The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) in Ghana has taken delivery of a significant shipment of 950,000 barrels of light sweet crude oil from the Sankofa-Gye Nyame field. This marks the largest domestic supply the refinery has ever processed. The crude oil was lifted from the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) field in Sanzule, Western Region. The delivery was made possible through a partnership between TOR and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).
According to TOR Managing Director Edmond Kombat, this delivery is a milestone as it is the first time any refinery in Ghana has received such a volume of crude produced domestically. This achievement is part of efforts to link Ghana's upstream petroleum production with its downstream refining capacity at TOR. The goal is to process oil pumped out of Ghanaian waters for the domestic market rather than selling it abroad while importing feedstock from elsewhere.
The arrangement to supply TOR with local crude is credited to government leadership under President John Dramani Mahama. He had promised to connect the two ends of the petroleum value chain. Sourcing crude locally cuts out some costs associated with importing feedstock from distant markets, including freight charges, insurance, and supplier premiums. TOR secured the Sankofa crude at a cheaper price than it would typically pay for imported alternatives.
The refined products from this shipment will be supplied to fuel stations through the Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) and other oil marketing companies. This could help guarantee price stability at the pump and strengthen Ghana's energy security by giving the country a local source of crude for its own refinery. The delivery comes as Ghana's total crude oil output from its three producing fields has fallen sharply.
Ghana's crude oil production peaked at 71.44 million barrels in 2019 but had dropped to 37.30 million barrels by 2025. Against this backdrop of falling national output, directing a larger share of what is still produced toward TOR's own processing lines could matter more for Ghanaians who rely on stable fuel prices and steady supply at the pump.
The sources do not specify whether this 950,000-barrel shipment will be repeated on a regular schedule or give a timeline for scaling up the volume of Sankofa crude directed to TOR in the future. It is also unclear how much of TOR's total refining capacity this single shipment will cover or how long it is expected to last once processing begins.
The successful delivery of the Sankofa crude shipment marks a significant step in Ghana's efforts to optimize its petroleum value chain. TOR's Managing Director Edmond Kombat emphasized the importance of this milestone in ensuring energy security and stability in the country. The partnership between TOR and GNPC is expected to play a crucial role in the country's energy sector.
Key points
- TOR received 950,000 barrels of domestic crude from the Sankofa-Gye Nyame field, a first for the refinery.
- The shipment is part of efforts to link Ghana's upstream petroleum production with its downstream refining capacity.
- The delivery could help guarantee price stability at the pump and strengthen Ghana's energy security.
