Out of this the PURC, has been able to settle 514 representing 93.12 per cent within the same period including billing adjustments, receiving bills for first time and household meters as well as other issues leading to increase in ECG/PSDs revenue, whiles some inappropriate billing of consumers, written off. The complaints were received from consumers at Nkawkaw, Suhum, Anyinam, Abetifi/Akwasiho, Kofi Dede at the Kwahu area and Samulesi, Odoton, Poliwa also in the Yilo Krobo district at separate forums held by the PURC to sensitize consumers on their rights and responsibilities. At the various forums, non-billing, accumulated bills, wrongful disconnection and delay in following up faults/complaints were the key issues raised by consumers who appealed to the PURC to intervene to ensure that they had satisfactory service delivery. Some of the consumers were very angry for being given accumulated bills of between six-36 months as the maiden bill and failure to pay, they were disconnected and threatened to send the PSD to court for unlawful disconnection and billing. Mr Jude Aduamoah Addo, Eastern Regional Director of the PURC, indicated that 42 customers were captured for billing for the first time for periods ranging between 6-36 months. He advised consumers especially those in the rural areas and on the post-paid system to report delay in receiving bills to the nearest ECG/PSD office or the PURC for prompt action. He said whiles the delay in billing may not be their fault they should report after three months of new meter instalment and enjoying power, since power was not free and must be paid for to enable the ECG to serve consumers better. He said both the service providers such as the ECG/PSD and the Ghana Water Company have responsibilities towards each other explaining that PURC was mandated to ensure that both service providers and consumers were doing well and assured consumers of the PURC’s mandate to protect consumers right Source: GNA
PURC receives 552 complaints in the E/R in first quarter of 2019
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has received about 552 complaints mainly from electricity consumers on accumulated billings, unlawful disconnection, and quality of service and non-reflection of payments in the Eastern Region.
Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament visits Atuabo Gas Plant, Others Next Week
Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Gyamfi, Chairman of Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy will, on Monday, April15, 2019, begin a three-day working visit to the Western Region to inspect some ongoing power projects, including Atuabo Gas Processing Plant.
The Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee in Parliament, Emmanuel Kwasi Gyamfi, who disclosed this to energynewsafrica.com, said the Committee would begin its inspection by visiting the Atuabo Gas Processing on Monday.
He added that “we will continue on Tuesday by paying a visit to Amandi and Ameri Power.”
Hon. Emmanuel Gyamfi who is also the Member of Parliament for Odotobri Constituency in the Ashanti Region, said the committee would end its inspection on Wednesday by visiting some projects undertaken by GNPC Foundation in Takoradi and its environs.
According to him, the visit would afford the members of the committee the opportunity to be abreast with the state of the facilities.
Imani Alert: Ghana discovers Africa’s biggest oil deposit but may lose $7.2bn
On Thursday 14th February 2019, the Ministry of Finance in a press release sent from Oslo, Norway, confirmed Aker Energy ASA’s “significant offshore resource base in Ghana and [that Aker] has committed to scale up new development in the Deepwater Tano Cape three points block (DWT/CT).”
The statement also said Aker’s announcement was “the biggest oil find in Africa, of 450-550 million barrels, with potential recoverable reserves of nearly one billion barrels.” At today’s Oil price of $65 per barrel, that field is worth at least $30 billion (bn).
Given the fact that this impressive find constitutes additional oil discovered in Aker’s contract area previously held under an old Petroleum Agreement (PA) which lapsed in 2014, it is our considered view that the additional oil discovered in 2019 are essentially not covered by any of the Petroleum Agreements (PA) in force. Hence those additional finds require a new Petroleum Agreement should be negotiated under the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, 2016 Act 919. Were this to be done, Ghana stands to gain an estimated $9bn, through potentially 25% to 30% increased equity interest and royalties (assuming 5% royalty plus 15% carried interest plus 5%-10% additional participating interest in block) in the short term plus any potential corporate income tax and the windfall additional oil entitlements (AOE) in the long term. As things stand, Ghana stands to gain a paltry 14% of increased equity interest and royalties (10% interest in block + 4% royalty) amounting to $4.2 bn in the short term, representing a potential loss of $4.8 billion – that is, $9bn less $4.2 bn.
