Middle East: ADNOC Signs Crude Oil Storage Deal With Japan
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a strategic agreement with Japan to store crude oil at storage facilities in Japan.
Under the strategic agreement, which extends a previous deal expired at end-2019, ADNOC will store over 8 million barrels of crude oil at storage facilities in Japan and could trade that oil as the Abu Dhabi company is pushing into the oil trading business.
At the same time, ADNOC will make sure that there is some amount of crude oil left at the Japanese facilities in case of oil shortage or emergency.
The new three-year deal “positively contributes to Japanese energy security, while also supporting ADNOC’s broader trading ambitions,” Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group’s chief executive said in a statement, as reported by the National
Around a quarter of Japan’s crude oil imports come from the UAE, while 90 percent of Japanese oil demand is met with imports from the Middle Eastern region, according to Reuters estimates.
For resource-poor Japan, the deal is part of boosting its energy security, while ADNOC gets access to more storage and trading opportunities in the world’s fastest-growing oil demand market, Asia.
Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) renewed last month the crude oil tank lease agreement with Saudi Aramco. The Saudi Arabian state oil giant will be able to store crude oil in the next three years at a facility in Okinawa, while Japan will receive preferentially the crude in case of emergency.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: NPA Sets Up Electronic Cargo Tracking System And National Command Centre To Fight Criminal Activities
Ghana’s downstream regulator, National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has hit the ground running this year with the setting up of an electronic cargo tracking system and national command centre.
The state of the art centre, located within the head office of the NPA in Dzorwulu, Accra, will enable the NPA monitor the movement of Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs) or tanker which is the mode of transportation of petroleum products in the West African country.
Delivering a speech to officially commission the centre, Chief Executive Officer of NPA, Hassan Tampuli explained that the introduction of the Electronic Cargo Tracking System (ECTS) and the Command Centre is aimed at further tightening the controls in the petroleum products supply chain.
Also, the center would provide a platform for planned control measures to be deployed at the retail outlets to ensure maximum tax revenue mobilisation by the state.
He said such a control would help in the fight against illicit activities in the petroleum downstream Industry.
“In the course of this year, we will be deploying Automatic Tank Gauging and Stock Management and Monitoring systems at retail outlets throughout the country. This system will give the NPA and the GRA real time view of petroleum stocks at all retail outlets in the country,” he revealed.
In 2014 alone, Ghana lost a revenue of GH¢ 43 million due to fraudulent activities by petroleum transport service providers.
“The NPA is determined to curb illicit activities in the petroleum downstream Industry and have been in collaboration with the National Security Council in the fight against illicit activities.”
The NPA plans to enhance the platform provided by the BRV and the Electronic Cargo Tracking System and the Command Centre to build a formidable controlling and monitoring system for petroleum products distribution from imports and refinery production to the retail outlets and bulk customers.
Vice President Dr. Mahammudu noted that activities within the downstream petroleum sector cost the country over US$200 million per annum in the form of direct petroleum tax revenue, subsidies that do not get to the targeted constituencies and abuse in transport claims for transportation of petroleum products among others.
The dynamics of illicit activities in the petroleum downstream industry requires a multi-pronged solution to ensure sanity in the industry.
“I, therefore, charge the NPA to enhance and sustain the already initiated technological interventions such as the Petroleum Product Marking Scheme, the Bulk Road Vehicle Tracking and Volume Monitoring System, the Enterprise Relational Database Management System (ERDMS) and now the Electronic Sealing and Cargo Tracking System,” he said.
The Vice President welcomed plans by the NPA to enforce the use of flowmeters with temperature compensation features at all petroleum product depots and deployment of Automatic Tank Gauging and Stock Management and Monitoring Systems at retail outlets in the country.
“These systems will give the regulatory authorities such as the NPA and the GRA, real time view of petroleum product stocks and movements at all retail outlets and depots in the country.
He urged the NPA to vigorously pursue these plans and also enhance its collaborative activities with the National Security Council and the Ghana Revenue Authority in finding a lasting solution to the illicit activities in the Petroleum Downstream Industry.
