The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has received 950,000 barrels of Sankofa-Gye Nyame light sweet crude from Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), marking the first time a Ghanaian refinery has received crude from the field for refining.The cargo, sourced from the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) block at Sanzule in Western
Region, was delivered aboard the Sonangol Cazenga – a tanker operated by Angola’s stateowned oil company Sonangol.
The delivery provides TOR with a domestic feedstock source at a time when the nation
continues to export most of its crude production while relying heavily on imported refined
petroleum products.
Ghana’s three major offshore developments – Jubilee, TEN and OCTP – collectively produce
roughly 183,000 to 186,000 barrels of crude per day, while domestic demand for refined
petroleum products is estimated at about 100,000 to 105,000 barrels per day.
The linkage between domestic crude production and local refining consequently offers an
opportunity to retain a greater share of petroleum value within the economy.The Sankofa-Gye Nyame crude is also significant because of its compatibility with the
refinery’s existing hydroskimming configuration.
TOR’s crude distillation system is designed primarily to separate crude into different
petroleum fractions, with limited downstream conversion capability. Some crude grades
require additional processing equipment – including diesel hydrotreating and isomerisation
– to optimise the quality and yield of refined products.
The Sankofa-Gye Nyame Light Sweet Crude provides a feedstock profile that is better suited
to TOR’s current configuration, allowing the refinery to produce a range of products without
immediately requiring major additional processing infrastructure.
TOR Managing Director (MD) Edmond Kombat described the receipt as “an important
opportunity for TOR to strengthen its operations while contributing to Ghana’s broader
objective of building a resilient and sustainable petroleum industry”.
He said the partnership with GNPC demonstrates “the potential for stronger cooperation
between upstream and downstream petroleum operators to improve crude oil supply, support refinery operations and create greater value from Ghana’s natural resources”.The cargo is expected to produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, diesel, kerosene,
aviation turbine kerosene and fuel oil for the domestic market.
The Sankofa delivery follows receipt of approximately one million barrels of Bonga crude on
May 27 aboard the MT Cap Felix. The cargo was procured from Shell through TOR’s tolling
partner, Triangle Commodities Trading (TCT).
Together, the two deliveries bring close to two million barrels of crude into TOR within a
relatively short period and provide feedstock for continued operations at the refinery’s
current throughput of approximately 28,000 barrels per stream day.
At that rate, the combined volumes represent roughly 70 days of throughput before
accounting for operational losses, product yields, inventory requirements and changes in
operating rates.
The development comes against a wider shift in West Africa’s refining market, with the
commissioning and expansion of large-scale facilities increasing regional refining capacity
and changing crude and refined-product trade flows.
Securing domestic crude could reduce exposure to international crude procurement, freight
costs and disruptions in imported feedstock supply, while allowing the refinery to capture
more of the value associated with converting Ghanaian crude into finished petroleum
products locally.
The OCTP block also has significance beyond crude production. Its non-associated gas
facilities can supply up to 270 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to Ghana’s power
sector through the Western Corridor Gas Pipeline, making the field an important source of
fuel for thermal electricity generation.
The GNPC-TOR arrangement is being presented as part of the ongoing agenda to strengthen
linkages between Ghana’s upstream petroleum production and downstream refining and
distribution activities.
The Sankofa-Gye Nyame field is located within the OCTP block operated by Eni, with GNPC
holding an equity interest that entitles it to a share of production liftings. The field produces
light crude and condensate and is also a major source of Ghana’s domestic gas supply.
GNPC and TOR are discussing further areas of collaboration across the petroleum value chain, although specific arrangements have not been disclosed. Mr. Kombat thanked President Mahama, Energy Minister Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor and GNPC management for their roles in facilitating the partnership. He also thanked TOR’s tolling partners, Fujairah and TCT, for their “continued support and commitment to TOR”. The latest delivery adds to recent developments following TOR’s return to active refining after completing turnaround maintenance on its Crude Distillation Unit in December 2025. The State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) said on June 1 that TOR had submitted six years of outstanding audited financial statements and recorded a pre-tax profit of GH¢1.24billion in 2025, its first positive result in a decade.The refinery’s recent operating momentum comes after years of financial and operational difficulties which contributed to a prolonged period of inactivity and limited its ability to process domestic crude.
Source: thebftonline.com