On Monday 3rd March 2019, Aker in a press statement posted on their website stated “We are pleased to announce another successful well as the operator of the DWT/CTP block. The drilling result is another confirmation of the geological model for the area. The discovered resources from the well will further strengthen the robustness of the Pecan field development. We will now continue the appraisal drilling campaign while finalizing the Plan of Development to be submitted by the end of March,” says Jan Arve Haugan, CEO of Aker Energy.”
However, it would appear we may not be exacting the maximum interest from this significant find. GNPC may have sold Ghana short by allowing Aker to assume from the start that these new oil discoveries automatically fall under the existing Petroleum Agreement (PA), which is erroneous. At the least, Ghana could have exercised its right to take up the 10% additional equity option in the Aker Block. The failure refusal or negligence to do this is truly startling for a developing nation which needs to make the most of its natural resources.
We are submitting the questions below for your perusal in the hope you will take the opportunity to correct any misapprehensions:
1. When was the original Hess Agreement ratified by Parliament and what was the total exploration period duration and when did exploration cease; and, did the minister of energy give any extensions?
2. How many discoveries were made by Hess and which discoveries were appraised and when were these appraisal periods?
3. What was the appraisal period for each of the discoveries and what was the result of the appraisal for each of the discoveries?
4. At the time of Hess’ exit, what was the status of the various discoveries and what period was the PA in? Was it Exploration period or Appraisal period? Or past these periods for each discovery?
6. Did Hess declare commerciality on any of the discoveries? If so which of the discoveries and when were these commercialities declared for each discovery?
7. When did the exploration period end? Was this Exploration period extended at the end? If so, by whom?
8. What was the status of the Pecan discovery at the time of Hess’ exit? How many wells had been drilled? Was any well drilled during Appraisal Period?
9. Did Hess propose a discovery area, including hydrocarbon pay sections, which excludes what is now being explored by Aker Energy?
10. Did Hess identify the Oil Water Contact for the Pecan discovery or any other discovery?
11. What was the condition under which Aker was allowed to drill Pecan 4A, and Pecan South? What was the objective of the drilling program approved by Petroleum Commission?
12. Is there any pressure communication between the reservoirs of the Pecan4A and Pecan South-1 wells drilled?
13. If there is no pressure communication or connection between the reservoirs at Pecan 4 and those at Pecan South-1, is that not what the PA defines as a discovery?
14. How is the Pecan South well classified?
15. How the cost of that well is treated – Development cost or exploration cost- taking into consideration the fact that GNPC does not pay for exploration, and that the exploration period has expired?
16. What is the condition under which Aker would be drilling Pecan South East well? Again what is the objective of the well? How is that well classified? Is it an Appraisal well or an Exploration well?
The reason why these questions and the answers we seek are important is that we believe a new Petroleum Agreement for this new Discovery will give Ghana 15% Royalty whereas the existing HESS/Aker Petroleum Agreement gives Ghana 3-5% Royalties, a very significant 10% difference.
Questions on Aker’s Submitted Plan of Development
We note Aker has submitted a Plan of Development for the areas in question.
On 28th March 2019, in a press statement posted on Aker’s website, it indicated that, as the Operator of the DWT/CTP contract area, on behalf of its partners, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Lukoil Overseas Ghana Tano Limited and Fueltrade Limited, has submitted an Integrated Plan of Development and Operations (PDO) to Ghanaian authorities for the Deepwater Tano / Cape Three Points (DWT/CTP) block offshore Ghana.
However, a careful review of the submitted POD reveals that it may not deliver the best value to the good people of Ghana. Also, from our investigations, it looks like there wasn’t much collaboration with all the relevant stakeholders in the various fields prior to proposing development strategies for some of the fields that straddle other blocks. These and other things make the under-listed questions very relevant:
1. Aker’s Petroleum Agreement and the laws of the land require it to submit a POD in a particular format. Among others, the POD is to be based on detailed engineering studies and include estimated production profiles, proposal for the delineation of the development and production area, etc. Would you say that the POD Aker submitted followed this prescribed format for ALL the discoveries in your contract area? Kindly note the emphasis on the word “all”.
