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China's most recent refiner Yulong starts up unrefined unit, sources state

China's Shandong Yulong Petrochemical on Friday started launching one of two brand-new 200,000 barrel daily (bpd) unrefined units in eastern China, sources stated, marking the main launch of the country's latest refinery after 4 years of construction.

The 400,000-bpd refinery is the only significant refinery to come onstream this year in China and likewise one of the last greenfield plants being integrated in the country, as Beijing broadly caps crude oil refining capability amid peaking Chinese fuel demand.

Positioned on a manufactured island in Longkou county of the city of Yantai, Shandong province, Yulong is anticipated to keep the unrefined unit going through a minimum of the end of this year, stated one Shandong-based refinery source informed on the matter.

The launch of the Yulong unit, in line with an earlier Reuters report, came as Chinese refinery crude throughput fell year-on-year for the 5th month in August to levels near two-year lows as demand for diesel declines and gasoline intake is worn down by massive electrical automobile penetration.

Yulong launched the refinery at the demand of the provincial federal government, although the company itself was worried with extremely weak margins in the present market environment, said the source.

Yulong Petrochemical did not immediately respond to a. ask for comment.

The $20 billion job, consisting of a 400,000-bpd crude. refinery, a 3 million ton-per-year (tpy) ethylene complex and a. 3 million tpy paraxylene center, is a cornerstone job that. will assist update the fragmented refining sector in Shandong,. home to ratings of smaller independent refiners, known as. teapots.

The project is 51% owned by private aluminium smelter. Nanshan Group, 46.1% by provincial government-backed Shandong. Energy Group and the rest by two local companies.

(source: Reuters)