Industry Coordinator, Kwaku Agyemang Duah commended NPA for the initiative, stating that it would go a long way to help in fighting criminal activities in the industry.
On his part, Chairman of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), Johnny Blagogee expressed belief that the Electronic and Cargo Tracking System and National Command Centre would help to fight illegal activities in the downstream petroleum sector.
“It will help us because we will not pay for what we haven’t sold. I mean the GRA will know what we have received and what we have sold and pay on the basis of what we have sold and not on what we haven’t sold out,”he said.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Also, the center would provide a platform for planned control measures to be deployed at the retail outlets to ensure maximum tax revenue mobilisation by the state.
He said such a control would help in the fight against illicit activities in the petroleum downstream Industry.
“In the course of this year, we will be deploying Automatic Tank Gauging and Stock Management and Monitoring systems at retail outlets throughout the country. This system will give the NPA and the GRA real time view of petroleum stocks at all retail outlets in the country,” he revealed.
In 2014 alone, Ghana lost a revenue of GH¢ 43 million due to fraudulent activities by petroleum transport service providers.
“The NPA is determined to curb illicit activities in the petroleum downstream Industry and have been in collaboration with the National Security Council in the fight against illicit activities.”
The NPA plans to enhance the platform provided by the BRV and the Electronic Cargo Tracking System and the Command Centre to build a formidable controlling and monitoring system for petroleum products distribution from imports and refinery production to the retail outlets and bulk customers.
Vice President Dr. Mahammudu noted that activities within the downstream petroleum sector cost the country over US$200 million per annum in the form of direct petroleum tax revenue, subsidies that do not get to the targeted constituencies and abuse in transport claims for transportation of petroleum products among others.
The dynamics of illicit activities in the petroleum downstream industry requires a multi-pronged solution to ensure sanity in the industry.“I, therefore, charge the NPA to enhance and sustain the already initiated technological interventions such as the Petroleum Product Marking Scheme, the Bulk Road Vehicle Tracking and Volume Monitoring System, the Enterprise Relational Database Management System (ERDMS) and now the Electronic Sealing and Cargo Tracking System,” he said.
The Vice President welcomed plans by the NPA to enforce the use of flowmeters with temperature compensation features at all petroleum product depots and deployment of Automatic Tank Gauging and Stock Management and Monitoring Systems at retail outlets in the country.“These systems will give the regulatory authorities such as the NPA and the GRA, real time view of petroleum product stocks and movements at all retail outlets and depots in the country.
He urged the NPA to vigorously pursue these plans and also enhance its collaborative activities with the National Security Council and the Ghana Revenue Authority in finding a lasting solution to the illicit activities in the Petroleum Downstream Industry.
Industry Coordinator, Kwaku Agyemang Duah commended NPA for the initiative, stating that it would go a long way to help in fighting criminal activities in the industry.
On his part, Chairman of the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMC), Johnny Blagogee expressed belief that the Electronic and Cargo Tracking System and National Command Centre would help to fight illegal activities in the downstream petroleum sector.
“It will help us because we will not pay for what we haven’t sold. I mean the GRA will know what we have received and what we have sold and pay on the basis of what we have sold and not on what we haven’t sold out,”he said.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
Norway: 69 Offshore Production Licenses Offered To 28 Oil And Gas Companies
The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has offered 69 production licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf to 28 oil and gas companies as part of the Award in Pre-Defined Areas 2019 (APA 2019).
The APA licensing rounds cover the most explored areas on the Norwegian shelf. One of the primary challenges in mature areas is the expected decline in discovery size. The ministry of petroleum announced APA 2019 in May. The authorities assessed applications from a total of 33 companies through autumn 2019.
Announcing the results of the licensing round on Tuesday, the Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Sylvi Listhaug, said: “The companies show great interest in further access to new exploration acreage. This means that the industry believes in future value creation on the Norwegian continental shelf.”
Of the 69 production licences, 13 are in the Barents Sea, 23 are in the Norwegian Sea, and 33 are in the North Sea.
A total of 28 different oil companies, ranging from the large international majors to smaller domestic exploration companies, are offered ownership interests in one or more production licenses. Of these, 19 will be offered operatorships. The licenses are awarded with work-program commitments or as additional areas to such licenses.
