Power Sector News And Other Related Stories For Friday 8th July 2022.
FCCPC to Sanction DisCos Over Failure to Resolve Customers’ Complaints
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) will henceforth sanction Distribution Companies (DisCos) and other offenders who fail to comply with extant rules and regulations in the electricity industry.
Executive vice chairman of the Commission, Babatunde Irukera, made this known at the Electricity Consumer Complaint Resolution Platform organised by FCCPC yesterday, in Nasarawa state.
Irukera, represented by the executive commissioner, Operations of the Commission, Adamu Abdullahi, said that non-compliance of DisCos with the regulations of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is a bane in the industry.
Irukera said that non-adherence to NERC’s standards of performance, orders and codes by DisCos was also a problem in the sector.
He said that electricity related issues ranging from poor service delivery in the industry was the highest category of consumer complaints received by the Commission.
https://leadership.ng/fccpc-to-sanction-discos-over-failure-to-resolve-customers-complaints/
EKEDC Restates Compliance with Corporate Governance Practices
Dr Tinuade Sanda, Managing Director, Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), restated the company’s compliance with the corporate governance principles and practices in its operations as mandated by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Sanda made the statement at the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria 2022 new members induction ceremony in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event has the theme: “A critical assessment of corporate governance and industry standards in the power sector” in Lagos.
Sanda said the main benefits of corporate governance were to eliminate the risk of misleading financial reporting and corporate scandals.
She stated that the five main pillars of corporate governance which would engender the sustainability of any organisation were independence, accountability, transparency, fairness and responsibility.
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/ekedc-restates-compliance-with-corporate-governance-practices/
EEDC Board Appoints Mupwaya as New DMD
The Board of Directors of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has appointed Dr Ernest Mupwaya as the new Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of the company.
The Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr Emeka Ezeh, said in a statement on Thursday in Enugu that the appointment took effect on June 25, 2022.
Ezeh recalled that in April, 2022, Mupwaya joined EEDC as an Executive Director in-charge of Technical and Operations, as part of the organization’s efforts towards the actualisation of its Sustainability and Transformation Programme.
“His wealth of experience will no doubt bring about positive change in the company’s commercial and technical functions, thereby resulting in enhanced overall performance, for sustainable growth.
“With over 30 years of experience garnered in the electricity industry, Mupwaya has occupied very senior positions, part of which was as the Managing Director, ZESCO, Zambia; Commercial Director, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), where he was later elevated to the position of Managing.
https://nnn.ng/eedc-board-appoints-mupwaya/
BPE Pre-Qualifies 16 Firms for Privatisation of Five Power Assets
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has pre-qualified 16 firms for the privatisation of five National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) in the country.
The BPE Director General, Mr. Alex Okoh, who announced this in Abuja at the Investor Pre-bid Conference for the privatisation of the five plants, listed them as Geregu, Omotosho, Olorunsogo, Calabar and Benin-Ihovbor, also gave the names of the 16 pre-qualified bidding firms.
The pre-qualified bidders include Mota-Engil Nig, Amperion Power, Sifax Energy, Pacific Energy Company Ltd., and Globeleq Africa Limited.
Others are Geoplex Drillteq Limited, Asfalizo Acquisition Ltd, Launderhill PJB, Lauderhill Tata, Unicorn Power Genco Ltd, Connaught Energy Services Ltd, ENL Consortium Ltd, Ardova Plc, Central Electric and Utilities Ltd, North South Power Consortium and Quantum Megawatt Consortium.
Energy Crisis: NLNG, NGA, Others Lament Oil Theft, Illegal Refining
THE Managing Director/CEO, Nigeria LNG Limited, Dr. Philip Mshelbila and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria LNG, have cautioned against pipeline vandalism, oil theft, illegal refining and illegal bunkering as energy crisis worsens in Nigeria.
