Tema, June 16, GNA - The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) would resume operations on Thursday June 18 after its shutdown for maintenance, the Deputy Managing Director of the Refinery, Dr Ali Abugri, has said. Dr Abugri said even though maintenance work carried out on the Crude Distribution Unit early this year, the unit was shut down due to lack of crude oil.

He said this when members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy paid a working visit to the refinery.

Dr Bugri said maintenance work on the Residual Fluid Catalyser Cracker was extended after the initial repairs when it was realized that some critical parts also needed attention.

Dr Kwame Ampofo, Acting Managing Director of TOR, said TOR was determined to change public impression about its operations within 18 months.

"We are determined that within 18 months the story about TOR would be different from what we now hear in the news." He called on the parliamentarians to monitor the refinery's operation and back management to enable TOR discharge its operations. The management team of TOR revealed that some Oil Managing Companies (OMCs) who buy their products on credit from the refinery do not pay at the scheduled time.

Management said apart from the OMCs, some national security services that buy fuel directly from the refinery also owe the company with some owing for about two years.

Mr Moses Asaga, Chairman of the Committee, said the visit was to equip members on the technicalities of the operations of the refinery to enable them push through any bills on loans for the company's expansion. Mr Asaga called on the Quality Control Division of the refinery to ask for samples of the oil discovered in the country from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for testing to know the specification of the Ghana's crude oil.

He said doing so would enable the refinery to position itself better in preparing to refine the country's oil as well as be the preferred refinery in West Africa.