Greece has vowed to refuse help to an Iranian ship that was recently detained in Gibraltar on suspicion of carrying oil bound for Syria days after the U.S. threatened sanctions on any country that offered aid to the tanker believed to be linked to an Iranian terrorist organisation.
The ship is sailing through Mediterranean waters with 2 million barrels of crude oil.
Deputy foreign minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis told broadcaster ANT1 Greece was “not willing to facilitate the course of this ship to Syria” and pointed out the tanker’s load was too large for any Greek port to accommodate, BBC News reported.
The Iran-flagged Adrian Darya 1, previously named Grace 1, is carrying $130 million worth of light crude oil, according to the U.S.
The U.S. believes the tanker has ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a branch of the Middle Eastern nation’s armed forces that the U.S. deemed a terrorist organization.
The U.S. said the ship has plans to deliver its cargo to Syria, which would directly violate U.S. sanctions, BBC News reported.
The ship left Gibraltar Sunday after being detained for a month. Gibraltar rejected a last-minute attempt by the U.S. to seize the oil tanker again, arguing that EU regulations are less strict than U.S. sanctions on Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned the international community against assisting the Iranians in smuggling oil.
Adrian Darya 1 was heading east in the Mediterranean Sea Monday with its next destination reported to be Kalamata, Greece.
The ship is expected to arrive at the Greek port next Sunday, according to ship-tracking service Marine Traffic. It was unclear why the tanker would be heading there or whether the destination could change.
Tehran said any U.S. attempt to seize the tanker would have “heavy consequences,” according to Reuters. Commander of Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Alireza Tangsiri told the Iranian News Agency “the Adrian Darya vessel needs no escort.”
Tangsiri added that the ship is “Korean-made” and owned by Russia. The U.S. argued in unsealed court documents that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the ship’s true owners through a network of front companies.
The chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, said he had been assured in writing by the Iranian government that the tanker wouldn’t unload its cargo in Syria.
The Iranian ship was detained while sailing under a Panamanian flag with the name Grace 1. It changed the name on Sunday and hoisted an Iranian flag
The Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD) in the Republic of Ghana has revised the benchmark foreign exchange (FX) forward from 60 days to 30 days (60-days forwards rate to 30-days forwards rate).
The revision was expected to translate into a two per cent and three per cent fall in ex-pump prices of refined petroleum products, the chamber said in a report copied to the Daily Graphic.
It explained that the projected reductions could translate into between 10 pesewas per litre to 15 pesewas in price drop per litre for both gas oil and gasoline.
The report explained that the revision was to help encourage industry players to revise their FX rates downwards and help reduce pump prices for consumers.
As a result, it said “the forward FX rate 30 (FuFeX30) shall be the benchmark FX rate instead of the FuFeX60 for establishing the price indicators.”
The FuFeX used is the average of the quoted indicative forward forex rate from major oil financing banks adjusted by the covered-interest parity pricing model.
The CBOD, which is an advocacy group for bulk oil distributing companies (BDCs), tracks the movement of FX and its implication on ex-pump prices of refined petroleum products.
“The Fufex30 to be applied for the second selling window of August 16 to 31, 2019 is GH¢5.57/USD.
Ex-refinery price indicator
The report explained that the ex-ref price indicator (Xpi) was computed using the referenced international market prices.
It said the prices were usually adopted by BDCs, factoring the CBOD economic break-even benchmark premium for a given window and converted from USD/mt to GH¢/ltr using the FuFeX.
“The adoption of a Fufex30 and the fall in international market prices of gasoline and gas oil will translate to about two per cent to three per cent fall in ex-pump prices for the coming window (August 16 to 31), all other things being equal.
OMC pricing performance
The report said the average ex-pump prices for gasoline and gas oil for the first window of August remained the same as the previous two windows.
It said ex-pump prices in the first window of August stood at GH¢5.163/ltr for both gasoline and gas oil.
