The Acting Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr. Godwin Kudzo Tameklo Esq., has embarked on a tour of fuel installations in the country to apprise himself of their operations.
The visits are to give him first-hand information about the ongoing work, prospects, and challenges with the view to offering the needed regulatory support and direction.
He is accompanied by the Deputy Chief Executive, Dr. Sheila Addo, and the management staff of the Authority.
The first port of call was the Ghana Petroleum Mooring Systems Limited (GPMS) where the team was taken offshore and briefed on how fuel vessels are berthed and how the fuel is discharged through pipes to terminals.
The team also visited the Ghana Bunkering Services Limited where it was taken through how fuel is discharged into tankers for onward distribution to oil marketing companies.
Thereafter, the team visited the Sentuo Oil Refinery Company Limited and the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR).
Speaking at the TOR, Mr. Tameklo Esq. stressed the need for new management of TOR to work on getting the refinery to start refining crude oil for the local market.
That, he said, would reduce the importation of refined oil and consequently ease the pressure on the cedi.
In his remarks, the Acting Managing Director of TOR, Dr. Yusif Sulemana, stated that the management would ensure the revamping of TOR to perform its core function of crude oil refinery.
Speaking at Sentuo Oil Refinery, the NPA Boss affirmed the commitment of the Authority to support Sentuo in completing the second phase of its project.
The second phase is to rump up Sentuo’s refinery from 40,000 barrels per day to 100,000 barrels per day.
Mr. Tameklo Esq. urged the management of Sentuo to engage more Ghanaians especially petrochemical engineering students and others from the other technical departments to allow for technology transfer.
He said recruiting Ghanaians is cheaper compared to hiring the services of expatriates.
The NPA Boss welcomed the proposal by the Setuo management to start loading fuel at night in line with the 24-hour economy policy of the government.
He said NPA’s technical inspectors would follow up on the request and advise accordingly.
