The revitalization of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) has generated a total of 1,657 permanent and temporary employment opportunities, according to Managing Director Edmond Kombat.
Speaking during the Government Accountability Series, Mr Kombat detailed that the recruitment drive comprised 415 young engineers appointed to permanent roles, alongside 301 temporary workers engaged for Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) maintenance.
A further 287 personnel were brought in for Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) maintenance, while 35 local contractors engaged 654 workers at the facility.
Overall, the turnaround works yielded direct employment for 1,657 young Ghanaian engineers alongside more than 6,500 indirect and temporary positions.
Reflecting on the operational baseline during the January 2017 government transition, the Managing Director outlined that the refinery was actively functional at the time.
Financial restructuring backed by the Energy Sector Levies Act had successfully slashed company liabilities from approximately US650 million down to about US300 million, while clearing exposure to four major banks.
Operational milestones achieved prior to the handover included the processing of roughly five million barrels of crude throughout 2016, leaving about two million barrels in storage.
Critical infrastructure was equally safeguarded, highlighted by the offshore mooring facility that injected roughly US$90 million in capital in March 2017, supplemented by a new furnace and boiler to sustain ongoing activities.
Crucially, the refinery demonstrated the viability of domestic petroleum processing. In December 2016, TOR received its inaugural delivery of indigenous Ghanaian crude from the TEN field aboard the MT Bodeira for local refining.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana