Continued from https://www.nairaland.com/1224347/only-naija/2

Brace Up For More Fuel Shortages - MP

Robert N.D. Mosore
THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Talensi and Deputy Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Mines, Robert N.D. Mosore, has urged Ghanaians to brace themselves up for more fuel shortages as a result of lack of concrete policy direction on energy by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to the Deputy Ranking Member, since the NDC had failed to take advantage of the downstream petroleum processes resulting from exploration of Ghana's oil, and rather chosen to rely heavily on the importation of finished products through the Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) in smaller quantities, fuel shortages would continue to live with Ghanaians.

'After Ghana had found oil in commercial quantities, the NPP government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to build an additional refinery at TOR with capacity of 150,000 barrels per stream day which was meant to cater for the domestic needs of the country and export to the West African market,' he recalled, stressing that when the NDC won power in 2008 it completely abandoned that good initiative.

The MP, who was speaking exclusively with DAILY GUIDE in Parliament on the current fuel shortage facing the nation, said the NDC government, upon assuming power, shelved that pragmatic move and adopted a different government policy which result Ghanaians are seeing today.

'If the government had decided to refine Ghana's crude oil, we could have gotten gasoline, gas oil, kerosene, dirty oil as well as bottom products which could be used to manufacture fertilizer and bitumen,' he said, pointing out that government's approach to the energy sector was a total misplacement of priorities and policy direction of petroleum and energy issues.

He said the only solution to the constant fuel shortages was for the government to support TOR to revamp its processing plants so as to start producing at its maximum capacity.

Talking about subsidies on petroleum products, Mr. Mosore said categorically that there is no government subsidy on petroleum products such as petrol, gas oil and liquified petroleum gas, except pre-mix fuel; and challenged the government to publish petroleum products which are subsidized for the public to know.

The issue of severe shortage of fuel was raised in Parliament yesterday by the NPP MP for Asene/Akroso/Manso, Yaw Owusu-Boateng, who rose on a 'point of order' told the Speaker that the fuel shortage in the country had brought more hardships to the people and as their representatives, the Speaker must allow them (MPs) talk about it.

The Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, said the issue raised by the MP was a very important one but he (MP) was not using the right channel to raise the issue on the floor for proper debate.

'Hon Member, this issue has not been raised in a statement by any Member for me to decline,' Doe Adjaho said, adding that Owusu- Boateng's intervention on the fuel situation was not consistent with the rules of the House and that the rules must be followed.

http://www.modernghana.com/news/552272/1/brace-up-for-more-fuel-shortages-mp.html

Ghana buys electricity from Ivory Coast to keep TVs running during World Cup

To ensure the broadcasting of World Cup won't be disrupted, Ghana has purchased 50 megawatts of electricity from its neighbor, Ivory Coast, according to a news release by Ghana's Public Utilities Regulatory Commission.

The commission is also appealing to the public to reserve energy by turning off power-consuming appliances such as freezers and air conditioners.

Due to low water levels at hydroelectric dams on the Volta River, which produces most of the country's electricity, Ghana has suffered power shortages this year.

Ghana's current total installed generating capacity needs to be increased to 5,175 megawatts by 2023 to address the current power shortages and ensure an adequate supply of electricity, according to the Volta River Authority.

http://www.modernghana.com/news/549430/1/ghana-buys-electricity-from-ivory-coast-to-keep-tv.html

NPA to meet over possible fuel price increase


Public Relations Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has given indication officials of the petroleum industry regulator will meet this weekend to decide whether to increase the prices of fuel or maintain it.

There are speculations that Tuesday July 1, 2014, will see fuel prices go up by about 20% to enable oil distribution and marketing companies to recover the cost in procuring crude oil into the country as the fall in the value of the cedi against the US dollar has increased the cost crude oil import.

However, according to a B&FT report, NPA Public Relations Officer, Yaro Kasambata, said on Friday the Authority is still uncertain about whether prices of fuel will go up or be maintained next week.

He, however, hinted that a hike in fuel prices as is being speculated cannot be ruled out.

“Those who have speculated this thing [20% fuel price increase by July 1, 2014] are reading the market and examining the petroleum products prices that have been published. They may not be wrong that based on these figures and factors, prices of petroleum products could go up by this margin or that. This is simple arithmetic and anybody without the NPAs approval can predict fairly the margin that must be increased", the B&FT quoted Kasambata in a report.

