TOR working to increase crude processing capacity to 45,000 barrels per stream day; engineers to complete work end of October 2026

The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is working to increase its crude oil processing rate from approximately 28,000 barrels to between 45,000 and 55,000 barrels per stream day, as part of efforts to expand local refining capacity and reduce Ghana’s reliance on imported petroleum products.

Managing Director of TOR, Edmond Kombat, said engineers from Verga Engineering were working alongside the refinery’s technical team to complete the installation and commissioning of the F-61 crude heater.

The heater is expected to enable the refinery’s existing Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) to process larger volumes of crude oil.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, October 26, 2026, Mr Kombat said the work was expected to be completed by the end of October 2026.

The intervention forms part of broader efforts to increase refinery output and support plans to meet a greater proportion of Ghana’s fuel demand through domestic refining.

Mr Kombat explained that the ongoing work follows the resumption of crude processing at the CDU on December 19, 2025, after turnaround maintenance.

TOR currently processes about 28,000 barrels of crude oil per stream day, below the unit’s stated capacity of between 45,000 and 55,000 barrels per stream day.

The installation and commissioning of the F-61 heater is intended to help bridge that gap by allowing the existing unit to handle higher crude volumes.

Completing the work would mark an important step in the refinery’s immediate plans to improve throughput, although further expansion projects will be required to achieve its longer-term capacity targets.

Mr Kombat said TOR was targeting the local refining of approximately 70 per cent of Ghana’s fuel demand by 2028.

To support this ambition, the refinery plans to increase its crude processing capacity to 100,000 barrels per stream day.

He said the proposed expansion would form part of a broader strategy to strengthen Ghana’s domestic refining capacity and reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products.

Achieving the target will require additional investment and the completion of further projects beyond the immediate work on the existing CDU.

Beyond the proposed increase to 100,000 barrels per stream day, TOR is considering further expansion to raise its refining capacity to 200,000 barrels per stream day.

The longer-term target would represent a substantial increase in the refinery’s processing capacity and would require additional infrastructure and investment.

The planned expansion to 100,000 barrels per stream day is separate from the current F-61 heater project, which is focused on improving the performance of the existing unit.

For now, the immediate priority is to complete the heater installation and commissioning and increase crude processing from the current level of about 28,000 barrels per stream day.

The progress of these projects will be important to TOR’s ambition to expand local fuel production and strengthen Ghana’s petroleum supply capacity.