22 Dec 2009 09:11

Sinopec restarts Tianjin refinery following expansion

Shanghai. December 22. INTERFAX-CHINA - China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec Group), China's largest fuel producer, has put its Tianjin refinery back into operation following an expansion project, the company said in a newsletter on Dec. 22.

The RMB 6.8 billion ($995.61 million) expansion increased the refineries annual crude oil processing capacity from 5 million tons to 15 million tons, making it the largest refining complex in northern China, according to the newsletter.

The refinery, which resumed operation on Dec. 21, can now produce 5.87 million tons of fuels, 750,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and 3.2 million tons of petrochemicals, including 1 million tons of ethylene per year.

The ethylene production facility is operated jointly by Sinopec Group and Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC).

In October, Sinopec Group signed an agreement with the Russian oil and gas giant Rosneft to build a refinery in Tianjin with an annual crude oil processing capacity of 10 million tons. The agreement also includes building between 300 and 500 service stations in China.

-TW