The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is working towards a major expansion of its crude-processing capacity to 100,000 barrels per day, as the government targets meeting about 70 per cent of Ghana’s national fuel demand through local refining by 2028.
Managing Director Edmond Kombat said the expansion formed part of a broader strategy to strengthen domestic refining, reduce dependence on imported finished petroleum products and improve the country’s energy security.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series at Jubilee House on Monday, October 26, 2026, Mr Kombat said President John Dramani Mahama had directed the Energy and Green Transition Minister to work with TOR’s board and management on a strategic roadmap for the refinery’s expansion.
He said the President issued the directive when he commissioned the refurbished Crude Distillation Unit on August 1, 2026.
According to Mr Kombat, the roadmap includes an initial increase in capacity to 100,000 barrels per day, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 200,000 barrels per day.
“TOR is part of a national plan. With the refinery’s expansion from 45,000 to 100,000 barrels a day, the Government is targeting about 70 percent of national fuel demand from local refining by 2028,” he said.
In the immediate term, engineers from Verga Engineering are working with TOR’s technical team to complete the tie-in and commission the F-61 crude heater.
Mr Kombat said the work was expected to increase the CDU’s throughput from its current level of about 28,000 barrels per stream day to between 45,000 and 55,000 barrels per stream day.
Management also plans to install a new air cooler to increase processing capacity to 60,000 barrels per stream day and replace the existing 6,500-barrel-a-day catalytic reformers with a 10,000-barrel-per-day continuous catalytic reformer.
He said a new 120-tonne boiler had been installed, while work continued on the RFCC turnaround and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.
Beyond the immediate improvements, TOR is advancing plans for a new greenfield refinery and petrochemical facilities, alongside additional storage capacity.
The refinery’s longer-term Restoration and Legacy Projects programme for 2026 to 2029 proposes expanding the existing plant to 85,000 barrels per stream day and constructing a new refinery with a capacity of 115,000 barrels per stream day.
Together, the proposed developments would provide a combined capacity of 200,000 barrels per stream day.
Mr Kombat said the projects would be pursued with strategic partners and in line with the government’s climate-compliance principles.
He said increasing local refining capacity would strengthen Ghana’s ability to meet domestic demand while supporting industrial growth and reducing exposure to disruptions in international petroleum supply chains.