2.Aker’s contract area has discoveries that straddle other contract areas; In order to propose the most efficient strategy for developing those fields, international best practices require that it works closely with the operators of those fields. Did Aker work with the operators of the fields that have discoveries straddling its block before proposing a development strategy for those fields?
3. In Aker’s POD, the company indicated that it will take a decision on the Beech field in 2025 and bring it into production in 2029 contrary to what was earlier communicated to Ghana’s Finance Minister barely a month ago:
a. What informed this decision?
b. Was this decision taken in consultation with the other operators?
c. What happens if Aker decides, in 2025, not to develop that field, will the nation not have lost out?
4. The Finance Minister is reported to have told investors in Norway that Aker was considering bringing a field (the Beech field) into production before the end of 2020 or 1st Quarter 2021, is that still the case?
5. In the aforementioned press statement on Aker’s website, it indicated that “In addition to the FPSO for the Pecan field development, Aker Energy has entered into an option agreement with Ocean Yield ASA for a second FPSO, Dhirubai-1. If the option is exercised, Dhirubai-1 could either be used to accelerate production or for other, potential developments dependent on volumes and geographical distribution of these”:
a. What informed the decision to enter into an option agreement for an FPSO even before submitting a comprehensive POD for these “potential developments”?
b. The “potential developments”, do they straddle other contract areas?
c. If some of them do, were the operators of those fields consulted before Aker entered into the option agreement with Ocean Yield ASA?
Once again, the reason why these questions and the answers we seek are important is that we believe closer cooperation with all relevant stakeholders in agreeing a strategy for developing the field would present the country a much better deal than one developed by a few stakeholders.
Sincerely,
Franklin Cudjoe
Founding President & CEO, IMANI
Chevron Announces Agreement To Acquire Anadarko
Chevron Corporation, one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: APC) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Anadarko in a stock and cash transaction valued at $33 billion, or $65 per share.
Based on Chevron’s closing price on April 11th, 2019 and under the terms of the agreement, Anadarko shareholders will receive 0.3869 shares of Chevron and $16.25 in cash for each Anadarko share.
The total enterprise value of the transaction is $50 billion.
In a statement posted on the Corporation’s website, Chevron noted that the acquisition of Anadarko will significantly enhance Chevron’s already advantaged Upstream portfolio and further strengthen its leading positions in large, attractive shale, deepwater and natural gas resource basins.
Furthermore, Western Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: WES) is a successful midstream company whose assets are well aligned with the combined companies’ upstream positions, which should further enhance their economics and execution capabilities.
“This transaction builds strength on strength for Chevron,” said Chevron’s Chairman and CEO Michael Wirth.
“The combination of Anadarko’s premier, high-quality assets with our advantaged portfolio strengthens our leading position in the Permian, builds on our deepwater Gulf of Mexico capabilities and will grow our LNG business. It creates attractive growth opportunities in areas that play to Chevron’s operational strengths and underscores our commitment to short-cycle, higher-return investments.”
“This transaction will unlock significant value for shareholders, generating anticipated annual run-rate synergies of approximately $2 billion and will be accretive to free cash flow and earnings one year after close,” Wirth concluded.
In a brief remarks, Chairman and CEO of Anadarko Al Walker, said “The strategic combination of Chevron and Anadarko will form a stronger and better company with world-class assets, people and opportunities.”
“I have tremendous respect for Mike and his leadership team and believe Chevron’s strategy, scale and operational capabilities will further accelerate the value of Anadarko’s assets,” he added.