According to the NPA Spokesperson, NPA officials are "still collating figures and we will meet over the weekend. We will look at the overall effect of what we have and that will be the decider that on June 30th or July 1, prices should go up or stay flat."

Yaro Kasambata says the meeting by NPA officials for a possible upward review of fuel prices has come about because some fuel stations in the country were hoarding the product in anticipation of a price increase.

"Where such cases exist, the police have assured that they will intervene and order the filling stations to sell to the public,” he said.

Currently, Premium sells at GH¢2.73 per liter at the pumps while Diesel is sold at GH¢2.65 per litre.

Kerosene is also traded at GH¢2.61 a litre and GH¢2.87 a kilogramme for LPG. Gas Oil and premix fuel have been pegged at GH¢2.7 and GH¢1.25 a litre respectively.

[b]Since the year began, prices of petroleum products have been adjusted upwards three times, which sums up to about 16 percent as a result of a fall in the cedis despite the strong intervention by the Central Bank in February.

The NPA, which adjusts prices fortnightly, has forecasted a weaker cedi in the next couple of months, implying more pain in store for consumers-- who are also struggling with energy supply rationing.

Currently, business activities have virtually ground to a halt as acute fuel shortage has hit most parts of the country following government’s failure to pay bulk oil distribution companies (BDCs) several billions of dollars being subsidies on petroleum products since 2011.

BDCs have warned that government’s failure to pay up about US$1.5billion -- a figure the Finance Ministry has disputed and pegged it around GH?300million -- could result in stocks that could last for about three days as their inability to raise letters of credits from the banks to pay suppliers could cut supplies[/b]

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=314720

Come 2016 throw NDC out of power!

Kevin names Cash Cows

Ghana Black Star and Schalke 04's attacker Kevin Prince Boateng who had a bust up with Coach James Kwesi Appiah whilst on international duty in Brazil has gone viral with his 'Letter to the GFA Pt 1'.

Kevin was sacked from the Black Stars camp with his friend Sulley Ali Muntari for gross insubordination.

But according to the German born Ghanaian, there's more to the story than what the GFA has officially put out saying that the Association is been manned by corrupt officials who would like to use the players as their cash cows to milk the nation.

The player said the team is divided into factions and he's very glad to belonging to the Black Stars Anti Corrupt Squad: Kevin Prince Boateng, Sulley Ali Muntari, Michael Essien, Adam Kwarasey, Andre and Jordan Ayew.


The lines below explains how the player explained his side of the story; Kelvin: There are a lot of issues revolving this team which Ghanaians don't know so they say what they feel like.

They are all corrupt and they always want to make money from us without working for it.

I know I may not be called into the team again but I'm highly elated that I belong to anti corrupt group in the team ( Sulley, Dede Ayew, Jordan Ayew ,Kwarasey, Kwadwo Asamoah, Essien n myself)

It is very insane for John boye n Gyan to tell the Manager to drop Kwarasey for Dauda just 45min before the match, all because he can't speak the local language to command the central defence.

I'm very disappointed in the manager and the entire staff. What is the use of so many GFA officials here.

We are very sorry to Ghanaians for what happened but we were pissed, for they were using us as their "cash cow" to dupe the nation.


How can players dictate to the manager. So I asked, what is the role of the so-called technical bench?

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=314844

[size=18pt]Eskom’s loan shedding hurting the working class most![/size]

26 December 2014, 14:57

Ordinary people are more adversely affected by load-shedding. It is affecting jobs and livelihoods and is sinking our economy.
Since 2008, South Africa has been experiencing challenges with the regular disruptions to its electricity supply. These challenges are a consequence of, among others, the rapid and unprecedented connection of millions of South Africans who were excluded from the electricity grid.

When South Africa celebrated 20 years of democracy this year, our country also marked the historic milestone of more than 11 million households having access to electricity, which is double the number from 1994.

Although the broadening of access should be celebrated, it has not been without the share of problems. This wide-scale roll out was carried out without the necessary concomitant investment being made to expand the country’s generating capacity and to ensure energy security in the immediate future.

Ageing infrastructure and the numerous delays in the completion of the building of additional power stations have compounded the problem.

As citizens, we are very concerned about the effect of the current and ongoing load-shedding programme undertaken by Eskom.