“Prices for the year have consistently remained above the GH¢5/ltr mark since the first window of March.
“Average ex-pump prices of gasoline and gas oil have increased by 5.13 per cent and 5.06 per cent year-to-date compared to the 8.24 per cent and 8.36 per cent increase observed same period last year and a year-on-year increase of about six per cent,” it said.
OMC performance
Out of the top 10 oil marketing companies (OMCs), the report said Vivo Energy Shell, GOIL and TOTAL displayed the highest prices at their pumps.
“For the first selling window of August (August 1-5), the top three highest selling OMCs sold gasoline and gas oil at an average price of GH¢5.195/ltr.
“Star Oil displayed the least price at the pump for both gasoline and gas oil with a price of GH¢5.110/ltr at its pumps for both gasoline and gas oil,” it said.
An energy expert and Associate Professor and the Father Francis Wood Endowed Research Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seattle University, WA, USA, Dr Henry Louie has underscored the need for African governments to invest in the training of electrical power engineers, if challenges confronting the power sector on the continent are to be resolved.
He explained that engineers are the backbone of the energy sector, emphasizing they have to be trained so that they will be abreast with emerging technologies in renewable, thermal and hydro power.
Dr Louie, who has done research about power situation in Africa, noted that lack of training of electrical power engineers to properly manage power systems is one of the reasons which resulted in load shedding in some African countries.
“In my research, I realised that some of the hydro systems appear to be badly mismanaged, leading to widespread load shedding,” he said.
Dr Louie who is also the project leader for Kilo Watts for Humanity, an NGO was speaking in an interview with energynewsafrica.com at a four- day IEEE Power Africa Conference, which is currently ongoing in Abuja, capital of Nigeria.
The conference, which is under the theme: ‘Power Economics and Energy Innovation in Africa’ has brought together academicians, researchers, policy makers, students and CEOs in the power sector including CEO of Ghana Grid Company and Chairman of the African Council of the PES, Ing. Jonathan Amoako.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com/courtesy: Energy Commission of Ghana
FMS, a leading independent supplier of mooring equipment to the global oil and gas industry, has secured a three-year contract with BP for the provision of mooring equipment for its North Sea operations.
Steven Brown, managing director for FMS, said “This award demonstrates our capability and capacity to support the mooring equipment requirements for one of the leading operators in the UKCS.
This contract award validates our recent investment in terms of both capital equipment / infrastructure and is fundamental to our strategic growth plans. We very much look forward to delivering a first-class service.”
The US will sell another 10 million barrels of sour crude oil, the Department of Energy said in a Notice of Sale, according to S&P Global Platts.
The Department of Energy will be accepting offers to purchase the crude through August 28, and delivery must be taken between October 1 and November 30.
The 10-million-barrel offering is the latest in a series of SPR sales under a mandatory sales program that seeks to sale 260 million barrels through 2027, and is not part of conscious act to influence the markets.
The SPR holds 645 million barrels of crude oil, 395 million of which is of the sour variety.
The US has periodically sold off part of the SPR, the last of which was in March. Marathon Petroleum, Motiva, and Phillips 66 together purchased 4.32 million barrels for $285.7 million.
Earlier this year, questions were raised about the quality of the SPR after ExxonMobil complained that the crude oil it purchased from the SPR in 2018 contained high levels of hydrogen sulfide. It was not the first company to complain about the issue, with Shell, Macquarie Group, and PetroChina all raising similar concerns. The Department of Energy disputed the claims.
The previous concerns as to the quality may give SPR shoppers pause this time around, as high levels of hydrogen sulfide pose risks to refinery equipment and to humans.
The US is now considering leasing SPR space to Australia, and is also contemplating shuttering at least one of its SPR storage sites and changing the ratio of sweet to sour crude oil. A study is now underway to determine the wisest course of action.
The African Energy Chamber has welcomed the appointment of Timipre Silva as new Minister of Petroleum in the Republic of Nigeria.
