US$170mn savings from Karpower relocation is fabricated – Energy expert

Adnan Adams Mohammed

An Energy and Financial expert has downplayed the GHC170 million savings as claimed by President Nana Akuffo Addo for the change of fuel from HFO to natural gas from Ghana’s Eni operated Sankofa Gye Nyame (SGN) oilfield are fabricated.

The energy expert, who was part of the initial arrangement for the Karpowership Purchase Agreement and the fixing of the pricing of the gas from the SGN field explained that, the initial HFO fuel which was being used by Karpower ship is almost as cheap as the Eni Ghana Gas, it is using now from Aboadzi Ghana Gas station.

President Akufo-Addo, last week turned on the valves of the Karpowership for the use of natural gas from the country’s gas fields by the 450-megawatt plant which was brought in to augment power generation for the nation by Former President Mahama. This follows the relocation of the Karpower barge from Tema to its original location in Sekondi Naval Base, in the Western Region as envisioned by the Mahama-led government and the subsequent conversion of 90% of its engines from being initially dependent on HFO to natural gas, albeit a deviation from the original roadmap due to unnecessary delays, an act which has resulted in losses running into millions of dollars. 

According to the Ministry of Energy, this will save a whopping monthly take-or-pay cost of US$40million and projected annual savings of US$480million. It added that, the switch of the Karpowership to natural gas would save electricity users an amount of US$170.5 million per year, and a projected amount of US$1.2 billion over the remaining term of the contract, by way of reduced electricity charges to consumers.

“The savings numbers are fabricated, US$170m saving’s a year for Karpower who’s HFO is almost as cheap as the eniGhana Gas” Alex Mould, former GNPC CEO and Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank has posited. Adding that, “The movement of the barge in the first place was not an economic decision but a practical one.”

Mr Mould had expatiated to the Economy Times how the prolonged delay in relocating the power barge to the Senkondi power enclave as against the initial arrangement the former administration handed-over to the present President Akuffo Addo government had cost financial losses to the state.

“The whole issue is that GNPC/GNGC have not been able to resolve the reverse flow in a timely manner to be able to pump compressed gas to Tema enclave from Aboadzi.

“We currently are pumping less than 60mmSCF to Tema and as such the offtake from the gas fields falls below the 220-280mmSCF we should be lifting:  80 to 110 mmSCF from Atuabo (Jubilee and TEN) and 140 to 170 mmSCF from SGN.

“As such Ghana has been saddled with a take or pay bill which could only be resolved by an expedited offtake, hence the necessity for Karpowership relocation.”

There were two 225MW barges that ECG agreed to bring into the country for emergency purposes in the initial agreement with the Karpower owners.

GNPC supported ECG in 2014 because we wanted the barges to use Gas from the Eni Ghana SGN field to satisfy one of the World Bank’s conditions of providing the financial guarantee for the development and production of the SGN field.

This was captured in Parliamentary discussions as reasons for approving GNPC in 2015 to provide guarantees to Karpower on behalf of ECG

The first barge arrived in December 2015 and the second was to arrive in 2017 and was to be taken to Takoradi for the use of Eni gas.

However, the Mahama government realized that, it would not be economical to have two barges - one in Tema and one in Takoradi using Gas so it agreed to rather have one barge a 450MW barge and this would be sent to Takoradi.

This was agreed with the World Bank in 2016. 

This was agreed in 2015 with Alex Mould, then GNPC CEO going to inspect the construction site in 2016.

When the barge arrived, the gas logistics (pipeline and grid connection) was not ready so it was agreed that the barge would be situated in Tema till GRRIDCo and Ghana Gas got their act together - they needed funding which GNPC was prepared to offer assistance since it was the gas aggregator and for that matter the biggest benefactor if the Karpower ship is to use the natural gas.

Unfortunately, some challenges occurred between GNPC and Ghana Gas in 2017 and 2018 which delayed funding of the relocation project.

GNPC diverted funds to bail out BOST rather than to fund two pipeline projects - WAPCO reverse glow and the Karpower Aboadzi - Sekondi pipeline connectivity.

This caused the delay in the relocation timeline thereby leading to less gas off-taking from Ghana Gas station at Aboadzi which had to result to flaring of gas.   This had economic and environmental impact on the economy.