While we understand that load-shedding may be a necessity as a means of conserving energy, as per the explanation provided by Eskom, we urge power utility to communicate these schedules better.

This will minimize the inconvenience and inevitable disruptions to businesses and households alike.

I hear many analysts say that only 17% of our electricity goes to residential consumers. This is wrong. These are the residential consumers who get their electricity direct from Eskom only. If we add those who get their electricity from Municipalities, the figure grows to 48%.

It is indeed tragic that Eskom squandered an opportunity in the post apartheid era.

The parastatal has failed to implement labour centric, community controlled, municipal-empowering renewable energy projects.

Big business takes up about 50% of Eskom’s power but this hasn’t limited the adverse effect of load-shedding to them. Load-shedding is for all.
It would really be helpful if there was good communication between the government, Eskom and affected stakeholders.

We need good quality leadership from Eskom and government. They need to tell us if we are in a crisis so that we can make contingency, like buying generators, and putting up solar panels.

Government must also move quickly to get alternative energy generation like wind and solar, not Russian nuclear power/

Small business is reeling because of load-shedding.

[b]One of the negative consequences of this load-shedding, especially for the workers, is that industries, heavily reliant on electricity for production, are already contemplating cutting down the cost of production through retrenchments.
This will be a direct assault on the workers, amidst the triple crisis of poverty, unemployment and inequality faced by the working class and the poor.

These sections of society are hardest hit by this load-shedding and they are switching from electricity to dirty household energy such as wood, coal and paraffin – while the comfortable rich and middle class are only beginning the feel the pinch.

We call on government to take responsibility for the crisis and to fix it, as their misguided decisions are haunting us right now. The working class cannot afford to be permanently in the dark.

The politicians must stop promising people in rural areas and townships free electricity, water and free education during elections.

[/b]We need bold leaders in all state owned entities, and Eskom is no exception.

http://www.news24.com/MyNews24/Eskoms-loan-shedding-hurting-the-working-class-most-20141226

[size=18pt]ESKOM: LOAD SHEDDING WILL BE ONGOING PROBLEM WITHOUT BAILOUT[/size]

Eskom says it will run out of money to buy diesel by the middle of next month.

JOHANNESBURG - Eskom has warned that without additional funding to buy diesel, load shedding will be continuous and ongoing because the utility won't be able to operate its open gas turbines.

The utility says the power grid remains vulnerable and any technical issues or generator problems may force it to implement rolling blackouts at a moment’s notice.

Eskom has experienced major supply problems since last year when a coal silo collapsed at the Majuba Power Station in Mpumalanga which reduced supply by about 1,800 megawatts.

Stage one load shedding was implemented on Friday for the first time this year when generators suddenly broke down, forcing the power giant to cut electricity without notice.


Eskom says it will run out of money to buy diesel by the middle of next month and it’s waiting for feedback from government on whether it will receive funds to keep the lights on.

The utility has been running open gas turbines extensively in the last few months to keep up with electricity demands but at the same time spending billions of rands to buy diesel to operate them.

Eskom’s Andrew Etzinger says by February, the parastatal will simply not have the money.

“If we are not able to secure the additional funding, it would mean quite a big risk of load shedding on an ongoing basis.”

A government meeting on the power supply issues and how to help Eskom will take place soon.

[b]At the same time, energy experts and economists have warned a government bailout will not help Eskom in the long-term to deal with the electricity crisis.

The parastatal said it's expecting about R20 billion from government to help it continue buying diesel.

Energy expert Chris Yelland says Eskom needs to look at the fundamental business problems.

“Throwing money at this is not the solution. It will become like a black hole if you don’t address the underlying issues it simply means that in a period of time they will need more money.”

Economist Iraj Abedian says a coherent national energy policy is needed.

“The government has failed to come up with a credible and sustainable national energy policy and therefore it has placed extraordinary pressures on Eskom.”

On Monday, Eskom's financial woes remained firmly in the spotlight but there's no indication as to how or when government will assist.

Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene reportedly read the riot act to Eskom bosses, saying they must sort out their problems which are affecting the economy.
[/b]
It is understood government will “play its part” but Nene warns that day-to-day operations are the utility's responsibility.

Eskom spokesperson Andrew Etzinger says they are waiting for feedback from government on how they'll buy diesel when funds run out.

“The critical issues are being dealt with and at the right time, government will make an announcement.”

