TOR Targets October Restart to Slash Ghana’s $400 Million Monthly Fuel Import Bill

Ghana’s state-owned Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is poised to resume full-scale operations by October 2025 - a milestone projected to cut the country’s refined fuel import bill by as much as $240 million per month. The development marks a critical turning point in Ghana’s drive toward energy self-sufficiency and resilience against external price shocks.

Speaking on Channel One on June 22, Acting Managing Director of TOR, Mr. Edmond Kombat, revealed that the refinery’s restart follows sustained technical upgrades, including the installation of a new furnace and comprehensive maintenance reviews. Once completed, the facility will be able to process between 45,000 and 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day - accounting for over half of Ghana’s daily national consumption of refined petroleum products.

“Nationally, we consume about 100,000 barrels per stream day, every single day,” Kombat explained. “When TOR is running, we will need less than 60% of the $400 million we currently spend every month on refined petroleum imports.”

Mr. Kombat underscored that the refinery’s shutdown in 2021 was not due to equipment failure, but rather a chronic lack of crude oil feedstock. He further highlighted that recent technical assessments confirm TOR’s capacity to operate efficiently and profitably if supplied with the right volumes of crude.

To support operational readiness, TOR has instituted a Turnaround Maintenance Committee, chaired by its General Manager of Maintenance and supervised by the Deputy Managing Director. “Every Friday, we meet to review our progress, and based on our current timeline, we expect to bring the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) back online between September and October,” he stated.

This outlook was further reinforced during TOR’s recent appearance before the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Green Transition, where Mr. Kombat laid out the refinery’s 2025 roadmap. The engagement - part of the Committee’s oversight responsibility - offered insight into TOR’s strategic priorities, operational challenges, and capital investment plans for the year.

Among key initiatives, the MD highlighted the continuation of gantry and terminal upgrades, retooling of TOR’s laboratory, and the completion of legacy projects initiated under the previous administration. Financial restructuring is also top of mind. Mr. Kombat made a formal appeal to the Committee for legislative and policy support to restructure TOR’s outstanding debts, including options to convert government obligations into equity, reinstate TOR’s allocation from the ESLA levy, and allow the refinery to participate in the primary distribution margin.

He also urged that TOR be granted representation on the Laycan Committee - an inter-agency body that oversees crude allocation logistics - arguing that inclusion would enhance planning efficiency and operational coordination across the sector.

The refinery’s scheduled reactivation dovetails with Ghana’s broader national strategy to strengthen energy security, diversify supply chains, and reduce the economy’s exposure to volatile global fuel markets. If successful, TOR’s revival will not only stabilize local pricing but also elevate Ghana’s profile as a serious player in Africa’s downstream petroleum sector.

From the corridors of Parliament to the refinery grounds in Tema, TOR’s comeback effort is gathering momentum. What remains is the inter-agency alignment and timely delivery of crude feedstock needed to make this long-awaited return a reality.