TOR positioned to refine Ghana’s local crude
The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has reaffirmed its technical capacity to refine crude oil from Ghana’s local fields, contrary to claims suggesting otherwise.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the Corporate Affairs Officer in charge of External Affairs at TOR, Godwin Mahama Ayaba, stated that the refinery possessed the necessary equipment and technical expertise to process Ghana’s crude oil, particularly from the Jubilee and TEN oil fields.
He said that available records from the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, as well as from the refinery itself, clearly demonstrated that TOR had previously refined crude from Ghana’s local fields.
Mr Ayaba cited a specific instance in 2016 when the Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Energy, facilitated the supply of about one million barrels of crude oil from the TEN Field to the Tema Oil Refinery for processing.
“That arrangement is a testament to the fact that TOR has the capacity to refine our local crude,” he said.
He stated that discussions are now well advanced between the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition and the Tema Oil Refinery about the possibility of supplying additional crude from Ghana’s fields to the refinery for processing.
Light and sweet
Mr Ayaba explained that the crude produced from Ghana’s fields was light and sweet, the exact type the refinery’s facilities are designed to process.
Tema Oil Refinery
He further stated that technical assessments conducted by engineers at the refinery confirm that TOR can refine Ghana’s crude even with its current operational equipment.
He said that, currently, the refinery was operating at 28,000 barrels per stream day, but plans were underway to significantly increase production capacity.
Mr Ayaba said the refinery was preparing to connect the F-61 furnace to the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) alongside the already operational F-1 furnace, a move expected to increase refining capacity from 28,000 barrels per stream day to 45,000 barrels per stream day.
He said the tie-in exercise was expected to be completed on or before the end of next month.
“In the medium-term, we will further optimise operations to increase capacity from 45,000 to 60,000 barrels per stream day,” Mr Ayaba added.
He also disclosed that TOR was pursuing a long-term expansion strategy involving the installation of a new 100,000-barrel-per-day refinery unit.
He indicated that once completed, the additional facility would increase the refinery’s capacity from 60,000 barrels per stream day to about 160,000 barrels per stream day.
Mr Ayaba emphasised that the refinery was gradually returning to full operations, adding that President John Dramani Mahama was expected to lead the official recommissioning of the refinery as part of efforts to restore TOR to its full operational capacity.
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