Torgeir Stordal, head of exploration at the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), said: “The 2019 awards with new licences from the southern North Sea to the Barents Sea demonstrate the companies’ continued interest in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Production licences are being offered both in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea which will require new seismic data and use of new technology to evaluate the resource potential. It will be exciting to watch how this develops in the coming years.”
Stordal added: “It is encouraging that companies show willingness to test new exploration concepts. Many are also focusing on proving resources near existing infrastructure. This combination is important for continued value creation on the Norwegian Shelf.”
Offer of licenses to 28 licensees (number of licenses /operatorships): Aker BP (15/9), Shell (5/2), Capricorn (3/3), Chrysaor (8/3), Concedo (4/0), ConocoPhillips (5/3), DNO (10/2), Edison (2/1), Equinor (23/14), Idemitsu (2/0), INEOS (2/1), Lime (2/0), Lotos (2/0), Lundin (12/7), Neptune (13/4), OKEA (5/2), OMV (4/1), ONE-Dyas (3/0), Pandion (3/0), PGNiG (3/0), Repsol (1/0), Source (3/0), Spirit (6/1), Suncor (5/2), Total (2/1), Vår Energi (17/7), Wellesley (7/3), Wintershall Dea (9/3).
Ghana: Veep To Launch Electronic Cargo Tracking System National Command Centre
Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Dr Mahammudu Bawumia is expected to launch an electronic cargo tracking system and the national command centre Tuesday.
The official ceremony, which is taking place later in the afternoon, is expected to be attended by several industry players.
More soon
Ghana: Dr Amin Adam Visits BOST Depot At Buipe After Tanker Yard Fire Outbreak(Photos)
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Energy in charge of Petroleum, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam has paid a working visit to Buipe in the Northern Region to inspect the extent of damage that occurred at the BOST tanker yard.
Dr Amin Adam was accompanied by Deputy Managing Director of BOST, Moses Asem, and CEO of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Hassan Tampuli.
The tanker yard was recently gutted by fire. In the process, four Bulk Road Vehicles (BRVs), two of which were loaded with petroleum products, were considerably damaged.
In a statement issued by BOST, it said the two trucks contained 36,000 liters of diesel (AGO) and 36,000 liters of petrol (PMS) at an estimated cost of GHc194, 760.00.
In a Facebook post Monday, Dr Amin Adam said President Akufo-Addo’s administration would support the construction of a tanker yard and the upgrading of the fire station at the BOST Depot.
“The Ministry of Energy has also directed the NPA to conduct safety audit on the facilities to enable a review and improvement on the safety protocols.
“Similarly, safety audits have recently been conducted at the facilities in Tema, Takoradi and Kumasi through collaborations between NPA and Kosmos Energy,” he said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: Asante Berko Appointed New MD Of Tema Oil Refinery
Energynewsafrica.com can confirm that Mr Asante K Berko has been appointed the Managing Director (MD) of Ghana’s only refinery, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
Asante Berko replaces Isaac Osei who resigned from his position as MD of TOR in the embers of December 2019.
Following Isaac Osei’s exit, Herbert Ato Morrison was appointed to act until a substantive MD was appointed.
Asante Berko, before his appointment, was the Executive Director of Goldman Sachs International in London.
He was also the Debt Capital Markets and Structured Assets Solutions of Barclays Capital/Absa Capital Johannesburg, SA. from June 2008 to June 2014.
He was responsible for the creation of Structured Asset Solutions Group that focuses on de-risking Absa Bank Balance Sheet and bespoke high margin esoteric trade for clients.
Between July 2005 and March 2008, when he was the Vice President of Credit-Suisse, Assets Finance, New York, he was responsible for structuring student loans and other esoteric assets such as films, aircraft, rail-car leases, small business loans (both real estate and non-real estate related assets), middle market loans, drug royalties and insurance.
He, again, successfully secured mezzanine and equity funding from the Special Opportunities Fund of Credit-Suisse (CS) for a structured settlements finance company.
