Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has received 950,000 barrels of Sankofa-Gye Nyame light sweet crude from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), marking the first time the refinery has received crude from the field for processing. Angola’s state-owned oil company Sonangol delivered the crude aboard the Sonangol Cazenga tanker. The shipment gives TOR access to locally produced crude as Ghana continues to export much of its crude while importing refined petroleum products.
Ghana’s three major offshore developments, Jubilee, TEN, and OCTP, produce about 183,000 to 186,000 barrels of crude per day, while domestic demand for refined petroleum products stands at around 100,000 to 105,000 barrels per day. Processing more Ghanaian crude locally could help retain more value within the country’s petroleum sector.
The Sankofa-Gye Nyame crude also suits TOR’s existing hydroskimming configuration. The refinery’s crude distillation system separates crude into different petroleum fractions but has limited downstream conversion capacity. Some crude grades require additional facilities, including diesel hydrotreating and isomerization, to improve product quality and yields.
Sankofa-Gye Nyame light sweet crude fits TOR’s current configuration more closely, allowing the refinery to process the crude into several petroleum products without immediately requiring major additional processing facilities.
TOR Managing Director Edmond Kombat said the delivery gives the refinery an opportunity to strengthen its operations while supporting Ghana’s petroleum industry.
Kombat said the arrangement with GNPC shows how upstream and downstream operators can work together to improve crude supply, support refinery operations, and increase the value Ghana gets from its own crude production.
The Sankofa delivery follows TOR’s receipt of about one million barrels of Bonga crude on May 27 aboard the MT Cap Felix. Shell supplied the cargo through TOR’s tolling partner, Triangle Commodities Trading (TCT).
The two deliveries have brought almost two million barrels of crude into TOR within a relatively short period. At the refinery’s current throughput of about 28,000 barrels per stream day, the combined volumes could support roughly 70 days of operations, depending on product yields, operational losses, inventory requirements, and changes in processing rates.
The deliveries come as new and expanded refineries reshape West Africa’s crude and refined-product markets. Using more domestic crude could reduce TOR’s dependence on imported feedstock, freight costs, and potential supply disruptions. It would also allow Ghana to process more of its crude domestically rather than exporting crude and importing finished petroleum products.
The OCTP block also plays an important role in Ghana’s gas supply. Its non-associated gas facilities can supply up to 270 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to the power sector through the Western Corridor Gas Pipeline, making the field an important source of fuel for thermal power generation.
The Sankofa-Gye Nyame field forms part of the OCTP block operated by Eni, while GNPC holds an equity interest that gives it a share of production liftings. The field produces light crude and condensate and remains an important source of domestic gas.
GNPC and TOR are also discussing other areas of cooperation across the petroleum value chain, although specific details have not been disclosed.
Kombat thanked President Mahama, Energy Minister Dr. John Abdulai Jinapor, and GNPC management for supporting the arrangement. He also thanked TOR’s tolling partners, Fujairah and TCT, for their continued support of the refinery.
source: thebftonline.com
African Energy Council