COPEC, IES hit back at National Petroleum Authority again over Sentuo Oil Refinery

The Institute for Energy Security (IES) and the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) have wondered why the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) have outlined additional sanctions on Chinese-owned Sentuo Oil Refinery if their products were of high quality.

The IEA and COPEC also called on NPA to make public the sanctions imposed on Sentuo Oil Refinery after the release of some unwholesome products onto the Ghanaian market which were labelled as off specification.

In a joint release sighted by GhanaWeb Business, the two organisations said, "One wonders, if indeed the Sentuo refinery products on the market are not a source of worry why the additional sanctions by the NPA? To proceed, the IES and COPEC is requesting of the NPA to make public the full stream of sanctions imposed on SORL since it released the unwholesome products onto the Ghanaian market as the said products are believed to be off specification."

“The NPA must be made aware of the fact that any such sanctions on the Chinese refinery must factor due and appropriate compensations to both Association Of Oil Marketing Companies and its members affected by the bad fuel and its attendant challenges on their facilities as well as the consumers who patronised these products and are currently grappling with one issue or the other on their engines,” part of the release read.

It would be recalled that the IES and COPEC on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, raised concerns about the refinery operating without appropriate permit from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

They also accused the refinery of supplying substandard fuel.

The National Petroleum Authority in a release refuted earlier claims by IEA and COPEC indicating that the regulator was “playing soft” with Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited.

The regulator noted that it has enforced the rules and regulations governing the industry fairly and equitably.

Below is the full joint press release

IES-COPEC JOINT PRESS RELEASE

25th February 2024, Accra

IS THE NPA BEING ARM TWISTED TO DEFEND THE APPARENT WRONGS BY THE CHINESE RUN REFINERY SENTUO

MAKE PUBLIC THE SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON SENTUO IF ANY AND INSTEAD WORK OPENLY TO PROTECT YOUR HARD-WON REPUTATION.

The Institute for Energy Security (IES) and the Chamber for Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) have sighted a faceless, unsigned public statement purported to be issued by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) and which attempts to reject the earlier position of IES and COPEC that it is playing soft with the Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited (SORL) to the detriment of consumers of petroleum products and the state.

The IES and COPEC maintain this earlier position and believes same to be true until the NPA applies all the necessary rules pertinent to the industry as it does with all other Ghanaian petroleum service providers (PSPs) strictly, without fear or favour to engender public trust as well as maintain the integrity of the downstream petroleum sector in order to protect the NPAs own hard-won reputation over the years.

To buttress the claim of Sentuo products causing damage to vehicles and complaints, as had earlier been asserted, the IES and COPEC refers to the bold statement released by the Association of Oil Marketing Companies (AOMCs) on 21st February 2024 bringing to the attention of the NPA chief executive the growing concerns of several of its members in relation to the said quality parametres and viscosity of Sentuo’s petroleum products its members were supplied with.

According to the release by the AOMC, their complaints situates the inability of some of their petroleum service station dispensers or pumps to efficiently dispense Sentuo products as well as other quality issues resulting in a significant number of customer complaints effective 1st February 2024.

In the purported statement by the NPA, it contradicts its own initial claims of no wrong doing to bizzarely conclude that beyond the remedial actions taken on Sentuo out-of-specification products, it is also imposing additional sanctions on Sentuo Oil Refinery Limited (SORL).

One wonders, if indeed the Sentuo refinery products on the market is not a source of worry why the additional sanctions by the NPA?

To proceed, the IES and COPEC is requesting of the NPA to make public the full stream of sanctions imposed on SORL since it released the unwholesome products onto the Ghanaian market as the said products are believed to be off specification.

Further, the NPA in insisting Sentuo Refinery has acquired all due licenses to enable it put products onto the Ghanaian market is also entreated to publish both the commercial licenses so granted and the Quality Assurance Certificate on the petroleum consignment in question, for the sake transparency and dispelling industry and consumer fears that the refinery is in a hurry to side step some regulatory protocols meant to ensure no rules of safety are bent using apparent arm twisting as we currently seeing.

Finally, the NPA must be made aware of the fact that any such sanctions on the Chinese refinery must factor due and appropriate compensations to both Association Of Oil Marketing Companies and its members affected by the bad fuel and its attendant challenges on their facilities as well as the consumers who patronised these products and are currently grappling with one issue or the other on their engines.

Anything short of ensuring the payment of these compensations will sure result in a legal suit on the refinery and our regulators in the coming days.

Signed:

Nana Amoasi VII (Executive Director, IES)

Mr. Duncan Amoah (Executive Secretary, COPEC)

SA/NOQ

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