Energy Minister Goofs
DEPUTY ENERGY Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, has been entangled in a web of falsehood as he tries to proffer answers to the intermittent shortage of petroleum products across the country.
The deputy Minister, in trying to justify the current shortage of petrol, claimed that Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) had stopped refining petroleum products since September last year owing to its indebtedness.
However, DAILY GUIDE checks indicate that a number of ships loaded with crude oil berthed at the Tema Port had discharged their consignments through the TOR Jetty for processing.
According to sources close to Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA), not less than 10 ships berthed at Tema Ports between September and December, and the products refined lasted till early this year.
Some of the vessels that arrived with crude oil include MT Aramis (November 12), MT Africa (November 27), MT Oliver Jacobs (December 20), among others.
The products were subsequently processed by the Crude Distribution Unit (CDU) and the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC).
According to DAILY GUIDE investigations, the CDU was shut down for annual maintenance in the middle of January, while the RFCC started its maintenance in February.
However, by April-May the two units were fit to refine crude and the products left over were subsequently processed after which they were shut down again in May.
Since then, TOR has not refined any product because the National Democratic Congress administration led by President Atta Mills has failed to secure oil deals despite promises.
Several trips by the President and his Vice, John Mahama to Nigeria and Libya have not yielded a drop of crude, exposing TOR equipment to rot.
The President has taken his SOS to Venezuela where he is expected to table his concerns before President Hugo Chavez.
Meanwhile, Dr. Donkor on Monday dismissed the shortage of fuel on markets across the country saying adequate oil had been imported into the country to help solve the perennial shortage of the commodity.
Reacting to reports of shortage of fuel in some parts of the country, especially the northern sector, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, explained that about 4.7 million liters of gasoline was yesterday injected into the market as workers of oil marketing companies (OMCs) were made to do overtime.
Dr. Donkor explained that the shortage came about as a result of the delayed arrival of the vessel carrying the refined oil. “The vessel was to arrive last week Thursday but it rather came on Friday at midnight”, said the deputy Minister.
Explaining further, he said the country now boasts of oil reserves of about two to three weeks, as 34 000 metric tonnes of petrol was just imported over the weekend, thus the issue of fuel shortage would be a thing of the past.
The Tema Oil Refinery since the beginning of the year has not imported crude oil due to liquidation challenges hitting the company.
Dr. Donkor promised and assured the country that the present situation would be put to rest very soon since the refinery has made arrangements. It is expected that within a fortnight, a cargo vessel will arrive with adequate oil to relieve the stress on the market.
About 10 OMCs owe TOR about GH¢50 million, but he promised that these companies, until they finish settling their debt, will not be supplied with oil.
He however refused to name the OMCs when quizzed.
On matters regarding the nation's energy situation, the deputy Energy Minister said adequate steps had been taken, while pragmatic measures had also been put in place to clear the debt of TOR, especially with Ghana Commercial Bank, which TOR owes about GH¢800 million.
He emphasized that the debt, which had nearly bankrupted the refinery, would this time around be cleared once and for all with cash injection, contrary to method of the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration which rather, in their effort to defray TOR of the debt, sold bonds, additionally increasing the amount with the interest charged on the bonds sold.