A Petrochemical Engineer, Dr Yussif Suleimana, has commended the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh for his efforts and promise to retool the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), to breathe life back into its operations.

He said it is refreshing assurance from the Minister to the staff and management to secure partnership for the refinery as soon as practicable.

For some years now, the Tema Oil Refinery, Ghana’s only refinery has been reeling under heavy debt.

This makes it virtually impossible to secure crude for its operation. Presently, TOR serves as a depot and storage facility for oil marketing companies who import finished petroleum products into the country.

This situation the refinery hopes to change and return to its original mandate of refining crude. TOR has the capacity to produce 45 thousand barrels of oil per stream day and Nine thousand metric tonnes of LPG storage capacity.

Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, visited the facility days after he was sworn into office to assure the workers of government’s resolve to maintain the refinery as a strategic national asset.

This, Petrochemical Engineer, Dr Yussif Suleimana, says is refreshing and welcome news.

Dr. Suleimana however reminded the Minister of TOR’s internal and external problems and asked that external interference particularly from state officials should be avoided in the refinery’s operation, when it finally resumes full operation.