Ghana Gas to pay $20m dividend to government – PRO
Ernest Owusu Bempah, Head of Communications at Ghana Gas Company Limited
The Head of Communications at Ghana Gas Company Limited, Ernest Owusu Bempah Bonsu, has noted that despite the legacy debts in the energy sector Ghana Gas will soon pay a dividend to the Government of Ghana. “The Government is doing something about it, it is a cyclical debt in the energy sector and the Ministry of Finance is dealing with it. Basically, that issue does not arise because VRA is paying as we (Ghana Gas ) hold the Gas in trust of Ghana National Petroleum Commission(GNPC) so technicalities are involved. “Aside that Ghana Gas is doing other projects like supplying close to 60 percent of Liquified Petroleum Gas(LPG) as well; that is giving us money; and this year, am disclosing to you we are the only company that is going to pay dividend to the Government of Ghana of about 20 million dollars,” he said. He revealed that a lot of savings and prudent spending has been undertaken under the Dr Ben Asante administration that has resulted in the Company acquiring an ultra modern office and increasing its employment figures to over 600. “…Just one and a half months savings of staff indigenization was used to purchase our ultra-modern office in Accra; the Company was staying in somebody’s house; a semi-detached house having about 10 people in one office. This time around we have the best office in the modern history of a corporate environment; that tells you that prudent management has resulted in that”.
Load shedding to minimize as Ghana Gas completes tie-in of gas pipelines
Dr Benjamin K. D Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas
The power outages being experienced in some parts of the country is expected to ease in the coming days.
This is because of the completion of tie-in of gas pipelines connecting Takoradi and Tema. The country lost about 300MW of power due to the shut down of Atuabo Gas Processing Plant for mandatory maintenance works. Speaking to journalists on the progress of work on Thursday [April 11, 2019], the Head of Communications at the Ghana Gas Company, Ernest Owusu Bempah maintains that the situation should normalize soon. “As at Monday [April 8, 2019], we were producing about 110 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas which was giving us 600megawatts of electricity. Today [Thursday] the engineers are informing that we are producing about 130 which should give us almost 680 to 700 megawatts of electricity which is key,” he explained. The disclosure by the Ghana Gas company limited comes about twenty-four hours ahead of the scheduled date for completion of the tie-in process of gas pipelines from Takoradi and Tema. The move which required a mandatory shut down of the gas processing facility, impacted the supply of power to some parts of the country. It also followed an earlier assurance by the Energy Ministry that the power situation should be corrected a week earlier. Mr. Owusu Bempah also mentioned that there has .”
Load shedding to minimize as Ghana Gas completes tie-in of gas pipelines
Dr Benjamin K. D Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas
The power outages being experienced in some parts of the country is expected to ease in the coming days.
This is because of the completion of tie-in of gas pipelines connecting Takoradi and Tema. The country lost about 300MW of power due to the shut down of Atuabo Gas Processing Plant for mandatory maintenance works. Speaking to journalists on the progress of work on Thursday [April 11, 2019], the Head of Communications at the Ghana Gas Company, Ernest Owusu Bempah maintains that the situation should normalize soon. “As at Monday [April 8, 2019], we were producing about 110 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas which was giving us 600megawatts of electricity. Today [Thursday] the engineers are informing that we are producing about 130 which should give us almost 680 to 700 megawatts of electricity which is key,” he explained. The disclosure by the Ghana Gas company limited comes about twenty-four hours ahead of the scheduled date for completion of the tie-in process of gas pipelines from Takoradi and Tema. The move which required a mandatory shut down of the gas processing facility, impacted the supply of power to some parts of the country. It also followed an earlier assurance by the Energy Ministry that the power situation should be corrected a week earlier. Mr. Owusu Bempah also mentioned that there has .”
Kenya Power concludes prepaid system upgrade
Kenya Power’s prepaid system upgrade this week was completed successfully and services restored, the company said.
Services enabling purchase of the prepaid tokens at the company’s banking halls, prepaid pay bill number 888880 and through all other prepaid vending channels have now been restored on a more robust system.
The upgrade of the prepaid system was necessary to enhance service delivery.
On Monday, Kenya Power announced that it will be shutting down the prepaid system from 23h00 to facilitate the transfer of data to new hardware.
The system was scheduled to resume operation at 18h00 on Wednesday, 10th April 2019
Source: Esi-Africa.com
Nigeria: Regulator wants meters rolled out by 1st May
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) last week issued permits to Meter Asset Providers (MAPs), in accordance with section 4(3) of the MAP Regulations 2018.
