The board chairman of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Tongraan Kugbilsong Nanlebetgtang, in a press conference in Tongo in the Upper east Region has said, the board of TOR has no plans to run the refinery as a tank farm other than processing crude oil into the Ghanaian market and beyond.
The TOR Board Chairman made pronouncement release, following comments by the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, who announced during a meeting with potential investors at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas of the United State of America, that there are plans by the board to convert troubled Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) into a tank farm.
TOR, then Ghanaian Italian Petroleum Company (GHAIP), was commissioned in 1963 as simple Hydro Skimming Plant with a processing capacity of 28,000 barrel per stream day (BPSD). In 1987, the plant was revamped and upgraded to an operating capacity of 45,000 BPSD. This upgrade included retrofitting and re-arrangement in the internals of the main distillation column; upgrade of pipelines, pumps, motors, heat exchangers, vessels and many more.
Reacting to announcement made by the Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko that TOR will be converted into a tank farm due to challenges at the refinery, the board chairman of TOR, Tongraan Kugbilsong Nanlebetgtang said the assertion by the energy minister saying the refinery is on course and will soon be running as full refinery as soon as all the maintenance works are completed should be disregarded.
“Having undertaken general shutdown maintenance of particularly the processing plants, we hope to be on stream soon. The Power House will receive 120 ton capacity Boiler to augment stream and power generation latest by 3rd quarter of the year. The exploded Furnace is also under construction and will be shipped from the overseas manufacturers to Ghana by early January, 2019; these will put the plant into maximum operating capacity upon installation”. He said
He further disclosed that the company had already spent over $50 million US dollars to replace damaged and worn-out equipments including the payment for a new crude heater (Furnace) which blew-up just before the board took over affairs of the neglected refinery.
According the board chair, a new refinery will be built with a capacity of 12 to 120 thousand BSPD within its catchment. During a meeting with potential investors at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, US, Energy Minister announced that a new refinery will be built in Takoradi.
“TOR has the advantage of using the current surplus space in the refinery to undertake such a venture from start to finish within the shortest possible time more than anywhere else “he stated
Tongraan Kugblisong Nanlebegtang, in his press release has urged Ghanaians not to panic. He assured of the Boards’ focus on its responsibility to restore TOR and expand it to become the Profitable Premier Refinery in Ghana and beyond.
Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen|A1radioonline.com|Ghana
