Sinopec Starts Up $6B Zhanjiang Refinery Complex
Top Chinese state refiner Sinopec Corp said on Tuesday it had started up a $6 billion new refinery and petrochemical plant in south China, making it the country's third integrated complex to start operations in the past 18 months or so.The Sinopec venture, situated in coastal city of Zhanjiang, comprises a 200,000 barrel per day (bpd) crude oil refinery and an 800,000 tonne-per-year ethylene facility, built at a cost of 44 billion yuan ($6.2 billion), Sinopec said in a statement.Two other complexes with combined refining capacity of 800,000 bpd have started up since early 2019, one built
LOC to Provide MWS for Chinese Offshore Wind Farm Project
LOC has won a contract to provide Marine Warranty Services (MWS) to support transport and installation operations for the development of the Jieyang II windfarm. The Jieyang II windfarm will consists of 64 wind turbines, with an installed capacity of 350MW, and a 220kV offshore booster station. The turbines will be connected to the booster station through 16 circuits of 35kV submarine cable.The LOC contract is with China Pacific Insurance Co (CPIC), which is headquartered…
CNOOC Orient Petrochemicals Cuts Refinery Emissions
In a move to improve air quality in Hainan Province, China, the CNOOC Orient Petrochemicals Co. Ltd. recently commissioned a DuPont BELCO EDV Wet Scrubbing system at its oil refinery located on Hainan Island in the southernmost part of China. With the help of this system, the refinery minimizes atmospheric emissions of fine particulate and sulfur oxides (SOx) from its 1.2 million metric ton per annum (MMTA) fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), one of CNOOC’s major refining bases.
CNPC, Guangdong Ink Deal on S. China Sea Methane Hydrate
China's Ministry of Land and Resources, state energy giant China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and Guangdong province have agreed to build a pilot methane hydrate project in the South China Sea, CNPC said its website on Monday. The trial prospecting of the deep-sea gas resource, also known as "flammable ice", will be in the Shenhu area of the South China Sea, after initial tests run in May, CNPC said. The report did not give further details on the timeline or financial investment on developing this pilot project.
Gunvor Executive Charged by Chinese Prosecutors
Chinese prosecutors have charged an employee of Swiss commodity trader Gunvor Group who has been held for a year for allegedly smuggling fuel and evading taxes on sales from the Philippines, according to a legal document viewed by Reuters. In May last year, Chinese authorities seized a tanker and detained several people as part of a probe into suspected tax evasion on imported oil. A Gunvor senior executive based out of Singapore was one of the people detained, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.
Sinopec to Open Zhanjiang Oil Tanks; SPR Site Delayed
Commercial crude storage of 8.5 mln bbls due start by June; Sinopec also building a rock cavern strategic reserve base nearby. Sinopec Corp is expected to start operating by June a new commercial crude oil tank farm in the southern Chinese city of Zhanjiang, where a large strategic reserve site is also under construction, three industry sources said this week. The new commercial tanks will store 8.5 million barrels, equivalent to over four supertankers. The tank farm consists of twelve tanks of 100…
China Halts Work on $15 bln Nuclear Waste Project After Protests
A Chinese city has suspended preliminary work on a proposed 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) nuclear waste processing plant following protests by local residents concerned about health risks. Reports that Lianyungang - a coastal city about 500 km (310 miles) north of Shanghai - was set to be chosen as the site for the project sparked protests that began at the weekend. The project, to be run by the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) in collaboration with France's Areva , is due to start construction in 2020 and scheduled to be completed by 2030.
Sinopec Gets Nod for Coal-to-Gas Pipeline
China has approved a pipeline to transport synethic gas from coal-to-gas projects in the country's far west to the southern coast, energy giant Sinopec said on Wednesday. The pipeline, which would run 8,400 kilometres (5,200 miles) from the restive region of Xinjiang to the manufacturing hub of Guangdong province, carrying up to 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) gas a year, has a price tag of over 130 billion yuan ($20.5 billion), Sinopec said in a statement. The pipeline could eventually also transport conventional gas, shale gas and coal-bed methane, the statement said.
Qatargas Sells First LNG Cargo to JOVO
Qatargas sold its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Jovo LNG Storage and Transportation Co., Ltd. (“JOVO”), an independent LNG importer from the People’s Republic of China. The 64,000 cubic meter cargo was sold on a free-on-board basis and loaded on to the vessel LNG Lerici at Ras Laffan port on 22 October pursuant to the FOB Master Sale and Purchase Agreement signed by the parties earlier this summer. The cargo will be delivered to JOVO’s LNG terminal located in Lisha Island, Dongguan in the Guangdong province.
China Utility Aims to Triple Gas Power 2020
State utility China Huadian Corp wants to nearly triple its gas-fired power capacity by 2020, state-run China Energy News reported on Monday, part of China's campaign to use greener fuels and clean up the toxic air in its cities. Power generation will be one of the key drivers for China's gas demand surge over the next two decades, experts have forecast, as the government tries to curb the country's heavy dependence on dirtier coal. Huadian Corp aims to install 20 gigawatts of gas-fuelled power stations by 2020, versus 7.3 GW at the end of 2013.
Guangdong Carbon Scheme Sparks China Green Vs Growth Dispute
China's campaign against pollution and greenhouse gases is hitting early resistance in Guangdong province, where more than 60 manufacturers are holding back from a carbon market launched last year, saying the scheme is unfair and too costly. The stand-off between a quarter of the intended participants in the emissions market and the provincial government underlines the difficulty in implementing green policies in China, even after the launch of a national "war against pollution".
China Buying for $24b Nuclear Projects
Westinghouse in talks to sell eight AP1000 Reactors; Nuclear plants, with machinery and services, may cost $24 billion. China may sign as early as next year the first of several contracts for eight new nuclear reactors from Westinghouse Electric Co, as the government presses ahead with the world's biggest civilian nuclear power expansion since the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. China's main nuclear power companies are moving forward with talks to buy the third-generation Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, said Timothy Collier, China managing director of the U.S.-based company.
US to Become Major LPG Supplier to China
A deal between China's top refiner Sinopec Corp and Phillips 66 could be a game changer that signals the United States is on track to become one of the top suppliers of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to the world's second-biggest economy. China is the biggest consumer of LPG, a compressed mix of propane and butane, used for heating and transport, and now increasingly being considered for making petrochemicals. As demand in China soars, the U.S. shale boom has led to a surge in production of LPG, which is bringing down global prices and challenging established suppliers in the Middle East.
China Shipyard Delivers Offshore Pipelay Heavy Lift Vessel
COSCO (Nantong) Shipyard a subsidiary of the COSCO Shipyard Group informs it has delivered a pipelay heavy lift vessel, "SapuraKencana 1200", to its Asian buyer. The pipelay heavy lift vessel is designed to carry out multiple functions including oil piping processing, laying, installation and heavy lifting. Classed by ABS, the vessel is capable of working in shallow water of up to 200 meters with a ten-point mooring system. It is also equipped with a DP3 dynamic positioning system…