These are MAPs that were successful in the procurements conducted by Abuja Electricity Distribution Company Plc (AEDC) and Jos Electricity Distribution Company Plc (JEDC).
Section 4(3) of the MAP Regulation 2018 requires all electricity distribution licensees to engage MAPs that would assist, as investors, in closing the metering gap and thus eliminating the practice of estimated billing in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
AEDC has appointed Mojec International Limited, Meron Consortium and Turbo Engineering Limited to provide 487,000, 213,000 and 200,000 meters respectively while JEDC has appointed the Triple 7 and Mojec International Limited consortium to provide 500,000 meters.
The Commission has directed that the rollout of meters shall commence no later than the 1st of May 2019.
Rollout of meters
Customers of AEDC and JEDC should expect from the commencement of rollout date for meters to be installed in their premises within 10 working days of making payment to MAPs in accordance with section 18 (3) of the MAP Regulations 2018.
MAPs shall charge a maximum of N36,991.50 ($102,682) for single phase meters and N67,055.85 ($186,135) for three phase meters.
These costs are inclusive of supply, installation, maintenance and replacement of meters over its technical life.
The Commission shall monitor closely the rollout plan of distribution licensees and overall compliance with the regulation and various service agreements by the MAP and electricity distribution licensees.
Source: Esi-Africa.com
GNPC seeks parliamentary approval for US$65.75m projects
GNPC Boss,Dr. K.K Sarpong
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is seeking parliamentary approval to spend US$65.75 million on non-petrochemical capital projects as part of its 2019 programme of activities.
Out of the total sum, the corporation has earmarked US$10.75 million for refurbishment works on nine landed properties across the country.
Per the Mines and Energy Committee report on the work programme of the corporation presented to the Plenary of Parliament in Accra yesterday, projects under the non-petrochemical activities are a US$20 million head office in Accra and a US$10 million corporate operational head office in Takoradi.
According to the report, which is yet to be adopted or rejected, the corporation has allocated US$25 million to “redevelop the Laboratory and Data Centre into a modern facility.”
The report, signed by the chairman of the committee and Member of Parliament for Odotobri, Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi, said the corporation was allocated a 40 acre land within the Energy City enclave in Accra for the office complex and that an architectural brief with spatial and facility requirements for the design of the head office building has been completed.
Same, it said has been done for the proposed Takoradi office, adding that due diligence was undertaken on identified project sites and works were underway to secure the parcel of land for the project.
“The corporation is committed to engaging owners of identified properties and other stakeholders towards the realisation of this project,” the report stated.
On the laboratory and data centre to be known as the Research and Technology (RAT) Project, the report said it would enable effective and efficient information management and repository of the corporation’s oil and gas exploration, development and production data.
“The RAT Centre is also to serve as a reference point for training professionals in the use of cutting-edge technology in the petroleum industry,” the report argued.
As part of refurbishment works on landed properties, the GNPC has earmarked US$1.5 million for a “suitable property in West Airport residential area to be adapted into a state-of-the-art clinic.”
Other landed properties to benefit from the US$10.75 million packages for landed properties include the Chapel Hill residential properties, US$0.26 million, Enpro Rehabilitation Project, US$0.34 million, Redco Madina Bungalow two and three US$0.20 million, Unacourt Flats, US$0.70, Beach Road Redevelopment Project US$1.90 million and GNPC Training Centre Furnishing, US$0.04 million.
“The committee has thoroughly scrutinised the programme activities of the GNPC and the associated financial requirements for the 2019 Financial Year and it believes that the activities outlined fall within the scope of the mandate of the corporation.
“The committee, therefore, recommends to the House to adopt its report and approve the 2019 programme activities of the GNPC,” the report concluded.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Ghana: Energy Ministry fights IES for engaging in distortions
John-Peter Amewu, Energy Minister
The Ministry of Energy has refuted claims by the Institute Energy Security (IES) that it has been peddling lies and falsehood in relation to the recent act of vandalism on some of the power sector installations in the Tema enclave.
