Operational activities which often characterized the working environment at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has slowed down following Thursday's explosion, GhanaWeb can confirm.

According to a publication by Daily Graphic, a furnace at the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) exploded forcing the management of the refinery to shut down the CDU.

Officials were prompted to carry out an emergency shutdown of the facility to avert an outbreak of fire after the furnace had exploded as a result of excessive pressure, coupled with heat, causing the structure to give way to release its content.

An official of TOR who spoke to GhanaWeb on condition of anonymity said the outfit was out an investigation to ascertain the cause of the explosion as well as the implication.
Meanwhile Institute for Energy Security has indicated that the country might be plunged into a phase of fuel shortage if urgent measures are not taken to restore the fuel production capacity of the Tema Oil refinery following yesterday’s explosion.

According to them, the explosion of the furnace at the refinery which was supporting fuel production will have devastating effects on the country’s crude oil supply if immediate measures are not put in place to rectify the situation and find possible solutions.

History

The new furnace was commissioned on December 2, 2016 as part of an expansion project carried out by TOR to increase its processing capacity. The replacement of the facility at the cost of five million euros began in 2013.
Prior to the commissioning of the new furnace, TOR’s production had reduced from 45,000 barrels of crude oil per day to 28,000 barrels because one of the furnaces at the CDU had broken down fours years earlier.