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Sudan rations fuel in response to shortages
SUDAN
SUDAN’S transitional government responded to burgeoning shortages of refined fuels by introducing a rationing regime on February 10. According to press reports, authorities in Khar- toum are now limiting motorists to buying four gallons (18.2 litres) of diesel or gasoline per vehi- cle every two days.
Energy Minister Adel Ibrahim told reporters on February 10 that he expected conditions to improve soon. “Supplies are continuing. There is no need to panic,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Ibrahim did not say, though, when the short- ages might be resolved. Sudanese authorities have attributed the problem to a break in a pipe- line that supplies oil to one of the country’s three refineries. They have claimed that repair work is under way but have not said exactly when the pipe might resume operations.
The fuel shortages have wreaked havoc on Sudan’s economy and exacerbated popular dis- content with the transitional government. Reu- ters reported on February 11 that drivers hoping to buy fuel from retail filling stations had formed queues that stretched for several miles. It also said that taxi drivers in Khartoum had increased
their rates to make up for their difficulties in securing fuel.
The transitional regime’s options are limited. For financial and logistical reasons, it cannot import enough gasoline and diesel to make up for the drop in domestic supplies. More specif- ically, its foreign currency reserves are low, and the country’s road and port facilities are not equipped to handle large volumes of imported fuel.
Meanwhile, the transitional government must also contend with the previous regime’s policy of subsidising fuel prices. Sudan currently caps prices at below-market levels, with gasoline costing about $0.12 per litre and diesel around $0.08 per litre. Officials in Khartoum said earlier this year that they wanted to phase the subsidies out slowly, over a period of 18 months beginning in March, and replace them with direct payments in cash to impoverished citizens.
The shift would benefit the government, which currently devotes about 36% of its budget to fuel price supports, but it could trigger unrest and street protests. As such, Khartoum has yet to secure approval for its plans.™
SOLAR
Ghana begins construction of 17MW of grid-connected solar
GHANA
GHANA’S Volta River Authority (VRA) has bro- ken ground for 17MW of solar capacity at two sites in the Upper West Region of the country.
The 4-MW and 13-MW solar plants in Kaleo district, to be built at a cost of €22.8nb ($24.9mn), which is being entirely funded by finance from Germany’s KfW, should be built by the end of 2020, Ghanaian President Nana Aku- fo-Addo said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Kaleo’s power plant will also become the first grid-connected solar station in the Upper West Ghana Region and will contribute to its develop- ment,” said Akufo-Addo.
The two sites are being built by Spain’s Elec- nor, while the project consultant is Belgium’s Tractebel. They will support pumped storage operations at the nearby Akosombo dam.
“The project is a perfect complement to the Akosombo dam. During the day, the solar power plant would be used to generate electricity, which would enable the dam to be filled so that it can be used at night when we cannot rely on solar power,” explained Ghana’s Minister of Energy, John Peter Amewu.
The 1,020-MW Akosombo Dam, set to be one of the largest in West Africa, is being built in the Akosombo Gorge on the Volta River.
The two solar projects are phase one of the VRA’s renewable energy development pro- gramme, which was launched in 2010.
As well as 17MW of solar, the VRA aims to build 150MW of wind capacity, as well as small hydropower plants (HPPs). The VRA also oper- ates coal-fired power stations.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Ministry of Energy has issued a consultancy tender to scale up the coun- try’s renewable energy programme and widen its scope. The consultants will define, among other things, a programme to support the develop- ment of mini-grids, off-grid solar facilities and a national net metering scheme for PV.
The government’s energy strategy has called for Ghana to have 2.5 GW of renewable gener- ation capacity, mostly hydro as well as solar and wind, by 2030.
The country had just 64MW of solar capac- ity at the end of 2018, according to International Renewable Energy Agency statistics.™
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w w w. N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 06 13•February•2020