In a statement, the Chamber noted that Timipre Silva understands the core issues affecting Nigeria’s oil & gas sector, the call for better revenue management and distribution, and the need for increased community involvement across Nigeria’s key oil regions.
Timipre Silva had previously served as a Special Assistant to a Minister of Petroleum and has demonstrated a vast experience and understanding of Nigeria, African and international energy dynamics.
“The appointment of a well-versed former Governor with a demonstrated ability to work with different parties and a good understanding of the oil sector is a clear sign that Nigeria is serious about continuing its pace of reforms,” declared Nj Ayuk, Executive Chairman at the Chamber and CEO of the Centurion Law Group.
“Africa’s biggest oil producer needs such an experienced figure to lead the industry and our continent into new heights.”
The African Energy Chamber congratulated H.E. Timipre Silva on behalf of all its partners and pledged its commitment to continue to work closely with the Department of Petroleum Resources to pursue local content development, support the regionalization of Nigerian oil and services companies, and assist any foreign investors seeking to do business in Nigeria.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kolo Kyari, is set to address the potential of harnessing oil and gas industry for national development at this year’s edition of the (Nigerian Association of Energy Correspondent), NAEC conference on August 22, in Lagos.
The conference, which aims to feature two technical sessions, will address “Effects of Sanctity of Contracts on Commercial Operations” and “Commercial Viability in Gas- to- Power Value Chain”.
Managing Director of ExxonMobil, Paul McGrath, is named as the Chairman of the Conference, while the Acting Director of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Ahmad Rufai Shakur, will be the special guest of honour.
A statement issued by NAEC, explained that the event would also feature the giving of awards to selected organisations and individuals who have contributed immensely to the sector’s growth through their relentless commitments.
Other confirmed speakers are; Group Managing Director of Oando Plc., Wale Tinubu, Group Managing Director of Aiteo Eastern E&P Limited, Victor Okoronkwo, Managing Director of Total, Mike Sangster, Managing Director of Nigeria LNG,Tony Attah, and President of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Debo Fagbami,among others.
An Iranian oil tanker has broken down in the Red Sea but the crew are safe and repairs are underway, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Wednesday.
“The ship’s crew are fixing the defect and the vessel is in a stable condition from a safety standpoint. Fortunately, the ship’s crew are in a safe condition,” IRNA quoted Akbar Jabal-Ameli, technical director of the state-run National Iranian Tanker Company, as saying.
The report identified the tanker as HELM. A vessel with that name is among individuals, companies and vessels which are under U.S. sanctions, according to the U.S. Treasury’s website.
Iran has one of the largest tanker fleets in the world, but Tehran is running short of options to replace its aging tankers and keep oil exports flowing because renewed U.S. sanctions are making potential sellers and flag registries wary of doing business with Tehran.
Source: Reuters
A four-day Power Africa Conference has been opened in Abuja, capital of the West African country, Nigeria.
The conference, which is organised by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Power and Energy Society (PAS), in collaboration with Industry Application Society (IAS), is under the theme: ‘Power Economics and Energy Innovation in Africa’.
It has brought together academicians, engineers, researchers, scientists and students from several countries including India, Uganda, Cameroon, USA, Ghana and other parts of Africa.
Power Africa conference provides forum for researchers, engineers and practitioners to present and discuss latest research findings, ideas and emerging technologies and applications in the area of power systems integrations, business models, technological advances, policies and regulatory framework for the African continent.
Opening the conference, IEEE Nigeria Section Chair Engr. Raphael Onokshakpor said: “We at IEEE and PES Nigeria Section are pleased to now formally validate our capacity and zeal to host international events of this scale in our dear nation, which is a developing country that has a lot of potential in terms of human capital and resources.
He stressed the need for the resource persons present to try and make an impact by sharing their experiences and ideas to ensure tangible results by the time the conference ends.
