The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is poised to resume crude oil refining operations by the end of October 2025, marking a major milestone in Ghana’s energy sector after nearly eight years of inactivity.

This was revealed by Godwin Mahama, Corporate Affairs Officer at TOR and a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Communications Team, during an interview on Yɛn Nsempa on Onua FM on October 13.

Mr. Mahama explained that TOR’s refining operations had been dormant for between six and eight years, with the refinery largely surviving by leasing its vast storage facilities to Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) for fuel storage.

“For about six to eight years, the refinery has been redundant — its main function of refining crude oil was non-existent. TOR stayed afloat by renting out its tank farms to BDCs for storing finished petroleum products,” he noted.

According to him, the refinery’s new management has prioritized restoring TOR’s core refining mandate through a comprehensive Turnaround Maintenance Project, which is now 98% complete.

“The new management has made it a point that the company returns to its core mandate by the end of this month. We have been undertaking a full turnaround maintenance to bring all equipment back into shape,” he said.

Mr. Mahama revealed that a committee was set up to oversee the maintenance exercise and that temporary staff were recruited to support the process. Their efforts over the past few months, he said, have brought the refinery close to full readiness.

“A staff durbar held last week confirmed that the turnaround maintenance committee will hand over the plant to the production unit by this Friday. Once the production team completes its final inspection, TOR will be ready to restart operations,” he stated.

He further disclosed that the first consignment of crude oil is expected to arrive before the third week of October, paving the way for TOR to begin refining locally once again.

Mr. Mahama attributed the refinery’s revival to the leadership of Managing Director Edmund Combat and the strong backing of President John Dramani Mahama, who has consistently emphasized the importance of restoring TOR’s operations.

“President Mahama has repeatedly said that TOR must work again because when it operates, it creates jobs and strengthens our foreign exchange position,” he said.

He added that restoring domestic refining capacity would help reduce Ghana’s heavy reliance on imported petroleum products, saving foreign exchange and supporting economic stability.

“Currently, almost all our finished petroleum products are imported. If TOR can meet even 60% of local demand, we will save foreign currency, strengthen the cedi, and complement the government’s broader economic stabilization efforts,” he concluded.