Mr Berko was also responsible for analysing and making pricing and structural recommendations to desk on distressed SIVs.
Asante Berko was also the Vice President and Portfolio Manager of SunTrust Robinson-Humphrey, Debt Capital Markets-CDO Group, Atlanta, from June 2004 to July 2005. He co-managed a $500 million portfolio that invested in mezzanine tranches of both cash and synthetic CDO transactions.
From September 2000 to June 2004, Mr. Berko was a Manager at Ernst & Young where he was in charge of Asset Finance Solutions/ Leasing Group in San Francisco.
He was a senior consultant at Ernst & Young in New York between April 1998 and September 2000.
Our checks indicate that the new TOR MD met the Board of Directors of TOR last Friday and yesterday, Monday.
An official statement to that effect is expected to be issued soon.
Source:energynewsafrica.com
Nigeria: Navy Arrests 9 Fuel Smugglers In Rivers
The Nigerian Navy has arrested nine suspects at the Bonny waterways in Rivers State, in connection with smuggling of undisclosed quantity of crude oil.
The suspects have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria.
Executive Officer of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder, Port Harcourt, Capt. Adegoke Ebo, said the suspects lifted the oil from illegal refineries scattered across creeks in the Niger Delta.
“In line with the Nigerian Navy policing role, our patrol team intercepted and seized MT Lady Ochy together with eight suspects onboard the vessel on Dec. 1.
“MT Lady Ochy was seized around Sambero River in the state on suspicion of its involvement in crude oil theft.
“At the time of seizure, the vessel was laden with unspecified quantity of petroleum product suspected to be crude oil.”
Ebo said that shortly after the arrest, the Lagos-registered vessel was towed to anchorage in Bonny Island to enable naval investigators carry out preliminary investigation.
“Following the investigation, we arrested another suspect, who is manager of the vessel.
“The suspect was brought in for questioning bordering around the activities of the vessel as well as his own involvement in the allege crime.
“We have concluded our investigation, and, as such, we are here to hand over the nine suspects, vessel and crude oil to EFCC to continue with investigation,” shipsandports.con.ng quoted Adegoke Ebo as saying.
He assured of the navy’s zero tolerance to crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other illegalities in the nation’s maritime domain.
According to him, the navy is currently on a massive campaign to rid Rivers waterways of illegalities to boost economic and social activities.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: $2 Million Transmission Loses Claim: BOST Sets The Records Straight
Ghana’s Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) Company Limited has refuted media reports suggesting that the company loses US $ 2 million on a monthly basis through transmission of petroleum products.
“We wish to state that, fuel distribution/transmission across the country is not done at the cost of BOST and the company cannot be said to be losing anything to transmission.
“The claim is unfounded and couldn’t have come from BOST.”
This was contained in a statement issued by Marlick Adjei, Head of Communication and External Affairs, in response to the issue.
BOST explained that the distribution of petroleum products across the country is a two-stage process-primary and secondary distribution.
Both stages are funded fully by specific taxes in the petroleum price build-up which is collected by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and paid through the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), the regulator of the petroleum downstream.
The company said transport service providers present their bills with supporting documents to BOST and the claims are made on the fund at the NPA.
The funds received are then paid to the transporters less the value of any shortages recorded in the values they successfully deliver at the various BOST depots.
“Primary distribution/transmission is the movement of product from the BOST receiving
depot to other BOST depots across the country. This is funded by the Primary Distribution Margin !(PDM).”
Secondary distribution/transmission is when products are loaded from BOST depots
and discharged at various Oil Marketing Companies’ (OMC) sales points across the country.
“This is funded by the Uniform Petroleum Price Fund, UPPF,” the statement concluded.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana: MiDA’s Energy Efficiency Project To Save KBTH GHc 2.1 Million Electricity Consumption Annually
Ghana’s premier Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is expected to make a savings of GHc 2.1 million annually from electricity consumption.
Four departments of the hospital are to save the health facility that colossal amount due to an intervention by the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA).
The Accident and Emergency, Child Health, Central Laboratory and Medical departments of the hospital have been consuming 2.8m kilowatts of electricity annually, which translates to GHc3.4 million.