“The Nigerian Electricity System clearly needs solutions and interventions which can help bring the Nigerian Electricity power industry to the state where it would be capable of not only serving the country’s basic needs but also to drive industrialisation for Nigeria and also for other part of sub-Saharan Africa.”
On her part, Chair of IEEE Africa Council Prof. Gloria Chukwudebe noted that the 5th edition of IEEE power Africa conference would be unique, as there would be interesting keynote addresses, presentations by distinguished scientists and engineers on smart energy regulation and policy, smart grid designs, smart technology applications, electrical safety and industry standards, renewable energy solutions and opportunities for private sector investment.
“Access to clean energy is still a big challenge to the sub-Saharan Africa. This conference is a very good opportunity for research scientists, engineers and practitioners to deliberate on latest research findings, ideas, emerging technologies and applications that will proffer solutions for the African continent to fast track achievement of the sustainable development goals,” she said.
Meanwhile, General Chair and Co-Chair of the Organising Committee of 2019 Power Africa, Chief Tunde Y. Salihu, has said that the growing importance of this conference towards getting African nations to meet up with their counterparts worldwide is the major reason the IEEE, Industrial Application and Power and Energy Societies have continued to sponsor this conference.
He commended all the organising committee members for their commitment towards the successful organisation of the conference.Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Ghana’s Minister for Energy John Peter Amewu has expressed satisfaction with the level of work done to reconnect 470MW Karadeniz Powership Osman Khan in the Western Region to the country’s national electricity grid.
The powership is currently at the Sekondi Naval Base, where it is expected that within 17 days, work on it should be completed to add power to the national grid.
The Karpowership was originally stationed at the industrial city of Ghana, Tema, but was decommissioned and relocated to Secondi-Takoradi of the West African country to utilise gas from Ghana Gas’ facility at Atuabo.
Speaking during a tour of the Karpowership and other ancillary installations on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, Minister Peter Amewu cautioned contractors, who are to ensure first gas for the Karpowership by September, to expedite work to avoid delays.
John-Peter Amewu addressing journalists after the visit
His caution followed difficulties by one of the contractors, Amandi, to access the Ghana Gas Transmission, Regulatory and Metering Station (TRMS) constructed by ENI due to handing over issues leading to some delays.
Mr Amewu, together with officials of Ghana Gas, ENI and Amandi, inspected ongoing works on the about 11-kilometre gas pipeline to transmit gas from the Aboadze Thermal enclave to the Naval Base, where the Karpowership sits.
“This project is about five different phases, thus, the pipeline construction, the construction of the transmission lines, the Transmission, Regulatory and Metering Station (TRMS) and the Onshore Terminal Station (OTS) and, then, the Karpowership installation. It is quite a complicated project but what is good is that, finally, the Karpowership is here in Sekondi and a lot of work has, so far, been done and so I want to congratulate Karpowership and the various contractors including Amandi, which has played a very critical role,” he said.
“There have been some few problems of little delays in terms of having the first gas. Now that the Karpowership is available here, we need to quickly connect with the first gas. It is currently going to feed on heavy fuel for some short period, but the quicker you are able to supply it with gas, the better it would be for us. The pipelines for the gas has been completed, the transmission lines are in place, but at the OTS, there are certain things that need to be done where the gas would have to be retreated in terms of heating and bringing the pressure down.
“So all these would be investigated to know exactly where the cause is coming from. You realise that it has to do with just the access. Ghana Gas is of the view that certain things must be done before they can take possession, but we think that this is not the final completion but a practical completion, which gives allowance for deferred liability period.
“So during those different liability periods, any differed liability that occurs can be corrected so they (Ghana Gas) can go ahead and then take over at that period while other issues are dealt with. So these are the issues were are looking at,” he added.
The General Manager of Amandi, David-Ben Ayun, who is supervising the construction of the Onshore Terminal Station and the gas pipeline, said they are committed to the schedule.
