Energy

The Arish-Ashkelon pipeline from Egypt to Israel is, perhaps apart from domestic subsidies, the most controversial element of the country’s energy sector, with many Egyptians angry about selling a precious resource to a country whose policies they oppose.

As a net importer of oil as well as a producer, Egypt is sensitive to the ups and downs of the global crude market. This is especially true given that the government heavily subsidies the price of petrol. And, to the extent that native oil is sold on the local market, producers are compensated based on prevailing world prices. In an era when oil...

While the government has been exporting its share of the country’s oil, demand at home continues to increase. With erratic and restricted refinery capacity hampering delivery to the domestic market, the cost of meeting this demand is becoming an increasing burden.

One of the most important and often heated debates in the energy sector centres on the revenue agreements between the government and operators. While the contracts for the partners at the Jubilee Field were drawn up as far back as 2005, there is an increasing belief in the media and among local think tanks that Ghana should be getting more from its...

The issue of electricity generation is once again creeping towards the top of the government’s agenda. With plans for rapid economic and industrial growth fuelled by hydrocarbons production, the burden on the country’s grid is likely to increase substantially over the coming years. As such, the moves toward privatisation which occurred in response...

Although large-scale mining still dominates the industry in Ghana, smaller players are taking an increasing share of the market. While much of this artisanal mining is occurring in the formal sector, illegal mining, which threatens the environment, the health of local communities and the operations of large-scale players, is still a challenge for...