TOR resumption to save Ghana millions, boost local fuel production — Acting MD

The Acting Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Edmund Kombat, has underscored the significant economic benefits the resumption of operations at the country’s only refinery will bring.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Energy at Senchi on Saturday, June 21, Mr. Kombat revealed that Ghana stands to save millions of dollars in fuel import costs once TOR is fully operational.

“We spend $400 million every month importing refined petroleum products. When TOR is running, we will need less than 60% of that money to import refined petroleum products because our name plate capacity is 45,000 barrels. And we recently installed a new furnace. With that new furnace, we can actually do 60,000 barrels. And nationally, we consume about 100,000 barrels per stream day, every single day. So we can do between 45 to 60% if the refinery is up,” he explained.

Mr. Kombat added that with recent upgrades, including the installation of a new furnace, TOR’s production capacity has increased from 45,000 to 60,000 barrels per stream day.

Ghana’s national daily consumption stands at approximately 100,000 barrels, meaning TOR can meet between 45% and 60% of domestic fuel demand when operational.

He stressed that the refinery is a profitable and capable enterprise that has undergone several rounds of turnaround maintenance in preparation for its return to full operations.

“There has been a number of turnaround maintenance that has taken place at the refinery. And the analysis we’ve done so far, the reason why it was shut down in 2021, was actually because of lack of cruelty,” he clarified.

To ensure a smooth restart, TOR has established a Turnaround Maintenance Committee, chaired by the General Manager for Maintenance and supervised by the Deputy Managing Director. The team meets weekly to assess progress and address any outstanding technical issues.