Speaking as a panelist at the ongoing Nigeria Oil and Gas, NOG, Local Content Conference 2022, in Abuja, Mshelbila said: “We have people who are participating in this activity, masquerading as though this is a community problem, and pretending to be immature modular refineries. That is not the case, this is criminality and it needs to be dealt with as such.”
The NLNG boss, who described these vices as major challenges facing the oil and gas industry, said: “This problem is gradually strangling our industry, and if we don’t fix it, it is the parasite that is going to kill its host.”
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2022/07/energy-crisis-nlng-nga-others-lament-oil-theft-illegal-refining/
16 Firms Prequalify for Five Power Plants Privatisation
Sixteen firms have been pre-qualified for the privatisation of five National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) in the country, Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh, has announced.
In a statement by Ibeh Uzoma Chidi, BPE’s Head, Public Communications, Okoh announced this at the Investor Pre-Bid Conference for the privatisation of the five NIPP plants namely: Geregu, Omotosho, Olorunsogo, Calabar and Benin-Ihovbor which held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Tuesday, July 5, 2022.
He listed the16 pre-qualified bidders as: Mota-Engil Nig, Amperion Power, Sifax Energy, Pacific Energy Company Ltd and Globeleq Africa Limited.
The others are: Geoplex Drillteq Limited, Asfalizo Acquisition Ltd, Launderhill PJB, Lauderhill Tata, Unicorn Power Genco Ltd, Connaught Energy Services Ltd, ENL Consortium Ltd, Ardova Plc, Central Electric and Utilities Ltd, North South Power Consortium and Quantum Megawatt Consortium.
Earlier, Okoh noted that the power sector remains a viable investment in the country given the low per-capita megawatts recording Nigeria.
https://independent.ng/16-firms-prequalify-for-five-power-plants-privatisation/
Improved Version of SEA4ALL Would Enhance Electrification
The Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has said that the improved version 3.0 SEA4ALL platform will provide access to digital insights and data that would enhance the electrification plan in Nigeria.
Aliyu said this at the launch of the Improved version of the Nigeria SE4ALL platform that serves as a hub for data-driven electrification planning and insights, held in Abuja.
“Access to digital, ground truth data is key to increase the electrification rate in Nigeria. That is why the ministry under the umbrella of the nationwide Nigeria Sustainable Energy for All SEA4ALL initiative developed this platform which will serve as the go-to platform for data driven electrification planning to achieve Nigeria’s version 30:30:30, he said.
Ms Inga Stefanowicz, Head of Green and Digital Economy at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, speaking at the event, said the delegation was delighted about the new version of Nigeria SE4ALL platform.
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/improved-version-of-sea4all-would-enhance-electrification-fg/
Minigrid Development Crucial to Eradicating Africa’s Energy Poverty, Says Report
Minigrid connections almost doubled from 40,700 in 2019 to more than 78,000 in 2021, although an industry which has proved resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic still needs greater support from investors, according to a report from the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA).
Electricity providers will need to triple access rates and connect 85m Africans every year if they are to eradicate energy poverty on the continent by 2030, and minigrids are an essential part of the solution, says the report.
More than 500,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa currently draw their power from minigrids, providing much-needed electricity to communities excluded from national power grids. But the second edition of AMDA’s flagship Benchmarking Minigrids Report expresses concerns that the sector is struggling to scale up as labyrinthine restrictions and tentative investors hold back small-scale renewable energy projects and preclude rural communities from accessing the full benefits of localized power grids.
South Africans Struggle with Rolling Blackouts
JOHANNESBURG: Unable to switch on lights or heaters, cook dinner or charge their phones, South Africans are spending their mid-winter evenings plunged in darkness and low-tech living.
Power outages, known here as load shedding, intensified late last month after strikes erupted at the nation’s monopoly energy provider Eskom, leaving coal plants unable to operate or undergo maintenance.
Electricity cuts in South Africa are a notorious, years-old problem.
But the frequency of power losses – two to three times per day and lasting up to four hours at a time – is the worst since a bleak episode in December 2019, and many people are livid.
