Compressed gas to be latest petroleum product

A deputy Minister of Energy in charge of the petroleum sector, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, has indicated that his Ministry and the Ghana National Gas Company (GNGC) have initiated talks to introduce compressed natural gas (CNG) as an addition to the various petroleum products in the sector.

He explained that because the CNG was cheaper, when added to the menu of petroleum products already in use, a competitive market would be created for the petroleum sector.

 “We are also making efforts to ensure that we add CNG to the menu of petroleum products in Ghana. The ministry is working with Ghana Gas to ensure that this happens because it is cheaper.

“If we add that to the menu of petroleum products that are already in use, we will create competition for other petroleum products,” he said.

Dr Amin Adam spoke at the maiden stakeholders’ edition of the Gas Challenge, organised by the GNGC on June 20 in Accra.

The competition, according to the Senior Manager of Government Relations at the GNGC, Ms Augustina Asare Osei, was aimed at rehashing the company’s mandate of ensuring engagements with stakeholders in the gas sector.

“As a company, one of our strategic objectives is to constantly provide a platform for effective engagements with our stakeholders,” she said.

 The focus areas of the competition were the gas upstream history, gas value chain, the commercial aspect of the industry, the operations of the Ghana Gas Company, health and safety in the petroleum sector and the use of domestic gas.

The Gas Challenge was on the theme: Enhancing Knowledge on Gas Industrialisation.

Preliminary stages

Eight institutions competed in the contest. These institutions were grouped under the petroleum regulators, civil society organisations (CSOs) and media categories at the preliminary stages.  They included Ghana’s biggest newspaper company, the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), GH One TV, and the Ministry of Energy (MoE).

The others are the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), the Kumasi Institute of Technology and Energy (KITE) and the State Enterprise Commission Ghana (SEC).

The competition started with the regulators’ category. After a keen brain battle between the contesting institutions, MoE and SEC Ghana, the MoE garnered 43 points gaining a spot in the final, with SEC Ghana lagging behind with 27 points.  

ACEP, PIAC and KITE competed in the CSOs category. PIAC stood tall after securing 36 points thereby qualifying to the finals.  Both ACEP and KITE scored 27 points

Then came the moment for the media. For that category, the GCGL, GBC, and GH One TV were in contention. The atmosphere was filled with anxiety in the second round, after the GCGL had taken the lead with 14 points in the first round. 

The second round (speed test) was keenly contested as the three institutions battled for the top spot to meet MoE and PIAC in the grand finale.

At the end of that contest, GBC garnered 39 points, ahead of the GCGL by a one-point decider.