This is as a result of high-powered electricity consuming electrical appliances fitted at the four departments of the hospital.
The premier hospital is among six public sector institutions that is benefiting from MiDA’s Energy Efficiency and Demand Side Management (EEDSM) project being funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) with an amount of US$3 million.
Under the scope of the EEDSM project, MiDA is undertaking a number of activities including replacing and retrofitting the four departments of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital with energy commission’s certified energy efficiency fans, refrigerators, air conditioners and bulbs.
Per an Investment Grid Energy Audit (IGEA) done by DESL, a consultant contracted by MiDA, electricity consumption at the four departments of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is expected to be reduced by 40.2 percent. This will translate into GHc2.1 million savings annually.
Speaking to journalists at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Priscilla Agyei Darko, Project Engineer for Energy Efficiency and Demands Side Management (EEDSM) at MIDA, explained that the initiative formed part of the many projects under the Ghana Power Compact Agreement.
“So, what that programme seeks to do is to change the behaviour of people concerning energy efficiency and how to save energy in our various institutions and homes based on behaviour and changing how we see things-what you buy, switching off the lights when you leave your room, checking the star ratings when you are going to buy an appliance. So, that is what EEDSM is mostly about… changing the behaviour and our attitude towards the usage of energy and the things we need to buy to save energy.
“Under the EEDSM, we have a lot of projects and one of them is the way to retrofit. Here, we are replacing inefficient appliances with energy-efficient appliances and lighting,” she stated.
Explaining how the selection process for the project was done, Priscilla Agyei Darko said MiDA wrote to ECG for a data on high consumption institutions.
“ECG gave us a list of 20 institutions, but when MiDA wrote to them (institutions), only six of them responded,” she explained.
These six institutions are Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Education (MOE), Department of Urban Roads, University of Ghana, Legon, Adabraka Polyclinic and Ministry of Health.
Madam Esther Tetteh, the Administrator of the Child Health Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, who commended MiDA, said the initiative has brought them a big relief.
Besides the hottest environment the health personnel at the Child Health Department worked in, Madam Esther Tetteh said getting some of the non-functional fans in particular to be repaired was a headache because they were of different brands. She said getting the one’s MiDA has provided to be repaired in future would be easier because they are of the same brand.
“The fans which used to blow hot air is now blowing fresh air. So we thank MiDA,” she stated.
Communications and Head of Outreach Programme at MiDA, Pamela Djamson Tettey commended citizens of US, whose taxes the Millennium Challenge Corporation is supporting MiDA to implement its compact projects.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Speaking to journalists at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Priscilla Agyei Darko, Project Engineer for Energy Efficiency and Demands Side Management (EEDSM) at MIDA, explained that the initiative formed part of the many projects under the Ghana Power Compact Agreement.
“So, what that programme seeks to do is to change the behaviour of people concerning energy efficiency and how to save energy in our various institutions and homes based on behaviour and changing how we see things-what you buy, switching off the lights when you leave your room, checking the star ratings when you are going to buy an appliance. So, that is what EEDSM is mostly about… changing the behaviour and our attitude towards the usage of energy and the things we need to buy to save energy.
“Under the EEDSM, we have a lot of projects and one of them is the way to retrofit. Here, we are replacing inefficient appliances with energy-efficient appliances and lighting,” she stated.
Explaining how the selection process for the project was done, Priscilla Agyei Darko said MiDA wrote to ECG for a data on high consumption institutions.
“ECG gave us a list of 20 institutions, but when MiDA wrote to them (institutions), only six of them responded,” she explained.
These six institutions are Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Education (MOE), Department of Urban Roads, University of Ghana, Legon, Adabraka Polyclinic and Ministry of Health.
Madam Esther Tetteh, the Administrator of the Child Health Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, who commended MiDA, said the initiative has brought them a big relief.
Besides the hottest environment the health personnel at the Child Health Department worked in, Madam Esther Tetteh said getting some of the non-functional fans in particular to be repaired was a headache because they were of different brands. She said getting the one’s MiDA has provided to be repaired in future would be easier because they are of the same brand.