“We are putting effort, even though, we have a lot of delays from third parties not from our side. We are expected to give first gas by the close of September,” he said.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Karpowership Ghana Company Limited, Volkan Buyikbicer says it would resume power generation with Heavy Fuel Oil to the national grid by August ending, even before first gas in September.
The Karpowership would be adding 470 megawatts at full capacity and would help to reduce power generation with complete operation with gas.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
Equatorial Guinea is set to construct the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage and regasification plant in West Africa, advancing efforts to monetize gas resources through the creation of a domestic gas-to-power infrastructure.
The project will be led by local construction and engineering firm Elite Construcciones. The project forms part of Equatorial Guinea’s regional LNG2Africa initiative which seeks to drive gas monetization through in-country gas-to-power projects.
Located at the Port of Akonikien on the country’s mainland, the plant will enable the transportation and storage of LNG from the EG LNG plant at the Punta Europa Gas Complex on Bioko Island, to Akonikien on the southern border of the mainland.
It will then be fed into the regasification plant to be distributed to smaller-scale power plants and LNG power stations throughout the country, as well as exported to neighboring countries.
The Akonikien project is the first gas-to-power development in Equatorial Guinea’s LNG2Africa initiative. Launched by the Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons in 2018, the initiative seeks to facilitate the production and trade of LNG through the creation of a domestic gas-to-power infrastructure and intra-African LNG industry.
Spearheaded by local construction and engineering firm Elite Construcciones, the plant will have a storage capacity of 14,000 cubic meters with 12 bullet tanks.
The tanks are currently the largest factory-built cryogenic bullet tanks in the world with a capacity of 1,228 cubic meters and dimensions of 31 meters by 9.3 meters by 8.8 meters. Built by American manufacturer Corban Energy Group, each tank is estimated to require 12 hours to complete the 12,000-meter distance from the port to the new plant. Elite Construcciones is also installing a truck loading station and 12 kilometers of 10-inch gas and diesel pipelines.
Other major suppliers include pipe supplier PFF Group, who manufactured 12,400 meters of pipes, shipping agents D&B Shipping Ltd. who facilitated the shipment of 22 40-foot open-top containers, and Meakin Logistics UK. Elite Construcciones also worked closely with German companies Noorwerk and ESC on the design and construction of the plant.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
I have been following keenly, the various reportage on the PDS bond guarantee, and having studied the various narratives and processes led by the Government of Ghana through MiDA, the conclusion may not be that damning to PDS, as the impression created initially.
There is growing evidence to prove that the transaction went through the agreed and accepted processes which included our own Ghanaian financial entities, namely: Cal Bank Ghana Limited and Donewell Insurance Company Limited.
If anything at all, it is clear that as a country, Government of Ghana must take up the issue with these foreign entities, that is, Jo Australia and Al Koot, who for far too long, like majority of the developed countries, looked down on Africa. For example, how can Al Koot, in one breath say they do not know of any transaction, but in another breath confirm an agreement and their intention to cancel it?
How could they do that to Donewell Insurance Company Limited, PDS, and for that matter, Ghana? However, we will not be prejudicial, but will patiently await the final determination by the Government of Ghana.
In the midst of all these issues, it is very important to inform stakeholders that there has been some quick wins and successes chalked by PDS within this short period of the takeover as suggested by data intercepted from players in the power sector.
Within the last 4 months, the revenue to sales collection of PDS has hit 95.92% from a previous historical hovering region of 90%.
When it comes to system losses, PDS met a system loss level of 27.3% but has worked tirelessly to reduce it to a figure of 18.6%, as at the end of June 2019, through various technical and commercial interventions as shown below.
Currently, there is a customer growth of 0.58%, reflecting the addition of more than 20,000 new customers since PDS took over.
Furthermore, PDS inherited an accumulated debt of GHS3.365billion, which has been reduced to GHS2.6billion.
