help in the chain of the electricity business; and, so, if they’re having challenges, it will definitely impact us and some of the challenges are things that we do not have much control over”.
She continued that “When it is an outage that we’re going to carry out from ECG, you’ll bear with me that we carry out announcements to the public; we have various types of work that will demand outages, like we want to do maintenance and for that we know, and, so, we carry out announcements.”
She urged electricity consumers to call and report power outages to the ECG call centre to enable the distributor to work on their concerns, since it could be due to a localised fault.
“We always advise customers that any time you’re having such outages in your area, make us aware”, she said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Former Energy Minister Refutes Presidential Ambition Rumour
Former Minister for Energy under the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party (NPP), Boakye Agyarko has refuted rumours making the rounds that he attempted to pick a form to contest President Akufo-Addo but was refused.
He described the rife rumour as a planned thing by some individuals to create confusion between him and the governing party ahead of the party’s presidential primaries in April 2020.
Two days ago, President Akufo-Addo picked a nomination form to seek re-election when the NPP goes to the polls in April 2020.
On the same day, some radio stations and even some NPP supporters rumoured that Boakye Agyarko also went to pick the party’s presidential nomination form but was refused.
Responding to a whatsApp message to him, Mr Boakye told energynewsafrica.com, that there is no iota of truth in what is making the rounds.
“The story is not true,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo relieved Boakye Agyarko of his post in 2018 in a circumstance that did not sit well with many members of the governing party and Ghanaians, considering his sterling performance in the country’s energy sector.
It was rumoured within the corridors of power, at that time, that Boakye Agyarko had shown interest to contest for the presidency.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com