“The fans which used to blow hot air is now blowing fresh air. So we thank MiDA,” she stated.
Communications and Head of Outreach Programme at MiDA, Pamela Djamson Tettey commended citizens of US, whose taxes the Millennium Challenge Corporation is supporting MiDA to implement its compact projects.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com South Africa: Thousands Without Electricity As ESKOM Transformer Fails In Free State
Thousands of South Africans in Rouxville, Zasron and Smithfield are without electricity as a result of transformer failure at Rouxville Substation in Free State.
South Africa’s struggling utility company, ESKOM, on Monday said supply to consumers in Rouxville, Zastron and Smithfield, as well as surrounding rural areas, would only be restored on Tuesday as technicians work on the problem.
The utility has apologised to the thousands of people affected
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com South Africa: Jabu Mabuza Resigns As ESKOM Chairman
The Chairman of South Africa’s Electricity Supply Commission (ESKOM) Jabu Mabuza has resigned, energynewsafrica.com can report.
In a letter written President of South Africa, Mr Mabuza, said his decision to resign was due to ESKOM’s failure to meet the commitment it made that there would be no loadshedding until 13 January 2020.
He apologised for to the president, his deputy and the Pubilc Enterprises Minister for failing.
“Eskom presented plans to ensure that the risk of loadshedding would be eliminated during the holiday period until 13 January 2020. Eskom also outlined the risks affecting the national grid,” Mr Mabuza said in his resignation letter.
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, energynewsafrica.com understand has accepted Mr Mabuza’s resignation letter.
President Ramaphosa has expressed his gratitude to Mr Mabuza for serving Eskom and the nation during a challenging period and has commended Mr Mabuza for taking responsibility and accepting accountability for events under his leadership.”
It went on to state that the government will soon announce a “reconfigured Eskom board with the appropriate mix of electricity industry, engineering, and corporate governance experience”.
No loadshedding scheduled for Monday
The power utility announced this morning [Monday, 13 January] that the power system is “tight, but we are working hard to stabilise our generation fleet in order to ensure that we meet today’s demand”.
The utility anticipates some units coming back online during the course of the day and states that it has adequate reserves for emergency generators.
Unplanned outages or breakdowns were at 13,867MW as at 06h00 on Monday morning.
“Should we lose some generation units during the day, we will use emergency reserves and may implement load shedding in the evening. However, if we experience drastic changes in the system, load shedding may be implemented earlier in the day,” the company warned.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
No loadshedding scheduled for Monday
The power utility announced this morning [Monday, 13 January] that the power system is “tight, but we are working hard to stabilise our generation fleet in order to ensure that we meet today’s demand”.
The utility anticipates some units coming back online during the course of the day and states that it has adequate reserves for emergency generators.
Unplanned outages or breakdowns were at 13,867MW as at 06h00 on Monday morning.
“Should we lose some generation units during the day, we will use emergency reserves and may implement load shedding in the evening. However, if we experience drastic changes in the system, load shedding may be implemented earlier in the day,” the company warned.
Source:www.energynewsafrica.com
South Sudan: Gov’t To Assess Environmental Impact Of Oil Producing Fields
South Sudan has announced plans to conduct full environmental impact audit of all its oil-producing fields ahead of any new exploration and drilling in the country.
The country last week issued tender inviting companies to bid to conduct those environmental audits, under a petroleum act from 2012.
“The Act is designed to better manage the environmental impact of the sector after years of neglect prior to independence, and the resulting pollution,” the government said in a statement.
“The sector has in the past caused a loss of grazing land, deforestation, soil and water contamination, and health issues in and around oil-producing areas,” it further noted.
South Sudan broke from Sudan in 2011 and took with it around 350,000 bpd in oil production. However, the only export oil pipeline out of landlocked South Sudan passes through its neighbor to the north, Sudan.
But then civil war in South Sudan broke out in 2013 that further complicated oil production. Currently, South Sudan pumps around 180,000 bpd.
The government aims to hold oil licensing round for 14 oil exploration blocks by the end of the first quarter of 2020.
