The Association of Oil Marketing Companies and some energy think tanks are accusing a private oil refinery managed by Chinese conglomerate the Sentuo Group, of not adhering to industry standards after many complaints from customers who raised issues over the quality of fuel supplied by the company.
The Institute for Energy Security (IES), the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) and the OMC union raised the concerns in a letter to the regulator, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), asking it to follow up with a probe and additional sanctions on the matter.
“Our members have conducted meticulous inquiries and concluded that no internal malfunctions or procedural errors are to blame for this matter. Therefore, we firmly believe that the root cause of this concern lies with the products supplied by the Sentuo Oil Refinery and the BEST Kumasi Depot,” the letter said.
IES and COPEC for instance alleged that the firm has not been granted a license to start oil processing, trading, and marketing, adding that its activities are a “clear contravention of established national laws and acts.”
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“The IES and COPEC call on the Special Prosecutor to investigate the activities of the Sentuo Oil Refinery leading up to unspecified and sub-standard petroleum products finding their way into the Ghanaian petroleum market,” they said further.
The complaints come almost a month after the welcome gesture and launch of the Sentuo Oil Refinery by President Nana Akufo Addo. As Ghana’s first private-owned oil refinery, it was hailed as a symbolic venture to steer Ghana off foreign petrol imports while state-owned Tema Oil Refinery is left incapacitated.