“It’s like we’re back to apartheid life, whereby we’re back to candles, paraffin stoves,” said Rebecca Bheki-Mogotho, a Johannesburg city employee.
Her comparison was with life under South Africa’s former segrationist regime, which deprived the black majority of basic infrastructure and services.
The leading economy on the continent, South Africa relies on coal to generate more than 80 per cent of its electricity.
Solidarity to Get Involved In Generation, Selling of Electricity in SA
Solidarity will actively get involved in the generation and selling of electricity in the country.
The trade union on Thursday morning shared its research on Eskom’s 15-year-long electricity struggles. The union has presented plans on how the country’s energy crisis can be remedied.
The Solidarity Research Institute’s report also provides a forecast of what South Africa could expect by 2035 in light of government’s energy plan.
The trade union has highlighted the crippling effect load shedding has on the economy. It also pointed out that job creation prospects in the country are bleak.
Solidarity has asked property investment company Canton, of which it is a majority shareholder, to apply for a power generation permit at the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.
https://ewn.co.za/2022/07/07/solidarity-to-get-involved-in-generation-selling-of-electricity-in-sa
Climate Change is Whipping Our Public Infrastructure
In 2020, when rain was plentiful, floating vegetation drifted to the Nalubaale Dam, choking it, leaving the nation enveloped in darkness for days
Extreme weather is lashing public infrastructure – especially power structures – hard, thus utilities must adjust aptly.
Circa 2005, a prolonged dry spell and increased precipitation reduced Lake Victoria’s waterline, limiting the volume of water that could be used to generate hydroelectricity.
Consequently, power utilities rationed supply to users, the government engaged independent power producers whereas many business and home owners had to invest in generators.
In 2020, when rain was plentiful, floating vegetation drifted to the Nalubaale Dam, choking it, leaving the nation enveloped in darkness for days.
In the same year, a power line skirting the Wakawaka shoreline of Lake Victoria in Bulidha Sub-County, Bugiri District, Eastern Uganda was submerged.
Electric Vs Petrol Costs from Johannesburg to Cape Town — It’s Not Even Close Anymore
With South Africa’s fuel prices hitting record levels, recharging the country’s highest-range electric vehicle now costs half as much as filling up a comparable petrol-driven car.
That is according to a comparison of the running costs of the electric BMW iX xDrive 50 and petrol-powered BMW X5 M50i on a trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town in July 2022.
MyBroadband performed a similar comparison in January 2022, in which the electric vehicle’s trip came out as the more affordable option.
At that point, the inland price for a litre of unleaded 95 petrol was R19.61, and the coastal price was R18.89. These have since surged to R26.74 inland and R25.99 on the coast.
While South Africa still only has a meagre number of charging stations compared to fuel stations, GridCars has rolled out several charging points along the N1 to allow electric vehicle (EV) owners to get from Gauteng to Cape Town without getting range anxiety.
Elsewedy to Provide $150m Credit for RE Development in Egypt
Elsewedy Electric, an Egypt’s-based developer, is set to provide a $150 million credit line to accelerate renewable energy in Africa. Three financial institutions are collaborating to provide this loan. They are the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector financing arm, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Europe Arab Bank.
With this loan, Elsewedy Electric plans to strengthen its investment in Africa’s renewable energy. In addition to clean energy, the Egyptian flagship invests in several areas, including wire and cable, electrical products, engineering and construction, infrastructure and digital solutions. The company also plans to leverage its recent credit to improve the energy efficiency of its existing production facilities. Elsewedy also wants to build and acquire new plants worldwide, “as needed,” IFC says.
“As Egypt prepares to host COP27 later this year, the partnership between IFC and Elsewedy is another step toward expanding affordable renewable energy for consumers in Africa,” says Sérgio Pimenta, IFC’s vice president for Africa.
https://theelectricityhub.com/elsewedy-to-provide-150m-credit-for-re-development-in-egypt/