Eskom says while the power grid is stable, load shedding remains a risk this week.

It warned South Africans must be prepared for load shedding at all times.

The company, which supplies 95 percent of South Africa’s power supply, said the grid can change at any time.

Eskom has also been battling with ageing infrastructure and limited generating capacity.

POWER CUTS AFFECTING SEIFSA

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (Seifsa) says the manufacturing industry contracted by 2.5 percent last year as a result of power cuts by Eskom.

Seifsa says the disrupted power supply led to a contraction of between five and 13 percent in the rubber, structured steel and general purpose machinery sub industries.

Last year, the metals industry was hit by a five month long strike in the platinum sector and a further month long strike by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) before load shedding started in November.

Seifsa's members represent about 34 percent of the manufacturing sector and its chief economist says the power cuts are stifling growth.

http://ewn.co.za/2015/01/13/Eskom-Load-shedding-an-ongoing-problem-without-govt-bailout

South Africa’s electricity crisis Unplugged


Rolling power cuts are fraying tempers
Jan 3rd 2015 | JOHANNESBURG | From the print edition


THE people of South Africa are learning to live in the dark. Their beleaguered power utility, Eskom, is unable to meet electricity demand and in November reintroduced a tortuous schedule of rolling blackouts known as “load shedding”. South Africans now check electricity reports that read like weather forecasts: “There is a medium probability of load shedding today and tomorrow, with a higher probability on Thursday and Friday,” said a recent Eskom tweet.

Newspapers print survival tips and “load shedder recipes” for food you can prepare without electricity. And there are bleak jokes aplenty. “Q: What did South Africa use before candles? A: Electricity.”


The power cuts are hurting an already stagnant economy, estimated to have expanded by just 1.4% in 2014. Both big industry and small businesses are feeling the pinch. Meanwhile Eskom has warned that the blackouts could drag on for months, perhaps even years, as it struggles with a maintenance backlog and a barrage of technical problems at its ageing power stations. There are delays in bringing new capacity online, particularly at Medupi, a heralded new coal-fired plant whose completion has been endlessly postponed.

In this section
After the passing
Unplugged
Death of a general
Don’t be ageist
Reprints
Related topics
Jacob Zuma
South Africa
Eskom Holdings
South Africa has been here before. In 2008 it suffered a rash of blackouts that cost the country billions of rand. Little has changed. There are increasingly loud calls from economists, business councils and opposition politicians for Eskom to be privatised, or at least for independent companies to be allowed to sell more power to the grid. Such a move would probably be opposed fiercely by South Africa’s powerful labour unions, which have long fought any steps toward privatisation.

Eskom is not the only state-run firm in trouble. South Africa’s government recently announced that it would take direct control of two other ailing state companies: debt-riddled South African Airways and the strike-racked postal service. All three will be overseen by Cyril Ramaphosa, the country’s vice-president, a former trade-union leader turned business mogul, who returned full-time to politics ahead of the general election in April 2014. Mr Ramaphosa has become a troubleshooter for some of the government’s thorniest problems. His involvement in Eskom has been widely welcomed.

President Jacob Zuma has blamed apartheid as the root cause of South Africa’s electricity woes, noting that the system was built to funnel power to white homes. “The problem is that energy was structured racially to serve a particular race, not the majority,” he told delegates at a recent Young Communist League congress in Cape Town. In the past two post-apartheid decades, the government led by the African National Congress has indeed made great strides in bringing power to the rest of the country. Mr Zuma says 11m households now have electricity, twice as many as in 1994. But this is cold comfort for a country now united in darkness. Eskom’s woes—crumbling old power stations, delays in the building of new plant—were widely predicted, for example in a white paper written for the government in 1998. Few South Africans think Mr Zuma’s explanations shed light on the subject.

http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21637396-rolling-power-cuts-are-fraying-tempers-unplugged

Had enough of load-shedding? Time to invest in a generator
SOUTH AFRICAThursday 11 December 2014 - 12:11pm


CAPE TOWN - With no end in sight to the power cuts, many South Africans are turning to other sources to solve their energy woes.

One of the simplest is a generator.

With more power blackouts on the cards due to Eskom’s load-shedding, eNCA decided to visit a local retailer to find out more about using generators as an alternative power source.


http://www.enca.com/south-africa/enough-load-shedding-invest-generator