“Understanding the pollution damage will allow the country to put systems in place to prevent further damage as the country looks to ramp up production,” South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum Awow Daniel Chuang said.
At the same time, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir said in August last year:
“I will not tolerate irresponsible activities in the oil sector.”
“And while the government is eager to welcome new exploration and production, companies would be held to a high standard. The era of “bad business” was coming to an end,” the president said.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Rwanda: AfDB Approves €8 Million Technical Assistance Grant To Support Preparation Of Ruzizi IV Hydro Power Project
The Board of Directors of African Development Bank Group has approved an €8 million grant drawn from the European Union’s Africa Investment Platform (EU-AIP) to support the preparation of the Ruzizi IV Hydropower Project.
The plant will be situated on the Ruzizi River between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and will supply electricity to the DRC, Burundi and Rwanda.
The 287 MW Ruzizi IV Hydropower project is expected to will provide electricity to millions of households, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises and industries, thereby improving the living conditions of the regional population. Greater and more reliable access to electricity will also improve the quality of basic social service delivery including health, education, and improved security.
“The African Development Bank played a major role in structuring and raising financing for Ruzizi III, and the lessons learned will be used to successfully develop and implement Ruzizi IV. The use of renewable and affordable electric power will help to reduce poverty, unemployment, greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation, as well as stabilise security in the Great Lakes region,” Batchi Baldeh, the Bank’s Director for Power Systems Development,” said in a press release posted on AfDB’s website.
The €8 million grant approval follows a $980,000 grant approved end-2018 by the New Partnership for Africa Development’s Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF), which is a multi-donor Special Fund hosted by the Bank, to co-finance this technical assistance.
Ruzizi Hydropower Plant Project IV meets the goal shared by Burundi, DRC and Rwanda to optimise exploitation of their energy resources by integrating electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. The project falls within the overall regional energy market framework being developed by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme (NELSAP) and the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP).
Ruzizi IV also aligns with the Bank’s High 5 priority to “Light up and power Africa”, as well as the Bank’s strategy on regional integration, and specifically, development of regional energy infrastructure.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
AfDB Sponsored Off-Grid Energy Access Fund Reaches Final Equity Close With Partner Contributions
The Facility for Energy Inclusion’s Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (FEI OGEF) has reached a final equity close with $59 million in committed equity capital and $36 million debt facilities, to support innovative, off-grid energy access companies.
The final close, was made possible through a $15 million equity contribution from the European Union (EU), and a further $17 million from KfW, acting on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Additionally, the EU is providing $2 million to fund a technical assistance facility, to enhance local currency financing. Other OGEF equity investors include the Nordic Development Fund and All On Calvert Impact Capital and the Prudential Insurance Company of America.
OGEF expects to raise further debt towards its $130 million target over the next 12-18 months.
The African Development Bank (AfDB.org) is the fund’s anchor sponsor with a $30 million contribution, and $8.5 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Welcoming the EU and KfW contributions, Wale Shonibare, the Bank’s acting Vice-President for Power, Energy, Climate Change and Green Growth, emphasized the strategic importance of FEI in delivering the Bank’s renewable energy strategy for Africa, and the global SDG7 goal of energy access.
“We are pleased to welcome the participation of like-minded partners in our shared ambition to promote access to modern, reliable and sustainable energy in Africa, and to enhance private sector participation in order deliver electricity to underserved communities in Africa,” he said.
Modern, high-quality off-grid connections can transform lives, Babette Stein von Kamienski, KfW’s Director of Power and Energy in Southern Africa, noted.
“KfW and BMZ have invested in OGEF to support this collaborative effort to advance climate friendly off-grid energy in Africa, demonstrating that off-grid solutions can complement sustained grid electrification to accelerate electricity access to millions of Africans,” she said
Originally supported by a grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), FEI OGEF is currently managed by Lion’s Head Global Partners.
“We are proud to have reached this milestone and excited to play a meaningful role in growing the sector and serve customers who are not currently served by traditional electricity grids. The off-grid market potential is massive and on track to transform electricity access in Africa as we know it,” Harry Guinness, Fund Manager of OGEF said.