Grapevine

Sankofa Unitisation Directive

Hundreds of workers of Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Ltd have expressed disquiet over the seeming foul play in the unitisation of the Afina discovery in West Cape Three Points Block 2 Area (WCTP2) and the Sankofa field in Offshore West Cape Three Points Block Area (OCTP), which has been in contestation since 2020.

To this end, the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers Union in a petition to the Minister of Energy said that; “we have observed with grave concern that the State's failure to resolve this issue and bring a decisive conclusion to the matter has significantly impacted the investment climate of the OCTP Project including the general upstream business environment, resulting in potential job losses for our members”.

The Union, which has been actively monitoring the unitisation directives and the subsequent legal action commenced by Springfield Exploration & Production Ltd against Eni Ghana and its partner, Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited, following the Ministry of Energy (government) Unitization directives issued on 9th April 14th October and 6th November 2020, is not enthused with the ugly development in the oil sector.

While the Union supports the purpose of unitisation for the optimum recovery of petroleum resources and/or to enhance the efficient exploitation of petroleum resources, it suspected foul play on the part of the government resulting in its disinterest in the execution of the Final Arbitration Award made by the International Arbitral Tribunal under the auspices of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, Stockholm, Sweden on July 8, 2024.

The Union which is the parent union of the local union of Eni Ghana explained: “This Award determined that Ghana breached its laws and the OCTP Petroleum Agreement by issuing the directive for the unitisation of the Afina discovery and Sankofa field”.