The IES, in a statement signed by the Executive Director Paa Kwasi Anamua Sakyi, accused the Ministry of Energy of creating fear and panic by alleging that the pipelines which were torched in Tema by some unsuspected arsonists belonged to the Volta River Authority (VRA), which turned out that the pipelines belonged to private company Cirrus Oil Services Limited and was only filled with raw water.
“The IES finds the posture of Mr Damoah akin to that of the Minister in charge of the Energy Ministry Mr Peter Amewu, who last sought to suggest political sabotage into the hacking down of GRIDCo’s Transmission tower in Tema, even before state security institutions could collect evidence and start investigation into the matter,” the IES said.
However, a statement signed by the Head of Communication of the Ministry of Energy, Nana Kofi Damoah, wondered why IES would come to that conclusion without conducting proper checks about the statement he made in respect to the burning of the pipelines.
“I never said anywhere that the pipelines in question belong to the VRA. I will be happy for the IES to prove this allegation if they can,” he said.
“I did not state that the pipelines are gas pipelines. Again, proof of this will be appreciated if it is claimed I did. I said they were fuel pipelines and this is a fact that remains till today. Unless the IES wants to suggest that the only fuel in the world is gas, an explanation for this distortion is needed,” he added.
Below is the full statement
I choose to believe that the publication by the IES was done in error and that they did not do the usual checks they ought to have done before this publication. What is obvious is that some distortions have been created and they have gone ahead to draw conclusions based on these distortions. May I please take this opportunity to point out a few of these distortions:
1. I never said anywhere that the pipelines in question belong to the VRA. I will be happy for the IES to prove this allegation if they can.
2. I did not state that the pipelines are gas pipelines. Again proof of this will be appreciated if it is claimed I did. I said they were fuel pipelines and this is a fact that remains till today. Unless the IES wants to suggest that the only fuel in the world is gas, an explanation for this distortion is needed.
Aside the fact that the pipeline itself was torched by placing burning tyres on them, directly overhead are GRIDCO lines which could have been affected by the fire, had it not been for the vigilance of the security teams in the area. If raising alarm over such conduct is crying wolf, then I am guilty of crying wolf.
I personally consider this intervention by the Think Tank as unfortunate as it only serves to obfuscate matters when we are seeking to rally Ghanaians to expose the actions of persons who seek to destroy critical infrastructure. I find it extremely disingenuous that at such a time as this, an attempt is being made to shift the focus of the discussion from the ongoing investigations. Worse of all is the fact that this intervention is based on distortions.
I believe an official response will be out soon.
Yours in the service of Ghana
Nana Damoah.
Cylinder importers under-invoicing, killing GCMC – Mould claims
Former CEO of National Petroleum Authority, Alex Mould
The Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC) is struggling because importers of gas cylinders are under-invoicing at the ports, Mr Alex Mould, a former CEO of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), has said.
According to him, in order to make the GCMC competitive on the market, the importers must be checked in order to halt the under-invoicing.
Speaking on an Accra based FM station, Mr Alex Mould said: “The LPG market itself was a little bit not as regulated as petrol. The NPA approved the importation of cylinders because our plants in Ghana could not supply enough.
“The question is: why can’t we make sure that we put an embargo on the importation of these cylinders and ask the plants to revamp and get bigger or encourage more investments into the country to do that?
“One of the things I found out at the NPA was that a lot of the importers were under-invoicing. They would say that a cylinder costs $1. But I will call the manufacturer myself and find out that the cylinder costs $6 or $7. So, when they get to the port, they will show invoices of 1$.
“However, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company was being taxed on $6 or $7. How do you think that they will be able to manage? When you talk, people say don’t, because the prices of the cylinders will go up. But the issue is that you are killing your local company.”
Source:classfmonline.com
Stop Creating Fear and Panic-IES Cautions Ministry of Energy
Paa Kwasi Anamua Sakyi, IES Boss
The Institute of Energy Security (IES) has expressed unhappiness about the Ministry of Energy’s handling of recent vandalism of some power installations at the Tema enclave in the Greater Accra Region.
