Page 10 - AfrElec Week 47 2020

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

POLICY Kenya with Uganda and Rwanda to follow. In gas project transforming
the coming year, the service will be expanded
Satellite imagery aids to forecast the consumption of small and Nigeria’s energy landscape
medium enterprises. Coverage for all of Africa
African power forecasting is anticipated by late 2021. The Imo State Governor, His Excellency
The launch of e-GUIDE’s new service,
Senator Hope Uzodinma, on Thursday,
The Electricity Consumption Prediction which is funded by a grant from The November 11, led by a team of Seplat
service for Africa has been launched by the Rockefeller Foundation, comes as Joseph executives, went on a tour of the ANOH gas
e-GUIDE Initiative. The service, which will Nganga joins the Foundation as Executive plant facility sited at Asaa, Ohaji/Egbema in
be freely available, provides estimates of Director for Smart Power Africa. As Executive Imo state. ANOH Gas Processing Company
future electricity consumption at high spatial Director, Joseph will lead efforts to scale (AGPC) is building the $700mn ANOH
resolution, and combines satellite imagery up transformative distributed renewable gas plant. AGPC is an incorporated joint
with historic and big data sources. electrification projects across the continent. venture owned 50:50 by Seplat Petroleum
The service improves the planning and “Electricity is essential for a modern Development Co. and Nigerian Gas Co.
provision of electricity towards ending energy economy and services including healthcare (NGC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
poverty, helping to direct investments and and education, and for communities’ Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC).
scale projects that support the economic resilience and ability to adapt to crises The Seplat team comprising the Chairman,
recovery of communities devastated by the including Covid-19. But hundreds of millions Dr ABC Orjiako; Chief Executive Officer,
Covid-19 pandemic. The e-GUIDE Initiative of people in sub-Saharan Africa still lack this Roger Brown and other executives were on a
is a collaboration between The Rockefeller essential tool,” said Nganga. courtesy call to the Governor and later took
Foundation, UMass Amherst, Columbia “The impact of the pandemic, particularly the Governor to the multi-million-dollar gas
University, Carnegie Mellon University, on vulnerable households, should serves plant facility.
the Rochester Institute of Technology, and as a prompt for us to redouble our efforts Brown, the Seplat Chief Executive Officer
Colorado School of Mines. to achieve universal electricity access in an in his speech, elaborated the numerous
The service addresses the challenges faced equitable and sustainable way. The Electricity benefits of the ANOH gas plant to the
by utilities, regulators, system planners, off- Consumption Prediction service is a immediate communities, the State and the
grid companies, and researchers in adequately transformative and vital tool that will help country. He affirmed that the ANOH gas plant
matching supply and demand and identifying direct investments to solve this profound when completed would be a significant source
the most appropriate technology solutions for challenge.” of development providing gas to support the
investment. Samson Ondiek, Personal Assistant to the provision of the muchneeded supply of power
By combining datasets and applying Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Power, to millions of homes and businesses across
machine learning techniques, the service will said “Bringing affordable and reliable power Nigeria to facilitate better standard of living
create a comprehensive picture of expected to Kenyans in a sustainable way is core to our and drive economic growth.
demand for every region across Africa for the work. By partnering closely with the e-GUIDE He reassured the Governor that the
first time. In countries with limited historic Initiative we have a unique opportunity to existence of the gas plant in the State would
consumption data, the service will extrapolate gain new insights from our data that will in addition to the provision of power,
insights based on consumer profiles in similar underpin our investment strategy going generate different levels of employment;
environments, allowing learnings to flow forward.” drive the development and engagement of
across borders. local contractors; facilitate skills transfer
Development of the service, which has and development especially for the youth
been led by Simone Fobi, a PhD student population; amongst other benefits.
at Columbia University, and pursued in GAS-FIRED GENERATION The Seplat Chairman reiterated that the
collaboration with utilities and off-grid $700mn gas project aimed at producing
electricity providers, will initially provide Seplat and NNPC see ANOH around 300mn cubic feet (8.5mn cubic
intelligence on residential consumption in metres) per day reinforced Seplat’s
commitment towards its leading position
in the energy transition to a cleaner source
of energy while providing sustainable
development of its host communities.
He remarked that the ANOH gas project
would, amongst other things, drive the
growth of LPG as an alternative to unclean
fuels like firewood, charcoal, kerosene. He
confirmed that the company is targeting
the fourth quarter of 2021 for ANOH’s first
gas and assured the government and people
of Imo State of its timely completion and
commission.
SEPLAT PETROLEUM

ESKOM

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 47 26•November•2020