Jubilee oil can be refined in Ghana – Dr. Akabzaa
Ghana’s crude oil, the Jubilee sweet can be refined by Ghana’s Tema Oil Refinery, according to extractive industry expert, Dr. Thomas Akabzaa.
Dr. Akabzaa said these Sunday January 23, 2011during discussions at a weeklong Reporting Oil training session for journalists from Ghana and Uganda in Accra.
Presenting a discussion paper on the classification of crude oil, he said geographical locations and type of crude are used to name different types of crude oil. He said the TOR has the facility to refine the type of oil that is produced from the Jubilee oil field.
Dr. Akabzaa used the global standard for classifying oil API to illustrate the point.
There are many different types of crude oil and Classifications of crude oil is based on the geographical locations, sulfur content and relative weight but the major classification is done based on the location, as the oil comes from various parts of the world and they differ in their characteristics, according to information on the website of the American Petroleum Institute (API).
The American Petroleum Institute or the API provides a basis to measure the density of the oil. If the presence of sulfur is low in the crude oil, it is termed as ‘sweet’ and if the oil has high sulfur content then it is termed as ‘sour’. Based on the geographical classification, the various benchmarks are North Sea crudes, United State crudes, West African crudes and Persian Gulf crudes. The North Sea crudes comprise of Brent, Osberg, Forties, North Sea basket etc. Brent Sweet Light crude is light but not as light as the West Texas Intermediate (WTI). Brent crude is suitable for the production of gasoline. The sulfur level is 0.36% whereas the API gravity is around 38.5 degrees for the North Sea crudes.
Dr. Akabzaa said the oil produced from the Jubilee field is around API 38 degrees and contains sulfur less than 0.3% and therefore is classified as Jubilee sweet. It is also light and therefore, can be refined in Ghana.
His position is contrary to what Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) officials have told the media in Ghana. According to GNPC and government officials TOR can’t refine the oil produced from the Jubilee field, however, from Dr. Akabzaa’s explanations, crude from the Jubilee field can be refined in Ghana.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi