The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has resumed crude oil processing following the rehabilitation of its Crude Distillation Unit, ending more than four years of inactivity at one of the company’s most important processing facilities.
Managing Director Edmond Kombat disclosed that crude processing restarted on December 19, 2025, with refined product streams successfully transferred into storage.
Addressing the Government Accountability Series in Accra, Mr. Kombat explained that the restart followed an extensive maintenance exercise undertaken between August 1 and October 30, 2025.
The rehabilitation was financed entirely through TOR’s internally generated funds and executed by the refinery’s engineers and technicians under a specially constituted Turnaround Maintenance Committee.
He said the National Petroleum Authority subsequently inspected the facility, confirmed compliance with mandatory safety and operational requirements and cleared the refinery to resume processing.
The recovery programme also involved work on several critical installations, including Boiler No. 8, the F-61 Crude Heater, the Residue Air Cooler and the Steam Turbine Generator.
Mr. Kombat further disclosed that the refinery had resumed processing Ghanaian crude oil as part of efforts to strengthen domestic petroleum production and reduce reliance on imported finished products.
He cited the delivery of Jubilee Medium Sweet crude aboard MT Apache on July 15, 2026, which he described as TOR’s first Jubilee cargo in a decade.
According to him, the refinery paid for the cargo in full.
Another consignment of 950,000 barrels of Ghanaian Sankofa crude was received from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation on September 25, 2026.
President John Dramani Mahama officially commissioned the refurbished Crude Distillation Unit on August 1, 2026.
Beyond crude processing, the Managing Director reported substantial growth in petroleum product storage activity.
He indicated that storage volumes increased from 426,954 metric tonnes in 2024 to 1,107,389 metric tonnes in 2025, before reaching 1,350,000 metric tonnes in 2026.
The figures represent an overall increase of approximately 216.19 percent between 2024 and 2026, according to management.
The developments, Mr. Kombat indicated, demonstrate progress in restoring TOR’s operational capabilities and strengthening the refinery’s contribution to Ghana’s petroleum supply chain.