According to the Energy Think Thank, “Even though the IES believes that any form of sabotage to the country’s power installations must be condemned in no uncertain terms, the situation where political actors use it to cause fear and panic, and possibly win the sympathy of Ghanaians unnecessarily, is equally bad in taste.”
“The IES finds the posture of Mr. Damoah akin to that of the Minister in charge of the Energy Ministry, Mr. Peter Amewu, who last sought to suggest political sabotage into the hacking down of GRIDCo’s Transmission tower in Tema, even before state security institutions could collect evidence and start investigation into the matter.
“The IES is getting worried about the posture of government represented by the Energy Ministry towards recent acts of vandalism on energy infrastructure,” the IES said in a statement.
The statement, which was signed by Paa Kwasi Anamua Sakyi, the Executive Director of IES, called on the Ministry of Energy to apologize to Ghanaians for deceiving them into believing that the pipelines under construction and filled with raw water were part of the accessories to the power sector installations.
Below is the full statement
WE DON’T NEED “FEAR AND PANIC” TO SOLVE DUMSOR
The Institute for Energy Security (IES) was enraged when news got to it through the
pronouncement of Nana Kofi Oppong Damoah, Head of Communication and Public Affairs at
the Ministry of Energy; that some determined persons who wish Ghanaians stay in the recent
power crisis for a longer period have torched a gas pipeline belonging to the Volta River Authority (VRA) at the Tema enclave.
By this news we quickly condemned the needless act and proceeded to visit the spot where the act is said to have taking place, only to find that the reported gas pipeline belong to Cirrus Oil Services Limited, and that it is parallel oil pipelines under construction, and filled with raw water.
The IES finds the posture of Mr. Damoah akin to that of the Minister in charge of the Energy Ministry Mr. Peter Amewu, who last sought to suggest political sabotage into the hacking down of GRIDCo’s Transmission tower in Tema, even before state security institutions could collect evidence and start investigation into the matter.
The IES is getting worried about the posture of Government represented by the Energy Ministry towards recent acts of vandalism on energy infrastructure.
While we condemn these acts by faceless persons, the peddling of falsehood by the Minister of Energy and his cohorts following these incidents, only amount to causing fear and panic among the citizenry. Even though the IES believe that any form of sabotage to the country’s power installations must be condemned in no uncertain terms, the situation where political actors use it to cause fear and panic, and possibly win the sympathy of Ghanaians unnecessarily; is equally bad in taste.
Dumsor by its own name is scary. “Dumsor is now a dreaded name in the country; synonymous with the subhuman “Dracula” who sucks human blood and spreads the undead curse along winding roads within the thick, dark and ancient forest and, over mountain passes”.
The Ministry of Energy must spare Ghanaians of “Wolf Cry”, and rather assure the nation of more sustainable measures put in place to curb the recurring and prolonged power outages caused largely by illiquidity in the sector; and not technical or sabotage by cause.
We call on the Ministry of Energy to apologize for deceiving Ghanaians into believing that pipelines under construction and filled with raw water are part of the accessories to the power sector installations, and that the destruction to the GRIDCo tower is a contributing factor to the
recent Dumsor.
The Ministry of Energy must desist from peddling further falsehood and compromising the work of the state security agencies in their quest to apprehend the criminals engage in the act of
vandalism. And that if it is privy to any political sabotage, the Ministry must make its evidence available to the agencies tasked to unravel such circumstances.
Ghana: Kasoa police arrests electricity cable thieves
Two persons have been arrested by police at Kasoa in the Central Region for stealing conductor cables belonging to Power Distribution Services Ghana(PDS), which cost GHS 27,000
The suspects are Seidu Alhassan aged 28 and Kwaku Eson 31.
Briefing journalists, the Kasoa Divisional Police Commander,Chief Superintendent Kofi Adu said on 6th April,2019 at about 2:00pm the Kasoa police patrol team chanced upon the suspects with the cables and arrested them.
He continued that upon interrogation the suspects admitted that they stole the cables from PDS’s project site at Nkwantanan in Amanfrom, a suburb of Kasoa.
He said the suspects have been processed and would be put before court soon.