June 8, 2023 [News Ghana]- Puma Energy Ghana has reaffirmed its commitments to Ghanas energy supply and security through its diverse investments and state-of-the-art strategic energy infrastructure; to make energy easily accessible and affordable to Ghanaian households and the business community in the wake of growing consumption of petroleum products.
These investments in energy infrastructure are more important than ever as the economy recovers from COVID-19.
Since 2000, the final consumption of petroleum products has tripled to 4,630 ktoe in 2021 at an annual growth rate of 5.7%. Gasoline and gasoil constitute an average of 36.4% and 51.6% of the total petroleum products consumed in Ghana over the last 21 years respectively according to the 2022 National Energy Statistics report of the Energy Commission of Ghana.
Data from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of Ghana as of March 2023 also indicated that a total of 1,303,755 metric tonnes of petroleum products was supplied to the Ghanaian market in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 1,103,799 metric tonnes supplied in the first quarter of 2022. This increase in the consumption of petroleum products reinforces the importance of efficient infrastructure in meeting the growing demands at a reliable and affordable rate.
The investments Puma Energy has made in energy infrastructure are key to addressing the growing demands for petroleum products, be it Gasoil (Diesel), Gasoil (Petrol), or ATK among others not only for the Ghanaian market but also neighbouring countries including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso as a total of 23,472 metric tonnes of petroleum products was re-exported/transited to these countries in the first quarter of 2022.
Since it entered into the Ghanaian energy sector in 2006, Puma Energy Ghana has invested significantly in energy infrastructure in the country. These recent infrastructure investments include storage terminals at the Kotoka International Airport Aviation and Tema Ridge depots, Takoradi Terminal and Tema Multi Product Terminal (TMPT) which in total represents some 174000 cubic metres of storage capacity, contributing to fuel supply security in Ghana. Puma Energy has also invested in the first-ever LPG Bottling Plant in Ghana, in support of the countrys Cylinder Recirculation Model, aimed at combating the dangers associated with the poor handling of LPG.
Another essential component of energy security is making sure local people have the right skills to support the industry. Around 98% of Puma Energy Ghanas employees are already recruited locally and in 2023 Puma Energy is focusing on recruiting some of the best graduates in the country by holding recruitment events at Ghanaian universities including Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Ghana.
General Manager of Puma Energy Ghana, Zwelithini Mlotshwa, stated: A resilient infrastructure is a major element of sustainable energy systems and in addressing that, Puma Energy Group has constructed storage terminals, which have a significant impact on Ghanas potential for trade and economic growth and also enables Puma Energy to supply seamlessly to customers through its strategic outlets.”
“While the investment in aviation fuel storage at Kotoka International Airport has significantly increased capacity and supply security at the airport, the investment in fuel storage at the Takoradi Terminal provides the first storage facility for gasoline in Ghanas Western Region, he remarked.
These unique and timely updates and expansions to the existing storage infrastructure terminals and systems have essentially guaranteed a unique integrated supply chain that ensures affordable oil products’ availability and other refined products are efficiently and safely transported from new and geographically diverse hubs across Ghana.
Touching on energy infrastructure, Zwelithini Mlotshwa remarked, Energy infrastructure must become more secure, sustainable, and resilient. Timely investments in energy infrastructure are contingent partly on an enabling market environment, conducive policy cohesion and a defined regulatory framework which helps to maintain a level playing field among industry players and facilitate market integration. Others include incentives and reductions in bureaucracy that will allow for more private-sector capital to be put into service in energy sector infrastructure.”
Mlotshwa also called for collaboration on energy infrastructure security and resiliency to keep pace with rapidly changing demand and supply patterns and to implement new energy policy and technology innovations. This will enable producers and consumers to successfully fulfil their shared aspirations in respect of sustainable development and climate change.
Ghanas energy security, like every other countrys energy security, is dependent on both long-term term and short-term strategies to ensure the supply of energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs, as well as the capability of the energy system to react timeously to unexpected changes in the supply-demand situations.
“As innovation continues to transform energy infrastructure worldwide, Ghanas growing energy demands beyond 2023 also require infrastructure modernisation and expansion through innovation which will lead to resilient infrastructure, and sustainable investment,” remarked Mlotshwa.
Puma Energy has increased its retail footprint in the country to over 80 filling stations in Ghana and has an ambitious growth plan to ensure nationwide coverage which will see a Puma Energy retail outlet in every regional capital and major town.
Puma Energy is a leading supplier of aviation fuel (JET A-1) at Kotoka International Airport, and its extensive links with global airlines and its certifications to the highest international IATA and JIG standards make it the partner of choice for international and local airlines serving Ghana.
The energy giants clientele includes several of the worlds leading airlines such as Emirates Airlines, KLM, Ethiopian Airlines, Delta, South African Airways, Brussels, Egypt Air, Air France, and TAP Portugal, as well as reputable domestic airlines and several others.
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