Dr. Yussif Sulemana, Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, has revealed that Ghana’s petroleum storage capacity has expanded by roughly 20–30 percent since 2025, largely through the rehabilitation of existing tanks and depots. He explained that the gains stem from repairs and the reactivation of previously idle infrastructure at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and facilities managed by the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST).
The development comes against the backdrop of heightened volatility in global energy markets, driven by geopolitical tensions involving the US, Israel, and Iran—pressures that have prompted many governments to bolster fuel storage and supply resilience. Speaking on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show on Monday, March 9, 2026, Dr. Sulemana clarified that while no new tanks have been constructed at TOR, ongoing rehabilitation works have successfully restored several dormant units to active service.
“If you look at TOR, the total storage capacity is around one million metre cube. That is about 600,000 barrels of oil storage. There hasn’t been any increase in a new tank for storage. But there have been repairs ongoing that have brought a lot of the tanks back on stream. So, I can say that there has been about 20% improvement,” he said.
He added that if all the storage tanks at TOR become fully operational, the refinery’s storage capacity could rise significantly. “If all the tanks in TOR can work, we will then be talking about 800,000 to 900,000 barrels of storage,” Dr. Sulemana noted. However, he acknowledged that not all the tanks are currently functional, revealing that about 20–30 percent of the tanks remain unavailable, although efforts are underway to restore them.
“The last time I checked, 20–30% of these tanks were not available. But there are concerted efforts to get some of these tanks back online,” he stated. Dr. Sulemana also highlighted ongoing efforts to revive petroleum depots across the country, many of which had previously been in poor operational condition.
“There has also been a deliberate effort to revamp all the depots. Most of the depots were not in active working conditions. But with the energy minister, we have been able to revamp most of them,” he said. He noted that while the immediate strategy focuses on rehabilitating existing infrastructure, Ghana will eventually need to invest in new storage facilities to strengthen long-term fuel security. “In the long term, we will need new structures to come in. But in the meantime, I can say that about 20–30% of improved storage capacity has been added to what we have now,” he added.
Source: William Narh