You can easily deduce from the table below that system reliability has also improved significantly. PDS has reduced the frequency of weekly outages which was in the region of 1000 outages per week when they took over, to around 300 outages per week. For example, from March to June 2018, System average interruption frequency index was 23.17hours, but within the same period of March to June 2019, the interruption frequency has been reduced to 18.43hours.
In the same vein, system average interruption duration index between March and June 2018 was 24.87hours but reduced to 17.26hours from March to June 2019. That is about 30.6% improvement as compared to the same period last year, where a customer experienced additional 8 hours of power outage.
Without further elaboration, the general productivity and efficiency of the Company has improved, even though staff strength has reduced by 0.39%. This high performance can be attributed to the introduction of electricity distribution best standards and practices like the enhancement of work ethics and systems, re-alignment, employee performance measurement, etc.
This has created a high morale among staff due to timely payment of salaries, better conditions of service and the general clarity of organizational focus and strategies.
Source: Kofi Brako
The private sector is a key solution provider to the energy challenge that faces Africa, says Chief Executive Officer of the South African Electrotechnical Council.
Addressing the South Africa-Zambia Business Seminar in Kitwe, Zambia, Chiboni Evans said that without energy, Africa will remain in the state of poverty.
The seminar was part of the Outward Trade and Investment mission to Zambia led by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
According to a statement issued by the DTI, Evans added that unless the energy deficit is addressed, Africa will continue talking about industrialisation, growing its manufacturing base, adding value to the products and beneficiation of the minerals without having the ability to do all of that.
“The African Development Bank (AfDB) has stated that in order to industrialise, Africa needs a sufficient stock of productive infrastructure. Estimates are that the continent needs investment of between $130-170 billion a year.
“Through its New Deal on Energy for Africa, the AfDB anticipates that in order for Africa to achieve universal access to electricity by 2025 we will require 160 gigawatts of new capacity, 130 million new on-grid connections and 75 million new off-grid confections. To achieve these goals, it is estimated that the investment needed will range from between $60-90 billion per year,” Evans said.
According to the DTI, Evans again made reference to the AfDB report that said in order to industrialise, Africa needs sufficient stock of productive infrastructure in power, water and transport. And the AfDB estimates that the continent’s infrastructure needs about $130 to $170 billion per year to achieve this infrastructure required for industrialisation.
“The question is how much of that investment in Africa’s infrastructure will to go back to African businesses helping to implement those infrastructure projects. We cannot continue to have other people coming to build our infrastructure and do not develop the skills and create the manufacturing base in Africa. African countries need to begin to participate in executing these contracts,” Evans said.
She added: “The solutions to these challenges lie within the Africans Working together with the Copperbelt Energy Corporation in Zambia we can assist in providing the energy solutions for this country. As directed by Trade Invest Africa, a unit of the DTI, the South African Export Councils have a renewed focus on investing in projects through the maximisation of African content in African projects.”
The Chief Commercial Officer of the Copperbelt Energy Corporation, Titus Mwambunga told the South African business representatives that the demand for energy was growing at a rate that is higher than the generation capacity. To address this challenge, he called on the business representatives to invest in the hydropower generation, interconnectors and grid integration, and renewable energy.
Source: esi-africa.com
The effect of Friday’s (16 August 2019) judgement in the North Gauteng High Court in the case brought by Dr Kelvin Kemm, Phumzile Tshelane and Pam Bosman against former minister of energy Jeff Radebe is that the appointment of the current Necsa board by the former minister in December 2018 was declared unlawful, and was set aside.
According to legal opinion at Edward Nathan Sonnenberg, Necsa now effectively has no board in place. It follows from this that, any and all decisions that the unlawfully-appointed board now makes, and has made, stand to be reviewed.
There is an urgent need for a lawfully appointed board to now be put in place by the current Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, which could be either an interim or permanent board.
