• Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery restarts after four-year shutdown

• TOR processes 28,000 bpd, about 62% of capacity

• Restart aims to cut fuel imports and ease forex pressure

Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has resumed crude oil refining operations after a four-year halt, the company said on Dec. 27.

The refinery is currently processing about 28,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, equivalent to 62% of its nominal capacity of 45,000 bpd, management said. The restart follows maintenance work carried out between Aug. 1 and Oct. 30 to upgrade critical equipment, after being postponed several times.

Ghana’s downstream petroleum regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), cleared the facility for restart after confirming its compliance.

TOR said the restart is being phased to stabilise industrial processes. A new furnace, designated F-61, has been integrated into the facility. The planned installation of an air-cooling system could gradually raise capacity to as much as 60,000 bpd, TOR said.

The refinery’s return comes as Ghana remains heavily dependent on imported petroleum products. The Bank of Ghana said such imports reached about $10.2 billion in 2024, highlighting the strain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Resuming operations at TOR is expected to help conserve foreign exchange and stabilise domestic fuel prices. In recent years, the site had largely functioned as a storage and distribution facility.

The restart comes amid stress in the energy sector. Sector debt was estimated at more than $3 billion at the start of 2025, including about $1.7 billion owed to independent power producers (IPPs).

Abdel-Latif Boureima