TOR plans expansion to 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day — MD

The Managing Director of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Edmond Kombat, has outlined plans to expand the refinery’s processing capacity to 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day as management looks beyond the facility’s ongoing recovery.

Mr Kombat said restoring TOR to operations was only the first step in a broader strategy to increase its capacity and strengthen its contribution to Ghana’s petroleum industry.

Speaking on the refinery’s recovery, he said management was considering additional investments, including greenfield and brownfield projects, to enable TOR to undertake larger-scale operations.

He said the refinery could not afford to limit its ambitions to its current operations and needed to pursue further expansion to increase its contribution to the country’s fuel supply.

“We cannot stop at where we are today,” Mr Kombat said.

The proposed expansion would significantly increase TOR’s long-term processing capacity, with the target set at 100,000 barrels per day.

Achieving the target, however, would require substantial investment in infrastructure, equipment and other supporting facilities, as well as careful planning and implementation.

Mr Kombat said the development plans extended beyond the refinery’s core processing operations, with proposals also covering projects involving a hospital and housing.

The broader agenda forms part of management’s efforts to reposition TOR as it rebuilds its operational capacity after years of challenges.

For now, management’s immediate priority remains restoring refining operations, maintaining equipment and improving the refinery’s ability to process crude oil.

The planned projects would constitute the next phase of TOR’s development, with the long-term objective of transforming the refinery into a stronger player in Ghana’s energy sector.

The 100,000-barrel-per-day figure is therefore an expansion target rather than TOR’s current operating capacity. Its achievement will depend on the investments and infrastructure development required to move the refinery from its ongoing recovery phase into large-scale expansion.