Energy sector policy think tank, Institute for Energy Security (IES) has made rallying call on the Ministry of Energy to address the leadership crisis at the Tema Oil Refinery.

The crisis according to the think tank is negatively affecting the operations of TOR.

The Refinery remains closed after an attempt to start Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) on January 2, 2018, failed.

The Unit was until the failed start attempt, under a 9-month delayed turnaround maintenance instead of the 3month planned program.

Despite the delayed maintenance, the plant had to undergo a forced-shutdown when the attempt was made to restart it as a result of non-compliance to procedures and practices.

In a statement issued by its Principal Research Analyst, Richmond Rockson on the happenings at TOR, IES said the forced shutdown was due to the failure of the managers of the refinery to follow established protocol.

“As a practice, every maintenance work should have been concluded with a Post-turnaround report to validate the integrity of the major parts and components. From post start-up developments, it is clear that the integrity of the Plant’s major parts were not established before the rush start-up,” IES explained.

IES said the incident raises serious questions about the management and operations of the refinery.

“Today, technical and operational lapses, factionalism, vindictiveness, mismanagement, absence of teamwork, lack of due diligence have consumed Tema Oil Refinery and is causing financial loss to the state. When persons with requisite capacity are sidelined for substandard people to run affairs, the result is chaotic,” The IES indicated.

The think tank is therefore calling on the Energy Ministry to act on the situation.

“To forestall further losses to the state, the Institute for Energy Security wishes to once again call on the Ministry of Energy and the government to pay special attention to the country’s only refinery by addressing the leadership crisis, which continues to negatively affect the operations of TOR,” IES emphasized.