The Friday court decision does not return the previous board chairman, Dr Kelvin Kemm, and board finance head, Pam Bosman, to the board. Also, the unlawfully-appointed Radebe board should have served only until the end of March 2019, which was the remaining statutory period of that board’s term of office, according to legal opinion.
A media statement pointed out that the previous board had always had confidence in Phumzile Tshelane as Group CEO and were amazed when he was suspended by Radebe.
The Radebe-appointed board then charged Tshelane with mismanagement allegations, which were a set of collective board decisions, taken by people who in the majority had no knowledge or experience of running a nuclear organisation and had no experience of working with him. The accusations included allegations that the Group CEO had held a golf day for suppliers and customers.
Selling off Necsa nuclear medicine division
Necsa is a world leader in the production of advanced nuclear medicine. Over previous years daily exports were taking place to over 60 countries, earning significant money in foreign exchange.
Necsa had become one of the few SOEs that had made an operating profit and which paid tax to SARS.
However, it had earlier been revealed in the media that former minister Radebe had secretly undertaken negotiations with an American medical company to sell a ‘substantial portion’ of a national asset, the highly profitable Necsa nuclear medicine division to them.
The former minister had admitted in court papers that he had started to assemble his new board some four months before informing the incumbent board of any of his allegations. Radebe then dissolved the board after instructing them to answer his allegations within five days, which included a weekend.
Their extensive reply was rejected by Radebe in under two hours and they were then ordered to leave office immediately. Tshelane was ordered off the Necsa property within the hour.
Nuclear medicine
Members of the previous board are impressed and supportive of Minister Gwede Mantashe’s pronouncements during his recent budget speech dealing with pressing Necsa related matters. These included the launching of the pharmaceutical company Ketlaphela to produce HIV medicine locally.
Necsa had become the only company in the southern hemisphere to have been able to successfully develop this complex medicine, which is desperately needed by South Africa. It seems that under the current board any progress with implementing HIV vaccine production has ground to a halt.
In addition, Mantashe recognised the collaboration between Mintek and the Necsa chemicals division, Pelchem, which has been able to produce critical chemicals for uses in industrially important processes such as speciality steel making and in producing critical chemicals used to manufacture high-strength magnets, such as found in cell phone speakers. These chemicals are derivatives of nuclear chemicals processing. This work had effectively been stopped by the current board.
Dr Kemm commented: “It is a great relief that the court has found that my board was guiding Necsa in a direction which is in the interests of the country and of corporate profitability
“It was extremely upsetting to have been confronted by the former minister and informed that he was conducting discussions with a foreign company with a view to selling a ‘substantial portion’ of our profitable division to them, but had not consulted me or the Group CEO.”
He continued: “I have been proud of the incredible achievements of Necsa staff who for some years have worked 24 hours a day seven days a week to export life-saving medicine daily to countries around the world”.
Bosman also commented: “While I oversaw the financial affairs of Necsa, we won an award from the Auditor General for excellence in our accounting practise and for submitting totally clean books. I was very offended when Jeff Radebe made accusations against me of unprofessional conduct and poor practise. He was wrong. The court decision has vindicated me.”
Source: esi-africa.com/energynewsafrica.com
It has brought together academicians, engineers, researchers, scientists and students from several countries including India, Uganda, Cameroon, USA, Ghana and other parts of Africa.
Power Africa conference provides forum for researchers, engineers and practitioners to present and discuss latest research findings, ideas and emerging technologies and applications in the area of power systems integrations, business models, technological advances, policies and regulatory framework for the African continent.
Opening the conference, IEEE Nigeria Section Chair Engr. Raphael Onokshakpor said: “We at IEEE and PES Nigeria Section are pleased to now formally validate our capacity and zeal to host international events of this scale in our dear nation, which is a developing country that has a lot of potential in terms of human capital and resources.
He stressed the need for the resource persons present to try and make an impact by sharing their experiences and ideas to ensure tangible results by the time the conference ends.
“The Nigerian Electricity System clearly needs solutions and interventions which can help bring the Nigerian Electricity power industry to the state where it would be capable of not only serving the country’s basic needs but also to drive industrialisation for Nigeria and also for other part of sub-Saharan Africa.”
On her part, Chair of IEEE Africa Council Prof. Gloria Chukwudebe noted that the 5th edition of IEEE power Africa conference would be unique, as there would be interesting keynote addresses, presentations by distinguished scientists and engineers on smart energy regulation and policy, smart grid designs, smart technology applications, electrical safety and industry standards, renewable energy solutions and opportunities for private sector investment.
“Access to clean energy is still a big challenge to the sub-Saharan Africa. This conference is a very good opportunity for research scientists, engineers and practitioners to deliberate on latest research findings, ideas, emerging technologies and applications that will proffer solutions for the African continent to fast track achievement of the sustainable development goals,” she said.
Meanwhile, General Chair and Co-Chair of the Organising Committee of 2019 Power Africa, Chief Tunde Y. Salihu, has said that the growing importance of this conference towards getting African nations to meet up with their counterparts worldwide is the major reason the IEEE, Industrial Application and Power and Energy Societies have continued to sponsor this conference.
He commended all the organising committee members for their commitment towards the successful organisation of the conference.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
“There have been some few problems of little delays in terms of having the first gas. Now that the Karpowership is available here, we need to quickly connect with the first gas. It is currently going to feed on heavy fuel for some short period, but the quicker you are able to supply it with gas, the better it would be for us. The pipelines for the gas has been completed, the transmission lines are in place, but at the OTS, there are certain things that need to be done where the gas would have to be retreated in terms of heating and bringing the pressure down.
“So all these would be investigated to know exactly where the cause is coming from. You realise that it has to do with just the access. Ghana Gas is of the view that certain things must be done before they can take possession, but we think that this is not the final completion but a practical completion, which gives allowance for deferred liability period.
“So during those different liability periods, any differed liability that occurs can be corrected so they (Ghana Gas) can go ahead and then take over at that period while other issues are dealt with. So these are the issues were are looking at,” he added.
The General Manager of Amandi, David-Ben Ayun, who is supervising the construction of the Onshore Terminal Station and the gas pipeline, said they are committed to the schedule.
“We are putting effort, even though, we have a lot of delays from third parties not from our side. We are expected to give first gas by the close of September,” he said.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Karpowership Ghana Company Limited, Volkan Buyikbicer says it would resume power generation with Heavy Fuel Oil to the national grid by August ending, even before first gas in September.
The Karpowership would be adding 470 megawatts at full capacity and would help to reduce power generation with complete operation with gas.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com 
Currently, there is a customer growth of 0.58%, reflecting the addition of more than 20,000 new customers since PDS took over.
Furthermore, PDS inherited an accumulated debt of GHS3.365billion, which has been reduced to GHS2.6billion.
You can easily deduce from the table below that system reliability has also improved significantly. PDS has reduced the frequency of weekly outages which was in the region of 1000 outages per week when they took over, to around 300 outages per week. For example, from March to June 2018, System average interruption frequency index was 23.17hours, but within the same period of March to June 2019, the interruption frequency has been reduced to 18.43hours.
In the same vein, system average interruption duration index between March and June 2018 was 24.87hours but reduced to 17.26hours from March to June 2019. That is about 30.6% improvement as compared to the same period last year, where a customer experienced additional 8 hours of power outage.
Without further elaboration, the general productivity and efficiency of the Company has improved, even though staff strength has reduced by 0.39%. This high performance can be attributed to the introduction of electricity distribution best standards and practices like the enhancement of work ethics and systems, re-alignment, employee performance measurement, etc.
This has created a high morale among staff due to timely payment of salaries, better conditions of service and the general clarity of organizational focus and strategies.
Source: Kofi Brako
